‘I was panicked;’ Mother speaks of concern for son in Israel as war rages
The violence in Israel hits close to home for some in Jacksonville. Action News Jax spoke with a mother whose son is currently living in Israel.
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Violence erupted in Israel over the weekend.
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“It was like, Saturday, we were just sleeping,” Menachem Gross said. “The rabbi woke us up. We heard like the sirens. And we’re just like, told it was like a bombing or something.”
“I was like panicked about my son,” Menachem’s mom Chai Gross said.
Menachem Gross is in Israel for Yeshiva, a gap year between high school and college where Jewish students go to study Judaism in their ancestral homeland.
“[They have] permission to study for one year,” Chai said. “He can’t stay longer, because then he will be called up to the army that will be up to him if he decides to join.”
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Right now, Menachem says he is okay. He is currently living in Jerusalem. The conflict began in Gaza, which is about 50 miles away from where he’s staying. But while most of the violence is centered in Gaza, he said some bombing occurred close by.
“There was a bombing in Jerusalem, I think two days ago, and we had to go down to the bomb shelter,” Menachem said.
“And that was very scary,” Chai said. “I was like shaking.”
But Menachem says he plans to stay. He says he feels safe at his school and he wants to support Israel in the small way he can.
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“To leave in my opinions kind of high defeats the whole purpose of them fighting,” Menachem said. “I think leaving means like, say, like letting Hamas win, you know, like saying that they were acknowledging their fear, like I’d rather not let them have an impact on my life like that.”
Despite Chai’s concerns, she’s proud of her son.
“As a mother, you want to protect your children and keep them in your own home,” Chai said. “But you also know that they have moments where they’re brave, and they do what’s important to them. I think this is one of those moments.”
She wants people to understand Israel is a free state with a democracy.
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“You will hear hear Hebrew, and Arabic, all mixed together, and nobody’s in danger,” Chai said. “People can live together, what happens is when you have a terrorist attack, then you cannot live together.”
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Chai and her son now communicate multiple times a day. Menachem says his area is on lockdown right now, so they can’t go anywhere. They are only able to walk along their street to a market for food.
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