NEW ORLEANS — Some people who have Israeli and New Orleans connections, say the attacks came as a shock to them.
One told WWL-TV, one minute you're just eating lunch, and the next you're scrambling to find shelter.
There is a group of people in Israel, with New Orleans connections, who are all staying in constant contact with each other as the fighting there escalates.
One mother, Kim, whose pregnant daughter is there with her husband, says she feels helpless.
Other parents we talked to share that, and many other emotions.
The fighting nearly 7,000 miles away in Israel is touching lives very close to home.
“And there's not one person who doesn't know someone who is now on the front lines, or who has been kidnapped, or who has actually been reported as dead,” said Juliet Spitzer.
She went to high school in New Orleans and has a nephew now deployed in Israel. One of her daughters lives there with her husband, and infant. She texts constantly with them, and other close friends.
“And one of them just reported, she just wrote, she can't talk but three of her friends just lost children. Three of her friends just lost children,” said Spitzer.
“We were in shock because we didn't expect it at all. No one had any prior warning that something like this would happen,” said Bob Goldwasser, who grew up in New Orleans.
Goldwasser’s in-laws are in Jerusalem. He just left Israel hours before the attack began. A missile hit a few hundred yards from his place there.
“A lot of people have been taken prisoner, and these are kids in their 20s. These are grandparents, young mothers,” Goldwasser explained.
He says around 300,000 Israeli people have been drafted.
“Everyone knows someone who is now serving, So, it's really a frightening situation. You've got a lot of young families without their fathers,” he added.
“They're in their mid to late 20s, early 30s. I heard about someone who is in his 40s with four children, and he's a social worker, and a teacher,” said Spitzer.
Of course, a mother's instinct is to be with her child, and grandchild, but she knows she can't right now.
“I'm trying not to fall apart when I am, when I am talking to my kids. I am trying to stay calm. I don't want to add to their burden,” she said.
Southeast Louisiana is also home to a population of Palestinians.
We talked to several families and organizations who told us they were concerned, but didn't feel comfortable going on camera right now.
To buy supplies for soldiers and people evacuated from their homes, select the items and quantity you want to purchase and specify the address as:
"Tali Reiner Brodetzki's Gift Registry Address" - the items will arrive at the logistic center and be packed and sent to Israel by volunteers.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.