‘A shock.’ Some Kentuckians stranded in Israel while local Jewish community mourns

Though the conflict is thousands of miles away, many Kentuckians are worrying for loved ones who are concerningly close to the war in Israel that broke out over the weekend.

The congregation at Lexington’s Ohavay Zion Synagogue were in the midst of services Saturday when they started to receive news of the deadly attacks on Israel by Hamas militants, said Rabbi Shani Abramowitz.

Israel has formally declared war and announced plans to besiege Gaza. Hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians are already dead, the Associated Press reported. With commercial flights largely grounded, multiple Kentucky church groups were also stuck in the country Monday.

“It was a shock,” Abramowitz said. “It was devastating and really hard to hear.”

Being together — they were celebrating a bar mitzvah and the conclusion of the Jewish High Holiday season — certainly helped. Many in the congregation have friends or family in Israel. Abramowitz said her brother lives there. Abramowitz has visited many times and studied for rabbinical school in Israel.

“I am fortunate that in my lifetime, the state of Israel has always been something I felt deeply connected to, and, again have family and really dear friends there,” Abramowitz said.

The same is true of the congregation at Temple Adath Israel, Rabbi David Wirtschafter said. He has an uncle, cousins and other family that live in Israel. One congregant had a daughter in a high school program there.

“We’re very concerned for their safety,” said Wirtschafter, who added they’ve been able to confirm that everyone is safe. “Some of them have been in and out of bomb shelters.”

They’re praying for the plight of the hostages reportedly taken into Gaza, Wirtschafter said, as well as for peace.

“The most important thing that we can do is to convey to our leaders, our elected officials, here in the United States, and to the leaders of all parties in this conflict, that our expectation is that they do the difficult work of sitting down and negotiating a ceasefire and stopping the violence as quickly as possible,” Wirtschafter said.

Abramowitz said they’re mourning with Israelis and Jewish people globally but also the “intractable nature of this conflict.”

“Feeling for Palestinians and civilians, innocent civilians on both sides who are being, again, caught in the crosshairs and who are unfortunately falling victim,” Abramowitz said. “So we’re thinking about everyone really.”

For those outside of the Jewish community hoping to show support, Abramowitz suggested checking in with coworkers, neighbors and friends who are Jewish.

“Just a quick text or phone call, just to say, ‘We’re thinking about you,’ and to ask how they’re doing goes a really, really long way,” Abramowitz said. She noted that viewpoints and reactions among Jewish people could vary.

A pro-Palestinian demonstration took place in downtown Lexington Sunday, LEX18 reported. One protester, Laila Abu Taha, said she has family in Palestine and was worried about them.

“The more united we are as people, the closer we are to peace and freedom,” Taha told the TV station. “We just want freedom for the Palestinians back home. What they’re going through is not easy, and they deserve that freedom.”

Church groups stranded in Israel

Other groups of Kentuckians have been stuck in Israel and have made attempts at getting home, news reports and videos posted to social media show. Flights out of the country are canceled.

Groups from Glasgow’s River Lake Church and Bowling Green’s Broadway United Methodist Church were stuck in the country, WBKO reported.

“We’re stuck in Israel right now but we’re safe and that really is the most important thing,” said Nic Smith, the pastor at River Lake Church, in a video he posted online Monday.

A group of Nelson County residents, who were on a “Holy Land tour” when fighting broke out, were initially stranded in Israel but were able to safely leave, state Sen. Jimmy Higdon wrote in a Facebook post Monday.

“I received an update from a reliable source that the Bardstown residents who were stranded in Israel are safely out of the country and will arrive back in the United States on Wednesday,” Higdon wrote.

Alan Dodson, a former Kentucky Baptist pastor and Kentucky Baptist Convention regional consultant, was unable to leave Israel, Kentucky Today reported. In a video posted to Facebook early Sunday morning, Dodson said he and the group he was with are in a safe place and awaiting more clarity on a potential flight home.

“If you were with me today you couldn’t tell that much was going on other than the heavy aircraft presence and then every now and then you’ll hear the Iron Dome in action protecting the country of Israel here,” Dodson said.