Group traveling in The Holy Land finds safety in Jordan

(Jordan) – Father Phil Ackerman and his group of travelers to the Holy Land are grateful to be where they are – considering the war going on in Israel, started by terrorist attacks by the Hamas.

The tour group, consisting of 85 people from St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Fargo, Holy Cross Catholic Church in West Fargo and Holy Family Catholic Church in Grand Forks, found themselves stuck in Bethlehem when the war erupted over the weekend.

Tuesday marked one week in the Holy Land – they arrived at the Tel Aviv Airport last Tuesday, and in Bethlehem on Sunday. They were set to come home Thursday, but all of that changed when the unrest broke out.

“Things changed by the hour. We did not know as of yesterday what we were going to do. Our flights were canceled. And any remaining airlines that was operating out of Tel Aviv Airport, which is in the Gaza Strip in West Bank, those that were operating, flights were full, and the war was escalating,” Ackerman told WDAY Radio News by phone Tuesday night.

Originally, the plan was to have a meeting in Bethlehem. The meeting ended up being cancelled, and the packing began – for a trip to Jordan. The buses left.

“It took us about two hours to get through,” Ackerman said. “Because buses were lined up. People were leaving Israel left and right.”

While waiting, those in the tour group learned that the Hamas declared they wanted to take over Jerusalem.

“So that escalated things, and other countries might have escalated things,” Ackerman said. “If we would have stayed and just tried to figure things out, we would have been stuck. We would have been trapped.”

By Tuesday morning (United States time), the group was in Jordan.