Maryknoll High School sophomore Alex Krupitsky left Honolulu in August to study abroad in Israel. About six weeks into his fall semester, Alex was forced to cut his trip short due to the Israel-Hamas war.
"The first time when I heard the attack was some bombing sounds and the air raid sirens. So, of course, I was a bit, you know, scared. But after that, I wasn't really worried because I knew Alexander Muss High School would do what they could to protect us," he said.
The school is located north of Tel Aviv, in what Alex's father said is a relatively safe place.
Within a couple of days after Oct. 7, the school decided to send the students home, in part so that it could offer its beds to refugees fleeing from the south.
"I think during any kind of crisis like this, it's difficult sometimes to get a flight, but the school got a charter and they flew to Rome and spent a night," said Dmitry Krupitsky, Alex's father and an epidemiologist at the Hawaiʻi Department of Health.
After many more flights, Alex arrived in Honolulu a few days later. Back at Maryknoll, Alex said he shared his experience with his school community.
It's been one month since Hamas attacked several communities in Israel, killing 1,400 people and kidnapping around 240 people, NPR reports. Israeli forces launched an intense response that included a bombardment of Gaza. The Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported more than 10,000 people killed.
"I hope when dust settles, things go back to normal in Israel... maybe he can go back to Alexander Muss and finish his semester or just start a new one," Dmitry Krupitsky said. "I just want him to grow and become world citizen."
This interview aired on The Conversation on Nov. 6, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. Sophia McCullough adapted this story for the web.
