“Happy to be here”: Former Melbourne school students open up on why they have made the move to Israel

They’ve traded the comfort of Melbourne’s suburbs for bomb shelters in Israel but these young Victorians say there is nowhere in the world they would rather be.

Former Melbourne school students hunkered down in Israel say there is nowhere in the world they would rather be as missiles rain down on the Jewish homeland.

Young Victorians are racing to bomb shelters at night in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, praying that Israel’s missile defence systems will protect them and their friends as Iran unleashes hundreds of rockets.

As thousands of Australians desperately attempt to escape Israel and Iran amid escalating tensions, they told the Saturday Herald Sun it was a “privilege” to be in the war zone.

Opting to stay put rather than return to the comfort of Melbourne’s southeast, former Brighton schoolgirl Noa Rotenberg, 25, has been waking up to the sound of sirens multiple times a night to squeeze into a communal bomb shelter.

Former Brighton schoolgirl Noa Rotenberg races to a communal bomb shelter in Tel Aviv every night. Picture: Supplied

Unlike some shelters where mattresses are strewn across the floor and families store a collection of comforts, there is barely room to sit down.

Half the street, along with the neighbours cats and dogs, pack into the tiny room, for at least 40 minutes at a time.

“I’m happy to be here regardless,” Ms Rotenberg said.

The former Brighton Secondary student moved to Israel in 2020, leaving her parents and siblings behind. Her younger brother has since joined her.

“Melbourne is like a vacation for me but this is my home with my friends and family,” she said.

“Anywhere else wouldn’t feel right for me.”

“I’m in the right place.”

An apartment building five minutes from her home was destroyed by a missile. Picture: Supplied

Ex-Mount Scopus student Josh Feldman also feels that Israel is home, despite moving to Jerusalem just six months ago.

The avid opinion writer said when he heard the news that Israel had attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities, kicking off the deadly battle, he was “so happy to be here”.

“I’m always happy to be here, but to be in Israel, at such an objectively historic moment and a massive turning point in our history, possibly world history … it’s an insane privilege,” he said.

“There’s not a single fibre of my being that would want to be anywhere else, and definitely not Melbourne.”

Former Mount Scopus student Josh Feldman is sleeping in a bomb shelter every night with 100 others as Iran rains down missiles on Israel. Picture: Supplied

Unlike Ms Rotenberg, Mr Feldman sleeps overnight in the shelter he shares with more than 100 others from an ‘absorption centre’ for new immigrants to Israel.

There is a TV, games and even wi-fi, so everyone can get updates on the looming danger above.

“We always sleep in the bunker overnight,” he said.

“It’s underground and it’s just easy to sleep here because when the sirens go off at three in the morning, we can just go back to sleep.”

While Israelis are used to dropping everything to run to bomb shelters, many have never seen missiles destroy entire buildings.

At least 24 people have been killed in Israel while more than 240 people have been killed in Iran, according to relevant authorities.

“There’s definitely a lot of stress and anxiety on the surface for a lot of people, because this is really something that we’ve never done before,” Mr Feldman said.

“And you never know where the missiles are going to hit.”

Originally published as “Happy to be here”: Former Melbourne school students open up on why they have made the move to Israel