Israelis are coming home
Israelis who are living or traveling all around the world are choosing to return home driven by a conviction that their absence during this critical time would be morally unbearable. Israelis are making their way home, reeling from the shock of the Hamas attack. The consensus among them is striking: “There has never been anything like this in our history.”
- Read more:
Some have been summoned to the reserves, while others are volunteering to support the Israel Defense Forces and families who have suffered losses. Due to airline disruptions, their travel to Israel will be difficult, however they are determined to support Israel in its fight against Hamas.
Yaakov Swisa, 42, a father of five, said that although he had not received a call-up notice for reserve duty, he feels compelled to return to Israel and volunteer as an IDF reservist. Swisa, who is currently living in Los Angeles, served in the IDF for 15 years and disclosed that a soldier with whom he served was assassinated during the weekend music festival in the south.
"I've been crying for two or three days now, and it's time to stop. I'm prepared to battle. What else can I do after my friends in Israel are buried?" he said.
A call-up of another 300,000 reservists has been issued by the IDF. Reservists who have not yet been called or who have been unable to reach their commanders are returning to Israel to join the battle. Along with them are Israelis who are not of conscription age or non-Israelis with ties to the country with a common goal - to volunteer and support Israel in any way possible.
Adam Jacobs, an 18-year-old New Jersey student, was born and raised in the United States. For years he traveled to Israel to visit his relatives every summer. Tragically, one of Adam’s relatives was killed in the recent Hamas attack. Adam is eager to return to Israel to volunteer and provide support on the front lines. "If I stayed here, I wouldn't be able to live with myself," he said. "The situation has never been this bad."
Former US Congressman Eric Fingerhut, who now leads the Jewish Federations of North America, says he is not shocked by the number of people eager to assist Israel in these difficult times. Fingerhut, who landed in Tel Aviv prior to Saturday's surprise attack, is attempting to assist Israelis who have been called for reserve duty and are attempting to return to Israel.
"As soon as it becomes possible, we will do it," he said. "There are a lot of Israeli reservists all throughout the world. Getting them back to Israel so they may fight is a top priority, as it should be. People are simply struggling."
As a result of the war, major airlines canceled flights to and from Israel. There are over 140,000 Israelis in the United States, and many are attempting to return to Israel on charter flights.
Ofer Cohen, a New York businessman, is attempting to aid more than 200 stranded Israeli reservists traveling in South America. He is aiming to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to charter a plane that will transport them back to Israel.
Hundreds of Israeli citizens gathered at Athens International Airport awaiting evacuation flights. Many of them, disrupting their vacation plans or business trips, landed in Athens from various European locations without airline tickets due to the urgency to return to Israel.
Nir Ekhouse, a 19-year-old resident of the Galilee, was vacationing with his family in the Maldives when the war began. Nir and his family traveled from the Maldives via Istanbul, arriving in Athens in an attempt to return to Israel. On his return, Nir plans to volunteer with an organization aiding the Israeli Defense Forces.
"This is the first time in Israel's history that something like this has occurred, It's shocking," he says, accompanied by his parents and younger siblings.
Israel Lawrence, 27, was born in Israel and raised in London. He was not summoned for reserve duty but wants to be among his fellow soldiers and family. "Honestly, I'm scared," admits Lawrence, who is flying from Cyprus to Israel. "Everyone who is with me is scared, but we are trained and will do our best."
Israelis who had been called to reserve duty also were waiting at the Paris airport yesterday. They discussed their horror at Hamas' surprise attack and their hope to help in combating Hamas.
"It's hell, I have three friends who are missing, and I know there have been many people murdered", said Eden, 21, at Charles de Gaulle Airport. "I believe the IDF is adequately prepared."
" I think I'm ready for war after three years of service", said Eden, who arrived in France a month ago for work. "This is how it is. There is nothing we can do but fight."
"It was shocking, because we didn't expect it at all," Shimon, 26, who is also traveling from France to Israel, said. One of his friends was still missing and several of his friends had already arrived at their bases. "They've already started the work, so we just have to join them, that's all."
Ofir, 22, was in Vietnam when the war began. He arrived in Paris on a flight from Bangkok and plans to continue to Israel. "Just to be with the friends, with the family, with all the wounded and murdered," he said.
Nimrod, 23, is a medical student studying in Lithuania who has also been called to the reserves. "This is my time, this is my duty now," he told the news agency Reuters. Nimrod lost a friend and a relative in the early days of the war and two friends who were at the music festival still remain missing. He will return to Israel through London in the coming days.
According to Nimrod, around 50 Israelis from the University of Medical Sciences in Kaunas have been called for reserve duty and many more who have not been called wish to volunteer. "As a medical student and former Magen David Adom volunteer, I want to return to Israel and help save the lives of innocents and those who were massacred and murdered and kidnapped from their homes," he added.
LARGE COMMUNITIES SUPPORT ISRAEL AROUND THE WORLD