As Josh Jury, 17, from Homewood, was in an airplane taking off from the Tel Aviv airport Oct. 11, he said he could feel and hear the nearby defense systems blocking missiles.
Jury, a senior at Homewood-Flossmoor High School, was in Jerusalem when Hamas militants attacked Israel Oct. 7. Israel has since launched airstrikes in Gaza, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the country was at war.
Jury arrived in Israel Aug. 22 as a student at URJ Heller High, which is a semesterlong, fully accredited high school educational experience for Jewish sophomores, juniors and seniors to learn in Israel, according to the program website.
Two days after the attack, Jury said school officials told the 100 students in the program they were finding them flights home, but it would likely take a few weeks.
But the next evening, Jury said students were told they would fly in a travel agency CEO’s chartered plane to Rome. The flight was for the next morning, Oct. 11, he said, and they were told to pack one bag and leave whatever didn’t fit behind.
Jury said he packed his winter clothes, books and some valuables, leaving behind his summer clothes and donating his towels and toiletries to families that have since relocated to the school to escape war.
“It was extremely last minute and very chaotic and very stressful,” Jury said.
At the airport in Tel Aviv, Jury said cellphone alerts went off a few times warning travelers missiles were detected nearby. At one point, the airport’s alert system started blaring and everyone ran to the bomb shelter, he said, but after two minutes they were allowed to leave because the nearby defense systems blocked the missiles.
“While we were at the airport, that was the closest I felt any threats had really gotten to us,” Jury said. “We could hear the missiles flying over head and getting intercepted. It was extremely chaotic and scary. I thought there’s no way they’re going to let us get on this plane right now.”
After a slight delay, Jury said the plane was able to take off, though he said he could feel the ground shaking and hear more missiles being intercepted.
The group made it to Rome and stayed one night at a hotel near the airport, Jury said. The next day, they were on an Air Italy flight to Boston, where the group had to split up quickly to catch their connecting flights, he said.
“We were rushed away. That was really hard because we’re from all over the U.S. so everyone had to go to their different flights. It ended so abruptly,” he said.
While in the security line at the Boston airport, Jury said he was surprised when one of the security workers started crying and gave him a hug after she saw his Israeli boarding pass.
“It shocked me that a stranger cared so much, but it was really touching,” Jury said. “Although I didn’t feel safe yet, because it was so chaotic getting out of that, it was comforting to know I was somewhere where I could eventually be safe.”
Jury said he and another girl from the program both flew from Boston to Chicago and arrived Oct. 12. Since his return home, Jury said he’s been processing what he went through and adjusting his school plans.
Through his experience, Jury said he realized two things: Innocent Israeli and Palestinians are dying and there is no justification for terrorism.
“What’s really sad is I went to Israel to be in a safe space for Jewish people and then I come back to the U.S. and there’s a really big rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia,” Jury said.
Tim Jury, Josh’s Father, said the days after the attack and before his son returned home were nerve-wracking for him and his wife, but they were grateful they could still communicate with their son. Still, Tim Jury said he was nervous about his son traveling via bus or plane amid a war.
“We never felt completely safe with his destination until he got off the plane in Chicago,” he said. “We’re just elated to have him home.”
Josh Jury said he met with a guidance counselor at Homewood Flossmoor High School and registered to take three classes virtually. Through the program in Israel, he said the students will complete the semester by taking two classes virtually: Israel history and Hebrew language.
All of his classes start next week, Jury said, and after they are completed in December he will graduate early.
“It’s going to be a really tough transition back. I can’t help but feel like I’m missing all of the experiences I would’ve had in Israel. Although I am grateful to be safe and back, I do wish I could’ve finished my semester there,” Jury said.
Jury said he would like to attend a program in Israel that would allow him to take college-level classes and travel the country before starting college in the U.S. He said he always wanted to pursue a career in international relations, which this experience has solidified.
“This hardship that we went through inspires me to do more,” Jury said. “I’m trying to bounce back and be a stronger person because of it.”