Westchester, Rockland law enforcement leaders were in Israel as Hamas attack began
Andrew Grascia's first visit to Israel will be memorable, but it certainly was not what he expected.
After Grascia flew to the Mideast nation for seminars under Israeli trainers on practical approaches to dealing with antisemitism and terrorism, war broke out on Saturday when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel by land, sea, and air.
Grascia, a deputy chief investigator for the Westchester District Attorney's Office, went with a contingent of 24 law enforcement leaders, including five Rockland police chiefs and four from Westchester.
After less than 24 hours in Israel on Saturday, "We woke up at 6 a.m. to air raid sirens," Grascia said Tuesday in a media availability hosted by the Westchester District Attorney's Office. "We saw rockets and missiles."
Grascia estimated the Hamas missile barrage pounding the seaside community lasted on a regular basis until 1 p.m. He said he and his fellow law enforcement officers were told to stay inside the hotel and were taken at times to reinforced stairwells for their safety, he said.
"During the day we could see rising smoke," he said, from the missiles and rockets that bypassed Israel's Iron Dome defense system.
"We're all law enforcement officers and we've been trained for different types of scenarios," Grascia said. "None like this."
At one point, Grascia said, some of them stepped out on their room balconies to watch the explosions light up the sky. He said the explosions contrasted with the natural beauty of beaches and the Mediterranean Sea.
"My son, who is 8 and a surfer, would have loved this," he said. "The view changed very quickly as the smoke came up."
Hamas, catching Israel off guard, fired off thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel as their terrorists marauded across towns and kibbutzes bordering the Gaza Strip, shooting men, women, children, and soldiers, as well as raping and taking people as hostages, Israeli authorities said.
The latest: Israel regains control of Gaza border; Iran warns of 'heavier slap': Live updates
Estimates are the Hamas invaders killed more than 1,000 people, wounded 2,800 more since Saturday, and kidnapped hundreds, according to media reports. At least 260 bodies were recovered at the site of a music festival near the Gaza Strip.
The Gaza Strip is an impoverished area controlled by Hamas that borders Israel and Egypt. It is separated from Arabs living in the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority. Israeli communities exist in the West Bank.
Palestinian authorities have claimed that in Gaza, Israeli strikes have killed at least 830 people and injured 4,250, according to the reports.
Grascia was guarded in what details he could discuss as the Westchester County DA's Office made the 55-year-old, 26-year investigator available. The office emphasized that Grascia spoke for himself, not his colleagues.
He would not disclose where the hotel was but The Journal News/lohud has learned it was in Ashdod, about 20 miles north of the Gaza Strip.
The trip was arranged by Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and organized by the Community Security Initiative of New York and Community Security Service, groups at the forefront of security efforts for the region's Jewish institutions and residents.
The 24-member contingent included NYPD and Long Island officers and from Rockland, Ramapo Police Chief Martin Reilly, Clarkstown Chief Jeffrey Wanamaker, Orangetown Chief Donald Butterworth, Spring Valley Chief Richard Oleszczuk, Sheriff's Police Division Chief Ted Brovarsky and Rockland DA Chief of Detectives Peter Walker. Those from Westchester included Pleasantville Chief Eric Grutzner, Larchmont Chief Christopher McNerney, Rye Commissioner Michael Kopy and White Plains Chief Joseph Castelli.
Grutzner and the others from Westchester declined to comment. He is first vice president of the Westchester County Chiefs of Police Association, which issued a statement Tuesday urging prayers "for the people of Israel as they mobilize and come together to deal with the biggest threat and security challenge they have faced since 1973."
They also thanked CSI's Mitchell Silber and CSS' Richard Priem for their efforts as the attacks unfolded.
"Their outstanding leadership during this unprecedented act of terrorism was witnessed and appreciated by all law enforcement personnel present," the statement read.
None of the Rockland chiefs returned telephone messages on Tuesday. Ethan Erlich, a retired NYPD officer who is regional security director for the Community Security Initiative/Jewish Federation of Rockland County, said he was preparing for two rallies for Israel and could not discuss the aborted trip.
In a news release, Erlich said the intended purpose of the trip "was to share practical approaches to the challenges of terrorism and antisemitism" and was supposed to include seminars, meetings with Israeli security leaders and visits to historical and holy sites.
Grascia said the program would be beneficial since no community throughout the world is totally safe from terrorism.
Aside from the seaside views, there was no sightseeing. After hours in the hotel, they were escorted by Israeli authorities to the airport. They were flown to the Arab nation of Dubai. After a six-hour layover, he said, they were flown to the United States.
He said the officers bonded during the trip.
"All of us really looked forward to traveling around Israel,," he said. "We all want to go back."
Staff writer Jonathan Bandler contributed reporting.
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com. Twitter: @lohudlegal.
Read more articles and bio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Israel-Hamas War: Hudson Valley law enforcement in country as war began
