[Note: GOOD Morning Wilton Editor Heather Borden Hervé did not participate in writing or editing this story.]

“Living in Wilton, Israel felt far away, even though it’s my home. And it’s hard now to explain to friends from high school that my bedroom here is designed to transform into a bomb shelter.” -Michal Trachtenberg

Michal Trachtenberg graduated with the Wilton High School Class of 2018, but last month — just weeks ahead of what would become the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust — she and her husband moved to Haifa, Israel.

On Saturday, Oct. 7, the terrorist group Hamas, which controls Gaza, attacked Israel in an invasion that killed more than 1,200 people. The overwhelming majority of victims were civilians. Widespread reports of atrocities quickly emerged, including rape, hostage-taking, brutal murder and even decapitation of Jewish children and babies. In a speech on Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden called the attacks a case of “pure, unadulterated evil.” On Monday, Oct. 9, Israel announced a siege of Gaza, cutting off electricity, food, and water, and unleashing a barrage of air strikes that have killed at least 1,300 people.

Trachtenberg said Haifa, which is in the north of Israel, still feels relatively safe, with the violence centered in the southern part of Israel along the Gaza border. Still, the terrorist attack and air strikes can’t help but feel close to home in a nation the size of New Jersey.

Indeed, for many families in Wilton, the events unfolding halfway around the world have very real and very personal implications.

Wilton resident Alexei Druzhinin’s wife and son, who is a senior at Wilton High School, are currently in Israel and unable to find a flight home. They arrived on Friday as part of an annual trip the family takes to celebrate a grandparent’s birthday and were meant to arrive home on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

“My wife goes to Israel every year to visit her dad,” said Druzhinin, who is Christian. “It’s safe pretty much every year — a few rockets here and there. It’s terrible to say but we think nothing of it. These atrocities are on such a different scale though, it’s mind-boggling.”

Since the violence began, he has been focused on trying to find seats on a flight out of Israel, largely without help from official channels. Druzhinin noted that the family reached out to the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Israel looking for advice for Americans trying to return home and received no information until late afternoon on Wednesday.

Instead, friends and business contacts in Wilton and nearby towns have been the family’s primary resource for help in securing flights. He hoped his wife and son would be able to fly home by the end of the week. Druzhinin did note that Wilton High School has been “very accommodating” as the family works to get their son home and back to his routine as a Wilton senior.

If not for the current state of conflict, Druzhinin would encourage people to visit Israel in person. “Once you visit Israel you understand,” he said. “This is the Holy Land, this is where everything transpired. It’s a place where people should coexist.”

But while the horror and significance of the terrorist attacks was immediately clear to some Wilton residents, a broader conversation is just beginning.

On Wednesday, Wilton Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kevin Smith sent an email to the school community regarding the attack. He shared resources previously circulated after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 about how to speak with children about war and violence. However, while the 2022 message included materials related specifically to Ukraine, Wednesday’s email did not reference antisemitism or offer any resources to parents specifically about the conflict in Israel.

GOOD Morning Wilton reached out to Smith for comment.

“The attack on Israel is reprehensible and has further undermined feelings of safety for many,” he said. “In the letter we sent to families we chose to focus broadly on the impact that war may have on children and shared resources that address how to respond to children who may be feeling anxious as a result.  These are quality resources and they were shared at the outbreak of the Ukraine war. We were focused on feelings that children may experience as a result of the conflict.”

Smith added, “In an earlier communication to school staff, I shared a concern about the potential for a rise in antisemitic acts and asked all of our staff to be vigilant and report any concerning behaviors. I take the question about providing additional resources to families about addressing antisemitism seriously and will discuss this with my leadership team. We are very concerned about the wellbeing of all members of our school community and are committed to taking steps to proactively support those who are feeling very vulnerable at this time.”

There is, unfortunately, a history of antisemitic acts within the Wilton schools (and other area schools and municipalities). In 2014, a swastika was found etched into a locker at Wilton High School, and later, another in a boys restroom.

For her part, Wilton alum Trachtenberg hoped the events of the last few days lead to a more open conversation in the schools.

“I don’t think I knew a lot about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when I was a student in Wilton — and I don’t think I felt comfortable asking,” she said. “I hope right now the schools are creating an atmosphere where people feel welcome to ask questions.”

Wilton’s interfaith clergy community, which often mobilizes in times of tragedy and grief, is working to bring community members together. Father Reggie Norman, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Church informed GMW that an interfaith vigil is being planned at Temple B’nai Chaim for this weekend. (GMW reached out to Temple B’nai Chaim spiritual leader Cantor Harriet Dunkerly for comment, but did not get a reply before this story was published.)

GMW will update this story as more details become available.

UPDATE: Cantor Harriet Dunkerley reached out to share the below information.  

Temple B’nai Chaim and The Wilton Clergy Association invite our communities to join us along with local, state and national officials in an Interfaith Vigil of Prayer, Healing and Solidarity with Israel. The vigil will be held on Sunday, Oct. 15th at 7:00pm at Temple B’nai Chaim.

Additional information, including a link to RSVP, will be available later today (Oct. 12). For more information, contact Cantor Dunkerley, at cantorharriet@templebnaichaim.org or Father Reggie Norman at fatherreggie@gmail.com.

Note: RSVP will be required for the event and a zoom option will also be provided.