Lansing man still trying to find way home from Jerusalem after attack
Lansing-area resident Tim McGuire had been in Jerusalem for just over a day when a deadly Hamas terror attack struck Israel. His Holy Land dream trip was ended by the sad nightmare of a tragic war.
“Sirens went off on Saturday morning. I did not know what was happening, but I soon found out. The army intercepted two missiles heading to Jerusalem. Hotel staff told us to go into the stairwell. After that I went to the room to watch CNN and Fox News,” said McGuire, who was in the 37-room Bezalel Hotel on a group trip he purchased through Israel Unlimited Tours.
“I tried to stay calm. I heard the explosions. I have tremendous faith but it was nerve wracking. Every time I heard a clank I was on edge.”
McGuire, a Catholic who attends mass at St. Mary Cathedral and St. John Catholic Church in the Lansing area, is a lobbyist who spent decades as the executive director of the Michigan Association of Counties.
He contacted the U.S. Embassy, which instructed him to stay secure in the hotel.
“The hotel had food and everyone was pleasant, but it was scary. Everyone had left except a few guests."
McGuire did notice an armed security presence in the hotel.
“When a loud kerfuffle took place outside the hotel, they handled it quickly,” he said.
And while taking a limited walk in a four-block area through the empty, somber streets of closed shops, McGuire saw 10 undercover agents suddenly chase down a man up ahead. “I don’t know what he did, but he didn’t have a chance. I felt like I was in a movie. Soldiers and police were everywhere to be seen.”
McGuire said the tour company was “spot on” in responding to any requests and questions as he attempted to plan a return to Lansing. With spotty cellular service, McGuire was in touch with U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and U.S. representatives Elissa Slotkin, D-Lansing, and Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, a former Marine Corps lieutenant general.
“The general told me to keep my wits about me, so I didn’t drink too much. I wanted to stay alert,” said McGuire, who understandably calmed his nerves a bit at the hotel’s happy hour. “Congresswoman Slotkin helped me prepare a plan to get home."
He was less than 2 kilometers from the Old City of Jerusalem’s treasures, (which would remain, for him unseen), but a long way from Lansing: “It was going to be very expensive airfare, but I just wanted to get home.”
Slotkin told McGuire she assisted 40 members of a church group from Novi take a bus to Amman, Jordan, and was working on 60 others. McGuire’s tour group advised against a bus, citing that two Israelis were murdered at the Egyptian border the day before. Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was predictably teeming with tourists facing canceled flights, and McGuire’s initial booking Tuesday to Amman, and on to Detroit got scrubbed. He looked at options via Vienna and Athens.
As of Tuesday afternoon he was still finalizing travel plans out of Jerusalem.
Gaza, from where the attacks and missiles were launched, is 70 kilometers from Jerusalem.
“Jerusalem is the safest place in the Muslim world because it is is a holy city for them, too,” said McGuire, but the tension in the air was noticeable. “Be thankful every day we live in the USA.”
McGuire, a lifelong Detroit Lions fan, handed out Lions-logoed shirts to some of the hotel staff. “Ryazan at the front desk wore the shirt. I had to keep some sense of humor.”
McGuire said it was far from his priorities, but he anticipated being refunded for parts of the tour not taken, including guides, hotels and transfers.
Travel writer Larry Olmsted, acquainted with McGuire, offered preparation advice for international travelers.
“I always check the State Department website to get some background and health information. There are also many forms of travel insurance, including repatriation insurance such as Global Rescue, which gets you out of the country in cases that covers a lot of things including civil unrest. Those companies are often run by former special forces types.”
Registering your travel plans with the U.S. State Department’s Smart Traveler section is advisable, too. Jill Daly, from the Israel Ministry of Tourism, invited questions from travelers at Virtual@GoIsrael.gov.ilor What’s App 972 55 972 6931 “We also have shelter in Israel for those who may need it,” she explained.
Contact Michael Patrick Shiels at MShiels@aol.com His radio program may be found aMiBigShow.comor weekday mornings from 9-noon on WJIM AM 1240
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing man still trying to find way home from Jerusalem after attack
