ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — For many in Central Florida, the pictures and videos of the war in Israel are not just of a war abroad. It’s their home--- or their friends’ and family’s home.
Some University of Central Florida students gathered at Hillel, a center that many Jewish students call home. Instead of the typical Monday morning conversation discussing their weekend, they expressed how they felt after seeing the images that surfaced from the war.
“My main thoughts and feelings at first you know are hurt, sadness, and anger,” said Zachary Landes, student president of Central Florida Hillel. “You see these videos of terrorists coming in and kidnapping and killing men, women, children, little babies. It’s just kind of it’s hard to see you know.”
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Landes has friends who were called up to fight this weekend. His brother and grandparents are still in Israel--both near Tel Aviv.
“I definitely am worried the more I hear that things get closer to the places they live, but I just kind of have-to-have trust in God. That’s the best I can do,” Landes said.
While some in Central Florida are waiting to hear word from their families in Israel, Eric Rahamim is one of the fortunate ones. His parents and sister planned to travel from Israel to visit him in Florida - celebrating the birth of his child this week. They all managed to travel from Israel with his sister landing in Florida Monday morning.
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“But the majority of my friends still have family over there. People were trying to evacuate, family and friends as much as possible,” Rahamim said.
Rahamim served in the Israeli military between 2010 to 2013 -- including at the Gaza border -- before moving to the Orlando area. He says seeing the images from the war in his home is devastating.
“As a person that served there is just, it’s, it’s unbelievable,” Rahamim said. “It’s heartbreaking. And everyone I know, here abroad, is feeling the pain even though we’re not physically there.”
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Rahamim says not everyone is trying to evacuate. Many, including some of his friends, are staying to fight. He said he’s hopeful Israel will win the war.
“There’s a saying that if Israel put down puts down their weapons there will be no Israel. But if Hamas puts down their weapons, there’ll be peace. So take it as it is,” Rahamim said. “We owe it to our people, the people that live in Israel to fight.”
Landes said in the U.S., it’s a waiting game to hear updates on how his friends and family are doing. He says he’s doing what he can for his friends on campus and at Hillel.
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“There’s obviously the feeling of helplessness here. So whether it’s reposting, educating, and you know, that’s something that I tried to do you know, as the President I want to make sure that students all feel comfortable saying things and being heard, but also knowing they have a safe place to be,” Landes said.
Hillel plans to hold a candlelight vigil to remember the lives lost—this Wednesday at 7. No word yet on where it will be on campus.
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