BOCA RATON, Fla. — The president of Boca Raton Synagogue is home after being in Israel during the attack.
Dan Kaskel was celebrating the Jewish holidays when the war broke out.
He told WPTV's Victor Jorges he spent a couple of days there going to bomb shelters almost every hour.
Kaskel spoke to WPTV reporter Cassandra Garca after he returned Tuesday morning to Boca Raton.
"You leave with mixed emotions," Kaskel said. "You don't want to abandon a country in need when you have friends and relatives who are fighting to protect the country but you do need to go home so it's with mixed emotions many people were leaving Israel."
It has become difficult to fly from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Israel's El Al is continuing flights, including a non-stop to and from Miami International Airport.
"It's a bit of a scramble in Israel for Americans and Europeans and others to get home," he said. "We are fortunate that our travel plans were to leave Israel early morning on the 10th and arrive in Florida although the flight was delayed. The flight did take off."
He uneasy before the plane departed.
"As it came time for us to leave, we were getting nervous," Kasekel said. "We didn't know if there would be an air raid siren three hours, four hours before our flight took off that would make it impossible for us to reach the airport. So we left for a 25-minute drive four or five hours before the flight took off, just to make sure we were at the airport with plenty of time."
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He plans to join local causes and continue to show support for Israel.
"It's very encouraging and beautiful seeing how the Jewish community of South Florida and elsewhere and the Jewish community of Paris and throughout the world have gotten together in support of what's happening in Israel," he said.
