Pregnant Chicago woman happy to be home safe after escaping Israel amid Iran war
A Chicago woman who is pregnant with twins has returned home safe, after escaping the bombing unfolding in Israel amid the ongoing Iran war.
Tamar Rubinstein said it felt "amazing" to be back in Chicago.
She was in Tel Aviv at the start of the U.S-Israel war with Iran, and entering a bomb shelter was a daily routine.
"I kept, like, a go bag for the shelter. So once that was put together, and I knew I had my passport and my other necessities," she said.
Rubinstein had been visiting family and friends and even timed her trip around diplomatic talks, thinking she'd be safe. As she prepared to leave for the airport on Saturday air raid sirens were followed by a phone notification that said her flight had been canceled because the airspace had been closed.
That's when she decided to find a different way home. A train and bus got her to Egypt, where she boarded a flight to Athens, then Munich, before eventually landing at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. It took her three days.
"I didn't expect that I would be overcome with emotion just walking out of the customs," Rubinstein said. "I was just standing there by myself, because I got through customs so quickly, I beat my husband there, and I just started crying."
The stay-at-home mom, who has a 2-year-old son, endured that journey while five months pregnant with twins. She said her heart is still with family and friends in Israel, and those who supported her on the journey.
"I'm just so grateful. I mean, truly, truly. Like, this was not possible without the level of community that we have around us, and I'm so immensely grateful for that," she said.