Forum Editorial: North Dakota Holy Land pilgrims caught up in a conflict remind us how small the world is

In ways they never could have predicted, a trip to the Holy Land was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for 85 members of Catholic parishes in Fargo, West Fargo and Grand Forks and members of their families.

The group had been staying in Jerusalem when Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization, invaded Israel, killing hundreds and capturing more than 100 hostages.

After the unexpected breakout of war, the pilgrims fled Jerusalem to Bethlehem, six miles away, taking refuge where Jesus was born in a manger.

The group was safe from immediate harm — the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip is 45 miles away — but the North Dakota group could see military planes flying overhead and saw the grim and terrifying reports about the violence in news reports.

“We are holding up,” Emily Bernhardt Keeley told The Forum during the ordeal. “The people are very kind. I think the scary part is the unknown. We are told we are safe here but we are watching the news and hearing very scary things from our friends and family back home.”

Bernhardt Keeley’s mother, Pam Hartwig, is a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church in West Fargo, one of the parishes involved in the pilgrimage that found its members caught up in the chaos of war.

It was a sobering reminder that we are all connected to people and events around the world. All of a sudden, conflict in the Middle East hit close to home; the seemingly vast distance from Fargo to Bethlehem, 6,200 miles, shortened in an instant.

The attack, the most serious Israel had experienced in 50 years, sent tremors through financial markets and triggered worries that the war could escalate into regional conflict.

Although safe from immediate harm, the pilgrims spent three anxious days filled with uncertainty about how they would get home. Members of the North Dakota congressional delegation contacted the American embassy in Israel for assistance in getting the group to safety.

Although priests presented an air of calm, at least some of the members were growing increasingly anxious, frustrated that their appeals for help getting out weren’t being heard.

Then, on Monday, Oct. 10, the group was able to make its way from Bethlehem to Jordan, where they were able to arrange flights for the trip home

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The North Dakota pilgrims were among the lucky. More than 1,200 were killed in Israel — including 22 Americans — and 1,000 in Palestine. Another 150 or so were taken hostage in Israel; 20 Americans were missing.

But for several anxious days filled with worrisome uncertainty, North Dakota had a window into an event that is reverberating around the world. It’s a reminder that in an instant peace and a comforting sense of normalcy can be shattered.