Life goes on for Pinoys in Israel

Despite an unprecedented missile barrage by Iran on Israel on Tuesday night, several overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the country said their daily lives have returned to normal shortly after the attack.

In an interview with DAILY TRIBUNE’s digital show Usapang OFW on 3 October, Benjamin Nepomuceno, a Jerusalem-based caregiver and content creator known for his page “Pinoy Life in Israel,” shared that the missile strikes affected various parts of Israel, including Jerusalem.

However, he emphasized that daily activities resumed soon after the incident. “We are actually celebrating the Jewish New Year. Today is the first day,” Nepomuceno shared.

Despite living in Jerusalem for 10 years and witnessing numerous conflicts, Nepomuceno acknowledged that fear remains among Filipinos in the area. “Of course, there’s fear. These are ballistic missiles flying over us, so we immediately run to the bomb shelters,” he added.

Similarly, life continues for Filipinos in Tel Aviv, despite the lingering anxiety. Lourdes Levi, a Filipino caregiver based in Tel Aviv, expressed her fears over the recent attack, even after 25 years of living there.

“That situation really frightened us because of the sheer number of rockets fired. What’s also terrifying is thinking about your fellow Filipinos who are outside,” Levi shared.

While work continues in the war zone, schools have been affected. Levi explained that classes in schools without nearby bomb shelters, or those lacking shelters within the buildings, have been suspended for safety reasons.

“The Israeli government doesn’t make broad announcements like ‘no classes here’ or ‘no classes there,’” Levi said. “According to the Israel Defense Forces, classes are suspended only in schools that don’t have bomb shelters.”

Nepomuceno added that Israel remains open to tourists despite the conflict. He noted that while tourist numbers have dropped since the war began last October, groups continue to visit holy sites in Jerusalem.

Both Nepomuceno and Levi stated that the embassy had been very hands-on, providing Filipinos with constant updates, advisories and warnings.

On Thursday, Department of Migrant Workers Undersecretary Bernard Olalia confirmed that they are closely monitoring the situation in Israel and assured that no Filipinos were harmed in the recent attacks.

“We are in constant communication with our labor attaché in Israel, who has been coordinating with Filipino associations there,” Olalia said.