Chicago-area teen recounts rushing to bomb shelters while fleeing Israel amid Hamas attack
By ELYSSA KAUFMAN, DYLAN VAN SICKLE
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — A teen from the Chicago suburbs is home safe after traveling to Israel for a study abroad trip during the Hamas terror attacks.
Josh Jury, a 17-year-old from Homewood-Flossmoor, recounted his experience visiting a town near Tel Aviv during the attacks. He was with American teens, celebrating the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah with dancing and singing.
The celebratory experience came to an end when Jury and his school group woke up to sirens.
“I had never heard something like that in my life,” Jury said. “I didn’t know what it was.”
That’s when they were rushed to a bomb shelter. He described the chaos, with some students even running for shelter without shoes. Two days later, the students had to pack a single bag and begin the journey to safety.
Between the sound of the Iron Dome intercepting missiles, sirens and phone alerts, they made it to another bomb shelter at the airport. Jury said he could feel the “ground shaking” as he boarded the plane.
While shaken, he is now home safe after making it onto a private charter flight.
He has friends and family still living in uncertainty as the war escalates. He said getting to come back to the states is a “privilege” he does not take lightly.
“I consider Israel to be a second home, so as grateful as I am to be here right now and to be safe in the United States, my heart is really breaking for Israel, the country, what it’s going through,” Jury said.
Despite his terrifying experience, he hopes to return soon and wants to send a message for peace.
“I want to send a message that this war is really powered by senseless hatred. I feel strongly that both innocent Israelis and innocent Palestinians alike are dying from the horrible Hamas terrorist attacks. At the end of this, I see a solution for peace and coexistence in the future,” Jury said. “I really do hope to return to a more peaceful Israel someday in the future.”
Jury along with a team of fellow students are fundraising to help those impacted by the attacks.
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