US family leaves Tel Aviv after Hamas attack

DENVER (KDVR) – A family with ties to Denver is back in the United States after leaving their home in Tel Aviv following the deadly Hamas attack.

Jonathan Alden and his wife moved to the city three years ago.

“We live on the Mediterranean, we eat good food and we have a nice community,” Alden said. “It’s a very fun city.”

But their world was turned upside down after Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets into Israel on October 7.

“It’s just an endless scroll of dead people. You can just scroll and it’s just people missing, people being killed,” Alden said. “It’s really terrible.”

Despite the horror and pain, his community took action.

“Every grocery store was sold out, not necessarily because people were hoarding things, but because they were buying to put in boxes and send to people in need,” Alden said.

After spending several days in bomb shelters, Alden said they decided to return to the United States

“My wife is five months pregnant and obviously it’s not good for a baby and that kind of stress, so we decided to fly her out of the country,” Alden said.

After fleeing Israel, security in the USA is a cause for concern

But security is still a problem in the United States, he said.

“I can tell you that because of my work with the JC (American Jewish Committee) and other groups, Jewish students do not feel safe. Jewish people don’t feel safe. “I come from a war zone and I feel safer at home than I do walking down the street here because that’s allowed,” Alden said.

As hate crimes continue in the United States, Alden said he hopes for change and an eventual safe return to their homeland of Israel.

“It probably won’t be over for a long time, but the question is: when will the disruption to everyday life be over? And I don’t know the answer to that. “I hope it can happen in a few weeks, but the war could drag on for another month or two or longer,” Alden said. “Nobody knows.”