Savannah-raised children now shelter from missiles in Israel, their father says

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - For one Savannah synagogue leader, the conflict in Israel is deeply personal. Motti Locker’s three children, who were raised in Savannah, now live in Israel with families of their own.

Motti Locker, executive director of Congregation Agudath Achim, and his wife moved to Savannah from Israel 26 years ago.

‘Everything here is normal’

Locker said the recent escalation began with approximately 300 missiles fired on Israel over the weekend, followed by roughly 100 to 120 more on Wednesday. Each missile activates a siren before it strikes, though he said some drones go unreported.

“In the last two days, we celebrated the holiday of Purim, which is a big Jewish holiday, and it’s based on the history of the Book of Esther that has a lot to do with Iran, which was Persia back in those days...and it’s strange,” said Locker.

“You walk in the street, and everything here is normal, and people living about their life, and you know that there in Israel, instead of celebrating Purim, everybody is running to shelters.”

Running to shelters

“Whenever they hear a siren, they have about five minutes to run into the shelter and close the door,” said Locker.

“Two of my kids have a shelter in their apartment, which is great, but my daughter actually needs to run to the public shelter, which is about five minutes run from her apartment. So she’s going down the staircase, running to the shelter, waiting for the daughter to be closed, and after a few minutes, getting out.”

From Savannah, he monitors alerts through his phone, tracking the same warnings his children receive overseas in real-time. He says his children will often send photos and videos in the shelter to let their parents know they are safe.

Locker says his family looks at the situation from a place of hope for the future.

“Israel is actually really actually praying for peace with Iranian people, and hoping for a different future for them and us,” he said.