More than one hundred community members gathered at Scoville park on Nov. 7 for a vigil held by the Middle Eastern/North African Alliance at Scoville Park honoring the Palestinian lives lost during the war, specifically the children of Gaza. ABC News also attended to cover the event. Leading the vigil were many Oak Park and River Forest High School students, most of whom were members of MENA or ASPIRA, a Latinx student leadership club at OPRF.

 The event was held at 5:30 p.m., after dark. Everyone who came was given a candle to symbolize the support of the victims of the war. Several members of both clubs gave heartfelt speeches, poems and stories tributing to the people affected by the war. After each speech, the audience and the speaker recited together, “We are here for the children of Gaza.” There were posters with the faces of people who died in the war and kites decorated with sayings to show support to those living in Gaza. 

OPRF senior Wael Elshareif spoke about the time he spent in Palestine visiting family, and the bonds he formed with young people who share his passion for skateboarding. He explained how skateboarding can be seen as an act of resistance in Gaza, bringing people together to form a sense of community. “But now that this war has happened all they could ever ask for is to go pick up a skateboard again,” Elshareif said. 

The vigil was not only a tribute to the lives lost, but also a call to action for Americans to start demanding change to end the violence. The day before the vigil, MENA held an event after school to draw attention to the need for a ceasefire and for the U.S to stop funding Israel and providing weapons.