WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A cultural emissary from Israel described the images she's seen from the war in her home country as "a living nightmare."
Honey Levy woke up Saturday morning in West Palm Beach to 622 messages, which delivered the worst news she could imagine. She recalled a phone conversation with her sister that morning.
"Words that shattered my heart and will haunt me forever, 'Israel is in war,'" Levy said.
Levy moved to South Florida from Israel in August to work as an emissary at the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, but her family and friends are back home in Israel.
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"Makes me sick to my stomach — they're safe for now, you know," Levy said. "Who knows what [it will be like] in the next 10, 15, 20 minutes or the next week or the next month."
Levy said it's all hands on deck in Israel. She checked in with her family, who are doing what they can to help their community.
"[My] father is driving down south to drop off meals, food, anything from diapers to kids who need [anything], and my siblings have been babysitting children who have been sent from the south and the north now to the center of Israel," Levy said.
Meanwhile, her role as an advocate for the Israeli community continues.
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"It's tough, I mean, all I want to do is look my family in the eye and throw my arms around them and give them huge hugs," Levy said. "But I've got a job to do here, and I know me being here is exactly what they would want me to do."
Levy added that she's grateful for the outpouring of love and support that she's received from the South Florida community since the attack.
"My phone has blown up from people that I've maybe met once — never met," Levy said, "which is the most incredible, incredible thing."
