ELON, N.C. — Students and alumni from Elon University in Israel remain hopeful and aren't scared, despite the fighting between that nation and Iran, said Rabbi Mendy Minkowitz, director of Chabad Elon at Elon University.
A big reason for their hopefulness is their strong faith in God, Minkowitz says.
“People lean in on faith, leaning on things that bombs can't destroy," he said.
The Chabad has been a gathering place for Jewish students and alumni at the university, but he says it's also a place open to other members of the community. In one of the rooms where students gather for fellowship are dozens of framed pictures on the walls. They capture the years of memories together as a community and special guests who shared their experiences with the students.
One of these guests was "a gentleman from Israel who, on Oct. 7, sort of dodged bullets and saved hundreds of partygoers from the Nova Festival and brought them to safety," Minkowitz said.
It's that same sense of community that is keeping these students and alumni in high spirits in Israel. It started with 20 of them in the country because of birthright, internships, visiting family and even moving to Israel after graduation. However, today that number is smaller, because some were able to board rescue ships as fighting between Israel and Iran continues.
“All of them told me that they were fine, they were safe and accounted for," Minkowitz said. "Some were sort of a little shaken by the sirens. Suddenly you got to drop what you're doing, run to a bomb shelter, and you might hear a boom seconds later or minutes later.”
However, he says that overall the students and alumni are resilient and adjusting surprisingly well to the situation.
“They’re not sitting there and crying and moping and hiding under their beds," Minkwitz said.“They’re not sitting there and crying and moping and hiding under their beds," Minkwitz said. "They're actually having a great time just being cautious, being careful, being responsible that when the air sirens do go off, you run to the shelter no matter what.”
He said that most of them are going on with their lives normally. Not only has he been in contact with the students he knows from the student center, but also family members.
“I have family there, I have siblings who live there, they're going about their lives and they're happy," Minkowitz said.
According to the rabbi, they are proud of their culture and being Israeli.
“Throughout history, the No. 1 goal of our pursuers or our attackers was not only to kill us but also to strip us of that identity, of that Jewish identity," Minkowitz said. "Part of fighting back is not only to physically survive, but it's also to spiritually and nationally survive.”