Eight students and two staff from World ORT’s operational arm in Israel who were stranded in the Czech Republic due to the Israel and Iran conflict have returned home on an emergency flight.

The group, which was part of a wider Israeli delegation of 60 students and 20 teachers who had been taking part in an international science accelerator competition in Prague, landed back in Israel on Friday morning [June 20]. They had been due to return to Israel a week earlier, but their plane had been turned back due to the closure of Israeli airspace on June 13.

Half an hour after arriving at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, the students and staff had to run to an airport bomb shelter because of emergency alerts during an Iranian missile bombardment.

Dr. Moshe Leiba, Chief Pedagogy and R&D Officer for World ORT Kadima Mada, said: “They landed 30 minutes before an attack – other planes were in the air so were turned back. Our group landed and had to run back to the shelter, and then they finally got home after driving more than an hour.”

Speaking before the group returned, he had said: “These are very challenging times. Our students, who are aged 13 and 14 and in Grade 8, are staying in an apartment we rented for them. We have arranged a full array of activities for them. All the groups are connected and there are meetings on a daily basis.

“We are also taking care of their mental health needs with our professionals (including me) and locals. I meet with staff and students on Zoom daily.”

The students and staff were looked after by World ORT Kadima Mada colleagues as well as staff and students from the ORT-affiliated Lauder School in Prague. Dr. Leiba added: “The Jewish community in Prague was amazing and gave its full support for every need.”

Lior Barzilay, vice-principal of the Junior High School at World ORT’s Kfar Silver Youth Village at Ashkelon, said: “It was a very stressful situation. We were shocked because we didn’t know what was happening in Israel, and we didn’t know how or when we were going to come back.

“But World ORT Kadima Mada, Dr. Moshe Leiba, Kfar Silver CEO Amos Gofer, and the program’s CEO Vered Cohen Barzilay, took care of everything behind the scenes so we could focus most of our attention on the children.”

ORT America supporter Margie Green, of Florida, who has a long-standing connection to Kfar Silver, made a significant donation to help cover the costs of the students’ time in Prague and travel back to Israel.

The parents of these students wrote in a letter to Ms. Green of their “heartfelt appreciation”, adding: “Thanks to your help, our children had a safe and welcoming place to stay in Prague during uncertain and stressful times.

“Your care, generosity, and quiet strength made all the difference. You gave us not only practical help, but real peace of mind — and for that, we are truly grateful.”

Tzippi Becker, a teacher at Kfar Silver, said: “The Jewish community in Prague were very welcoming and students made us feel comfortable and showed us places in the city. They gave us kosher food, which, for a lot of people, was important.”

Lucie Hall, World ORT’s representative in Prague and a teacher at the Lauder School, said: “The school normally has around 400 students but needed to accommodate and feed an extra 80 people. Our school paid for their food, and Czech parents sent us contributions.”

English and Hebrew teachers at the Prague school prepared a program for the students. During the week, students visited the school and attended lessons, played sport including football and table tennis, made pancakes and chatted to their Czech counterparts.

“Emotionally, they seemed to be fine when in school, but their teachers said they were up and down,” Ms. Hall said. “Sometimes it was emotionally exhausting for them – they were happy for two hours, then they were sad, possibly when they received news from their families.

“They were talking with the Czech students a lot about our school, about their situation, about their school in Israel,” said Ms. Hall.

Student Yonatan, who is 13 and studies at Kfar Silver , said: “It was a very good trip – I had a lot of fun and enjoyed meeting new people. The community treated us very well. Two of the older students showed us around Prague.”

Students attended the competition from all over the world, including Turkey, Ukraine, and Nigeria.