COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — The Iran-Israel conflict may be happening thousands of miles away, but to some in Colorado Springs, it feels close to home.
"I don't see or hear fear. There is frustration," said Kobi Chumash, Executive Director at Temple Shalom in Colorado Springs.
Chumash first moved to Colorado Springs in 2003 from Tel Aviv, though his move to the United States wasn't originally the plan.
"My wife is from Colorado Springs. We met in Israel. We got married, actually, here in Colorado Springs, and went back to Israel," said Chumash.
Their decision to move to the United States was heavily influenced by a Palestinian uprising known as the 2nd Intifada.
"Tel Aviv was really experiencing a lot of suicide bombers in busses, in restaurants and coffee shops. It wasn't easy, especially for myself, because I never thought that I will take myself and move here. And it wasn't our plan originally," said Chumash.
Chumash said Iran's current attacks on Israel have a similar objective, targeting civilians in major population centers.
"It's Tel Aviv and it's Haifa and it's Jerusalem and other locations," said Chumash.
Among those civilians are Chumash's brother Dadi and niece Maya. His hometown of Rehovot has already suffered damage from Iranian missiles.
"I lived and grew up in the city of Rehovot, and Rehovot received two major falls of missiles," said Chumash.
Chumash reports that his family and friends are currently safe, adding that these threats and attacks have unfortunately become a part of life in Israel.
"Do we accept that? Unfortunately, we do. Do we like that? We don't," said Chumash.
While Chumash notes these attacks aren't new to Israelis, what's different this time is the source of the missiles, according to CSU Associate Professor Peter Harris.
"There'd been very few direct hostilities between Israel and Iran. It was mostly kind of proxy warfare fought between Hamas Hezbollah and other organizations that were aligned with Iran," said Harris.
Despite the ongoing conflict, Chumash remains hopeful that real change might emerge from the fighting.
"I'm not a politician. I'm not a military person that can strategize whatever will come or not come out of it. But, I think that most people in Israel feel some relief that this threat is at least not relevant," said Chumash.
When asked if he had a message for his friends and family in Israel, Chumash emphasized that no matter where you are, the Jewish community is interconnected, and Jewish communities across the U.S. are thinking of them.
Colorado Senators are responding to this weekend's attack on Iran.
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