Neighbors of an Evanston woman and her daughter feared captured by Hamas say they are “devastated” after learning the pair went missing during an attack in Israel.
Natalie Raanan, 18, and her mother, Judith, 59, were visiting family in Israel when they were likely captured during a raid by Hamas near the border with Gaza. War broke out in the area Saturday after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel killing and wounding hundreds.
“I’m just devastated by it. It’s just very sad,” said Kurt Jung, a neighbor of Judith Raanan for 17 years at a condo building in Evanston.
He and his neighbors have been tracking developments, and expressing their fears, in a group text.
“I think it’s sadder knowing they might be held captive,” Jung said.
Jung, 71, remembers meeting Judith Raanan in the building’s laundry room as she held her newborn, Natalie. As the girl got older, and her parents divorced, she moved in with her father, Uri Raanan.
Uri Raanan told ABC7-Chicago the mother and daughter had traveled to Natalie’s grandmother’s home in Nahal Oz, which was attacked by Hamas militants Saturday. He lost contact with them just as Natalie said she was taking shelter in a bunker, he told the television station.
President Joe Biden confirmed Tuesday that Americans are among the hostages being held by Hamas. About 20 Americans are currently unaccounted for, and 14 have been killed. The war’s death toll has risen to nearly 1,600 people on both sides.
Judith Raanan frequently visited family in Israel, Jung said. He learned on the news Tuesday morning that she and her daughter were feared captured.
“It’s just sad, the type of cowardice it takes to do something like this,” Jung said.
Raanan was interested in her neighbors and cared for them, Jung said. She once gifted Jung a bunch of lemons when he had a respiratory infection, he said. She would walk a small dog she once had, but otherwise, she mostly kept to herself, Jung said.
Judith Raanan works as an aesthetician. Natalie Raanan graduated from Deerfield High School last spring.
In a letter to students and parents, Principal Kathryn Anderson said: “We keep Natalie and her family in our hearts, along with all the innocent lives lost, wounded and impacted by the terrorist attack.”
Rabbi Dov Hillel Klein, the executive director of Chabad of Evanston, said he fears Natalie and Judith Raanan may be tortured or that Hamas will follow through on its threat to kill hostages. He said he prays each day for their safe return.
“Her eyes always glowed,” Klein said about Judith Raanan, whom he has known for 15 years. He recently pulled out a painting she made for him as a reminder of her. The painting depicts two women and a man dressed in colorful clothing.
“Even in difficult moments for her, she is always positive and always has hope. She has an infinite hope for a better tomorrow. She has the resilience and fortitude to overcome this difficult moment.”
Klein said Natalie is a bright, inquisitive and charming young woman.
“People have told me she is a person who is a true friend, a person who is there for her friends, who is loyal and committed,” Klein said. “God willing, she will have a normal and happy life ahead of her.”
Contributing: Associated Press
