SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The war is thousands of miles away — but the anxiety and uncertainty are being felt right here inside the halls of Congregation Beth Israel.
For members of the La Jolla synagogue, the conflict overseas has left many with loved ones in danger — and a heightened sense of vigilance at home. It’s a reality they say is painful, but not new.
Senior Rabbi Jason Nevarez says the constant need for security is something congregants of all ages have come to expect.
“This, unfortunately, is a daily reality for us,” Nevarez said. “From our youngest worshippers, our youngest students, to our most tenured congregants — they have to pass through security each and every day because that’s the constant threat we live with.”
The conflict in the Middle East is impacting millions across Israel, and the emotional toll is being felt behind the gates of the synagogue in La Jolla as well.
For Nevarez, the worry is deeply personal.
He has family members overseas, including his cousin, Rachel Hershberg, who is currently living through the fighting.
“Because I know what they’re having to navigate every one hour or so, every two hours — they’re running into the shelters,” Nevarez said.
Hershberg described what daily life has become like amid the ongoing conflict.
“So it’s a lot of fear and a lot of stress and tension and anxiety,” she said.
She shared video of her family taking cover inside their bomb shelter — moments after a missile fell just two kilometers from her home, located between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
“We were in our bomb shelter. I might start crying from this,” Hershberg said. “We heard it happen. It was very close.”
She says daily routines have come to a halt.
“It’s not normal life,” she said. “Normal life has pretty much shut down.”
Still, families like hers continue to move forward one day at a time.
“I just feel like we’re really taking it one day at a time,” Hershberg said. “We don’t really have any choice in that matter.”
Back in La Jolla, leaders at Congregation Beth Israel say the ongoing violence overseas continues to serve as a sobering backdrop for their community — one that remains on high alert, while holding onto hope for safety for their loved ones abroad.
