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Church group from Novi lands in Detroit after being stuck in Israel amid violent attacks

Group sheltered during last few days of their trip while coordinating travel plans home

A church group from Novi has landed in Detroit after escaping the unexpected violence in Israel.

The church group arrived Wednesday (Oct. 11) night.

“It’s good to be home,” said Pastor Jon Morales of Novi’s Oak Pointe Church.

The group was bused from Jerusalem to Jordan and flew back to the United States.

They sheltered for the last few days of their trip while coordinating travel plans home.

“We heard sirens a number of times and had to shelter in place, but Jerusalem is very safe, but it’s still a country at war,” Morales said.

U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin said her office was among the lawmakers who helped the group coordinate a safe return.

“It’s been real nitty-gritty details getting people out of harm’s way there, and that’s only going to continue,” Slotkin said.

Slotkin said her office has been helping all sorts of Michiganders get home from Israel, including independent students to tourists.

“Most Americans are not familiar with living in a war zone and the fear of going into a bunker when your hotel is under threat of a rocket attack, so it’s really rattled those tourists, as you can imagine,” Slotkin said.

Finding flights out has been challenging for tourists as American air carriers have suspended service from Israel’s primary international airport, Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

“Some international carriers are going in and out of there, but its spotty, and even today they had some duck-and-cover drills and threats of incoming fire, so we had Michiganders that were on planes and in the airport having to take cover,” Slotkin said.

“It was a difficult, difficult trip,” Morales said.


About the Author
Jacqueline Francis headshot

Jacqueline Francis is an award-winning journalist who joined the WDIV team in September 2022. Prior to Local 4, she reported for the NBC affiliate in West Michigan. When she’s not on the job, Jacqueline enjoys taking advantage of all the wonders Michigan has to offer, from ski trips up north to beach days with her dog, Ace.

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