11 hours ago
South Florida families concerned for loved ones stuck in Israel due to Mideast conflict
The conflict between Israel and Iran is personal for Rabbi Yossie Harlig.
"My daughter is there now and now they've closed down the airports, there's no way of getting out," Harlig said.
The rabbi said his 20-year-old daughter Toba Harlig went to study in northern Israel. She has already tried to leave, but hasn't been able to.
"She had a flight to come back home and then got canceled and the missiles started raining again," Harlig said.
The rabbi said it's typical for Jewish young adults like his daughter to want to learn about their heritage. He said Toba has been in Israel since September 2024 and this is not the only conflict she has seen.
"She was woken up many times in the middle of the night having to run to bomb shelters, she had 30 seconds to make it to a bomb shelter," he said.
"It definitely was a culture shock at first," Daniella Krasney, a 20-year-old University of Miami student in Israel, said.
Living in a war zone has its challenges
Krasney is majoring in journalism and after only one month of her internship in Tel Aviv, she witnessed an international conflict.
"I am American, I'm not Israeli, I'm not used to this sort of stuff. It's definitely a little nerve wracking and I'm sure anybody living through a war zone can attest. Even before the conflict with Iran, you have a minute and a half to get to bomb shelters," she said.
Leaving Israel presents challenges
There are no flights in or out of Israel right now. Krasney plans to take a ferry from Tel Aviv to Cyprus on Friday morning. She will then fly to South Florida. As for Harlig, the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation will help her leave Israel over the weekend.
"I feel a little bit more comfortable as a dad that these people are former soldiers," Harlig said. "The plan is on Sunday, they are going to take her to the Jordanian border, take her to the airport, get her on a plane to go to Cyprus, then get on another plane to flight to Tampa."
Americans stranded in Israel can fill out an emergency evacuation form from Grey Bull Rescue, a Tampa nonprofit that helps rescue citizens in conflict zones.
