New Israeli Students Arrive at DJDS

With the war in Israel, three Israeli high school students, siblings Uri and Tamar Tsabari and Elisha Fichtenberg, moved to Denver, Colorado, and joined Denver Jewish Day School. 

“DJDS welcomed me very well,” said 15-year-old Uri, who is from Tel Aviv. "I came here because my mom was afraid of Jihad and Hezbollah."

Uri says that his dad is still in Israel waiting to be called up on reserve duty. He was a commander in the Israeli Defense Forces. 

“They were wonderful. Honestly, this is a private school so they did not have to welcome us. They were so accommodating,” said Tamara Tsbari. 

On the 7th of October, Tamar and the rest of her family jumped out of bed alarmed by the siren. 

Tamar was sure it was a malfunction because there was no suspicion or any notification. However, she soon found out she was wrong. 

When Tamar arrived in Denver, Colorado her first thought was about how cold it was here. “…it’s so cold…why did I come here,” Tamar said. 

Tamar has faith and hope that nothing will break the Israeli spirit. “Israelis are a tough bunch nothing really breaks us,” she said. 

Elisha Fichtenberg, 16-year-old sophomore, has already developed a special fondness for DJDS. “It's the most 'homey' school,” Fichtenberg said.  

To Fichtenberg, sirens are a normal thing. He didn’t think anything of it and was not scared when they went off on October 7th, 2023. “It’s something you get used to,” Fichtenberg said.