Utah rabbi details escape out of Israel
Oct 11, 2023, 10:35 AM | Updated: Nov 30, 2023, 5:46 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah rabbi is back home after the violence that erupted in Israel over the weekend.
Rabbi Chaim Zippel posted to Facebook Monday, sharing that he and his wife had managed to get a flight out of Israel and were home safe.
Zippel described the ordeal and said, “Running in and out of bomb shelters, and the combination of the non-stop sound of rockets dropping all around us, and fighter planes flying overhead made for a pretty terrifying 48 hours.”
He also described the actions of his uncles, Rabbis Yudi and Menachem Pelman. Zippel said they ran toward the danger instead of away from it. His uncles performed burials for hundreds killed in the Hamas attack.
Amid the turmoil, Zippel encouraged his community to be more like his uncles.
“Find a way to add some light to the world,” said the rabbi.
Zippel is a Salt Lake City native but moved to Lehi with his wife in 2022. There, they co-founded Chabad of Utah County.
The organization seeks to support the Jewish community and “helps Jews appreciate their roots and identify proudly with their Judaism,” according to its website.
