WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews) – More than 60 American Chabad-Lubavitch students, including yeshiva bochurim and seminary girls, who became stranded in Jordan after leaving Israel amid the ongoing war, have safely returned to the United States, landing in Washington, D.C., after a five-day ordeal in Amman.
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The group, all U.S. citizens studying in Israel, initially evacuated through Jordan as part of a plan coordinated by Grey Bull Rescue to exit the conflict zone. However, what was intended as a transit turned into an extended stay when logistical issues delayed their departure.
Jordanian authorities at the border crossing confiscated the students’ kosher food supplies, leaving them with only fruits and vegetables for the first few days. Confined to a hotel for safety reasons, they were prohibited from leaving the premises and had to maintain a low profile in the area.
Despite the challenges, the students remained resilient. They observed Shabbat in Jordan, kashering a hotel kitchen to prepare kosher meals — reportedly creating the first such kosher facility in the country — and held uplifting services, prayers, singing and communal meals.
U.S. officials intervened to facilitate their exit after Shabbat. President Donald Trump, Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun (a special envoy or ambassador involved in Jewish affairs outreach), Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Jordan James Holtsnider and his embassy team, including Rocco Costa, coordinated efforts to secure their flight home.
The students have now reunited with families, many continuing to New York. Sources familiar with the situation credited the Trump administration’s involvement, alongside private and community efforts, for resolving the situation swiftly.
I remember during the Gulf war, the Rebbe told people not to leave Israel, but rather he encouraged people to come to support the Israelis.
They should have stayed here and continued their studies.
Wait! They were there for 5 days and didn’t open a Beit Chabad????
Why confiscate food supplies?
Israel should turn this incident into a diplomatic crisis with Jordan
I told my son to stay there and be mchazek in learning and not waste a minute during zman in learning. BH he takes a pocket mishnayos to bunker. We’re prepared not to have him for Pesach but think he will be able to fly out properly b’nachas out of TLV after Rosh Chodesh.
The seminary girls were from a seminary in brooklyn and went on an eretz yesrol trip They were supposed to leave before the war broke out
Read the fine print on your ticket. Learn what force majeure means
and to show hakarat hatov Chabad told him to read the first perek of Tanya.
Something is missing from this story. You don’t need to burden an entire US administration in the middle of a war to simply buy plane tickets and get on a plane to the USA.