It was not totally unexpected. But still disappointing. All of our flights back to Chicago have been canceled. I suspect that will continue to be the pattern in the short term as the war goes forward. We have made a third reservation for a later date (October 23) which is 10 days from now. But I don’t have great confidence that it won’t be canceled as well.
The US State Department is offering rescue flights which I believe have already begun. We applied online but have not heard back from them. Not sure if I somehow messed up the form or if the State department simply doesn’t acknowledge receipt of those applications. Either way, it is an unpleasant experience not to know when we will be returning to our home in Chicago.
I have reached out to Agudah (via a text message) who has been very good about keeping Jewish American citizens informed. But since it is still early in the morning in Chicago, they have not gotten back to me yet. Hopefully before Shabbos but we’ll see.
I love the holy land and I love my children, but my wife and I want to go home. Although our children (where we are staying) insist that we are not a burden; Tell us that they love having us as guests; and that we can stay as we need, under the circumstances I can’t help feeling that they have enough to worry about without worrying about us.
If anyone has any suggestions as to how we can return to our home in Chicago, my wife and I would greatly appreciate it.
I realize, of course, that my anxiety over our personal situation pales in comparison to what every Israeli is going through. Especially those serving in the IDF and their families (not to mention the near Holocaust type trauma of families that have lost loved ones that were among the over 1300 people brutally tortured, raped, and slaughtered. Or the excruciating anxiety of those taken hostage and their families.
My travails are nothing compared to any of theirs. My heart goes out to the bereaved, I cannot begin to imagine the kind of pain or loss they are going through. I therefore pray for the welfare of the brave young soldiers being asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for their people and their country.
May God keep them safe as they begin the monumental task of destroying the evil in their midst.
Based on our circumstances I’m not sure if I will have the opportunity to keep up the pace of daily posts. My life needs to get back to normal. But I will try.
With that I wish all of my readers a Good Shabbos