San Diego Students Evacuated From Israel | NBC 7 San Diego
San Diego students, initially on a cultural trip, were forced to evacuate Israel due to rising conflict, seeking refuge in a bomb shelter. This eighth-grade group from San Diego Hebrew Day School faced unexpected challenges during their visit to Jerusalem, experiencing air raid sirens and the threat of missile attacks. School board member Miriam Belsky swiftly devised an evacuation plan, coordinating a bus ride to Jordan and flights to safety.Discover how parents reacted to the difficult decision and the students’ emotional homecoming. News Directory 3 has the full account of this harrowing experience and the community’s resilience. Discover what’s next …
San Diego Students Find Safe Passage home After Israel-Iran Conflict
Updated June 19, 2025
Eighteen students from San Diego Hebrew Day School, on an eighth-grade trip to Jerusalem, experienced more than just a cultural immersion. The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran forced them to seek shelter and ultimately cut their trip short.
After spending half their planned visit in a bomb shelter, the students arrived home Wednesday afternoon, greeted by relieved and overjoyed families. Malka Weiser, a parent, expressed a “tremendous sense of relief” at her daughter Nava’s safe return.Nava Weiser echoed the sentiment, saying, “Attached at the hip, me and my mother. It feels really good. I really miss my mother.”
classmate Asher Breskin shared the relief. His mother, Shauna Breskin, said she was “overjoyed with emotion” to have him back home.
The trip, designed as a rite of passage to connect students with their heritage, included visits to neighborhoods impacted by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Asher noted the emotional weight of seeing the aftermath of the attacks during his first visit to Israel.
Three days into the trip, air raid sirens sent the group scrambling for safety. “You could just hear like the bombs exploding in the air,” Nava said. Asher added, “When the missiles started, I kind of just wanted to get out of there as soon as I could.”
For five days, the bunker became their temporary home. rabbi Benjamin Geiger, one of the chaperones, emphasized the focus on the students’ safety and well-being. “We brought them there. We needed to get them home,” Geiger said. “All three chaperones really focused on making sure the kids were taken care of, making sure the kids felt safe.”
Miriam Belsky, a school board member in Jerusalem on other buisness, devised an evacuation plan involving a bus ride to Jordan, followed by flights to Istanbul and Los Angeles. “I feel grateful to have been at the right place at the right time,” Belsky said.
Belsky connected the San Diego parents with the chaperones and students via a virtual call, giving them 20 minutes to decide whether to evacuate. “On behalf of all the parents, that was the hardest part. To make that decision,to take that chance with our children,” Weiser said.
Despite the unexpected turn of events, organizers are already planning next year’s trip, highlighting the community’s resilience and commitment to providing students with a meaningful cultural experience and safe travel.