As the war in Israel rages on, a southwest Houston man living in Tel Aviv’s suburbs is sharing his story.
“A lot of anger, and also a lot of sadness and hurt and grief,” Nathan Plumb said. “And a lot of numb as well.”
He moved to Israel after high school. Now, 23-year-old Nathan Plumb lives about 45 miles from Gaza with his wife, Sharona. They’re close enough to see rocket attacks and lockdowns.
Reporters met Nathan Plumb’s father, Steven Plumb, Monday night at their southwest Houston home.
“This is a new level of fear, having a child really in harm’s way,” Steven Plumb said.
A new video from Tel Aviv shows quiet streets, with schools and businesses shut down.
“There are some parallels for me, personally, in the immediate days after (Hurricane) Harvey,” Nathan Plumb said. “After Hurricane Harvey, there was no communication, power was out, there were shortages of food and water, and people were displaced.”
Families are splintering as military reservists are called back to active duty.
“The honest truth is that it’s a really, really scary situation,” Nathan Plumb said. “(Monday) night, we had some friends over to try and do a game night because we’re all watching the news all day, just reports of more people being killed and waiting and waiting. During that game night, we got the news that a friend’s husband was killed in action.”
Nathan Plumb’s younger brother is a member of the Israeli Defense Forces.
“I was worried for him, but there’s also a tremendous amount of pride,” he said. “It’s just this feeling of the sheer enormity of everything and how all-encompassing it is, no matter where you turn.”
Nathan Plumb and his brother hold dual Israeli and American citizenship. They could come back to Houston, but staying is a message of its own.
“To celebrate love and happiness and living and to not let Hamas or terrorists or anyone take it from us,” Nathan Plumb said. “That’s something that is ours.”
