With loved ones in Israel, some Connecticut families are on edge

Millions of people around the world are watching anxiously as the attacks in Israel take place. The concern is especially high for people with a personal connection, and there are many here in Connecticut.

For those people, there is a range of emotions including a sense of helplessness, knowing their loved ones are so far away in the midst of an incredibly dangerous situation.

As explosions rock the Gaza strip, the world is watching. Paying close attention is Hamden’s Avi Schwimmer’s who says he can hear the explosions while speaking with his sister who is in Tel Aviv.

“You hear it go off and then you see her kind of run down to the shelter,” Schwimmer said.

Schwimmer’s sister Sarah moved to Israel recently to care for their elderly grandmother. Their father Dan just arrived last week, visiting for what was expected to be a celebration.

“It was actually my grandmother’s 96th birthday,” Schwimmer said. “We were supposed to have a big party for her two days ago and they celebrated from a shelter.”

The Schwimmers are in an apartment building about 45 miles from the Gaza strip, not on the front lines but close enough.

“We are hearing it all. We are feeling the house is rumbling,” Dan Schwimmer said.

As violence escalated Saturday, the Schwimmer’s escaped to their apartment building bunker. It’s two stories below ground, has reinforced walls and is large enough to hold many families.

“We were down there and within five minutes, there was a very big explosion right outside the house here. Right here in Tel Aviv,” added Dan Schwimmer.

Even when not in the bunker, the Schwimmers can’t avoid reminders of war, with their building close to the Tel Aviv hospital.

“All day you can hear the ambulances and helicopters. They are being flown in by the hundreds,” Sarah Schwimmer said.

The Schwimmers aren’t alone. Cheshire’s Judy Kopman-Fried has several relatives there, including her nephew, his wife and their 2-year-old child. Like many, she’s watched the news in fear, especially after seeing an apartment building near her nephew was bombed.

“Right away, my heart started beating a million miles a minute, and I’m texting to make sure they’re alive,” Kopman-Fried said.

Kopman-Fried’s brother, who grew up in Manchester, is also in Tel Aviv with his wife. Today, Judy fears for him and the countless others who are near the volatility.

“It’s a terrible situation, and I just want people to keep Israel in their prayers,” she said.

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