ND church group stuck in Bethlehem amid Hamas attack on Israel

WEST FARGO — On Sunday morning, before a church so packed that folding chairs had to be set up in the entryway, Holy Cross churchgoers listened to a reading that seemed especially timely.

“Have no anxiety at all,” the verse from Philippians 4:6 read, “but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.”

The words were appropriate for church members who are understandably filled with worry these days.

Holy Cross’ primary pastor, Father Phil Ackerman, many fellow Holy Cross members, and priests from several other parishes are currently stuck in Bethlehem after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a sudden, large-scale attack on Israel Saturday. Its fighters entered communities near the Gaza Strip, killing residents and taking hostages, according to the BBC. Israel has responded with retaliatory airstrikes and a formal declaration of war

on Sunday

.

Although the West Fargo church group is safe in Palestine-controlled Bethlehem, they aren’t sure when they’ll be able to leave this volatile corner of the world.

The group of 85 is made up predominantly of Fargo, West Fargo and Grand Forks residents as well as congregants’ family members from around the country. Also on the trip are Father Gerard Braun of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Fargo and Father Augie Gotham of St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Hawley and St. Elizabeth’s in Dilworth.

Rev. Ackerman, who helped plan the trip, told The Forum in a phone interview that the group had arrived in Tel Aviv last Tuesday. Earlier Sunday, the group had heard they could possibly fly out of Jordan or Egypt as early as Monday, thinking Tel Aviv — at the heart of the fighting — was out of the question, Ackerman said.

But driving to Jordan or Egypt “has other types of complications and would take a couple of days to do as well,” he said.

Ackerman said he’s heard different accounts since then on where and when they can leave Israel. He was told Air Canada had canceled all flights for the week, but then also heard the group would be able to leave from Tel Aviv on Thursday.

“That surprised me,” he said. “It’s changing by the minute.”

Ackerman said he’s especially grateful that their tour guides, Jane and Maher Alatrash, who are originally from Bethlehem but live in Michigan, recommended they stay in Bethlehem instead of conflict-torn Jerusalem.

“It’s a godsend,” he said in a phone interview. “Here, in Bethlehem, we went touring today.”

They’ve heard that travelers who are staying in Jerusalem, just six miles away, have not been able to leave their hotel. Tourists in Jericho, about 36 miles away, haven’t been able to leave their bus. 

In Bethlehem, located about 45 miles away from the Gaza Strip, tour members saw zero evidence of rockets or bombing, Ackerman said.

“A couple of times I heard some planes flying in the middle of night, which gave me a little sense of being uncomfortable, but I don’t know what that was,” he said.

A day after the attack, there was little traffic and many of the shops were closed in Bethlehem, where the Sabbath is celebrated on Saturdays and a Sunday would be like a weekday, he added.

“But there were a lot of people at Mass this morning, and there were a lot of pilgrims touring the religious sites as we did,” Ackerman said. “Things seem a little more normal. Below all that, we all have some apprehension.” 

After all that has happened in the area, Ackerman said the group wasn’t particularly interested in venturing out to sightsee. Although access to Jerusalem had opened up again as of Sunday evening, tour guide Alatrash said she felt safer staying in the Bethlehem area, where she has friends and contacts. 

“We are not worrying about what’s happening there will affect us, but the people who live in U.S., (they) are not used to this situation, so that’s why (they’re) worried about that,” she said.

At the same time, Alatrash said she had not heard of an attack of this magnitude since 1948. 

Emily Bernhardt Keeley and her 17-year-old son, Nathan, came on the trip with her mother, Pam Hartwig, a Holy Cross member. Bernhardt Keeley said their group felt “somewhat safe” in Bethlehem, but were struggling with the uncertainty of when and how they would get home.

“We are holding up,” she told The Forum. “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. The emotional and mental toll on all of us travelers and our loved ones back home is huge. A roller coaster of emotions for sure.”

She also said group members were trying to find ways to at least get to Europe if flights to the United States weren’t available.

“I am really hoping they figure this out sooner than later. My anxiety is through the roof,” she said. “We all just want to get home so bad.”

Tammy Swift hails from a family of storytellers. A graduate of North Dakota State University, she has worked as a Dickinson, N.D., bureau reporter; a Forum feature reporter, columnist and editor; a writer in university relations, and a marketing, social media and communications specialist.