Long Islander describes 'odyssey' of returning to US from Israel
Robert was able to book a flight to Dubai, and from there he will fly home to New York. He was due to arrive back on Tuesday afternoon.
Getting back to New York from Israel has been a harrowing experience for one Long Islander.
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News 12 spoke to Robert from Nassau County by phone. He says he doesn’t want his last name used due to safety concerns.
Robert was in Tel Aviv on vacation when Israel came under attack.
“It’s probably one of the most unsettling experiences I’ve had in my life,” he said.
He described being there as “historic and incredibly frightening,” and that the process of getting back to U.S. soil was a bit of an “odyssey.”
Robert said the airport in Israel was “fairly chaotic” with a long backup, partly because many of the security guards were called up for military service, so there were fewer of them there to assist with security checks.
Robert told News 12’s Cecilia Dowd that he landed in Dubai and was set to arrive back in New York Tuesday afternoon.
Robert says he feel very lucky to be able to come home, yet incredibly sad for what’s going on in Israel. He described what’s happened as “unconscionable.”
Meanwhile, Woodmere resident Sammy Tisser, who’s currently in Israel and has spoken with News 12 several times, says he plans on staying in the country. He’s there for national service, working at a hospital. Video he shared with News 12 shows the sky lighting up with orange bursts.
Before speaking with News 12 Monday morning, Tisser said he heard loud booms. He said if a building was being hit, he immediately thought of families potentially being impacted. He wondered: “What’s going on with them? Is anyone hurt? Was anyone killed?”
