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UCF students safely return home from Israel amid ongoing conflict with Iran

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Published  June 23, 2025 11:57pm EDT
Orange County
FOX 35 Orlando
UCF students safely return home from Israel

UCF students safely return home from Israel

Three University of Central Florida students have returned home safely after a harrowing effort to evacuate Israel amid intensifying violence in the region.

The Brief

    • Three UCF students are back home after being evacuated from Israel during rising regional violence.
    • They had stayed behind for internships following a Birthright trip before emergency plans were triggered.
    • Evacuation efforts for other Americans remain ongoing in Tel Aviv.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Three University of Central Florida students have returned home safely after a harrowing effort to evacuate Israel amid intensifying violence in the region.

What we know:

Three students from the University of Central Florida have returned safely to the U.S. after a tense evacuation from Israel amid escalating conflict. The students had extended their stay after a Birthright trip to take part in internships. As violence intensified, particularly following attacks from Iran, UCF Hillel coordinated their safe relocation and eventual return home.

What we don't know:

Officials have not released the identities of the students or detailed their travel route out of Israel. It's also unclear how many more U.S. students or citizens with ties to Florida may still be in the region and awaiting evacuation.

The backstory:

Birthright trips to Israel are common for young Jewish Americans, offering cultural and historical immersion. In this case, three students chose to remain in Israel longer for internships. Their plans were abruptly disrupted as geopolitical tensions surged, triggering emergency protocols to bring them home.

Big picture view:

The evacuation underscores growing security concerns for American citizens in the Middle East, especially for students and volunteers abroad. Organizations like UCF Hillel are playing a key role in ensuring the safety of students, while groups like Gray Bull Rescue carry out broader evacuations, reflecting a global scramble to protect U.S. nationals in crisis zones.

What they're saying:

The sound of air raid sirens warning of Iranian missile strikes is a noise some UCF students heard up close during a Birthright trip to Israel.

"Every Israeli knows that when you hear a siren, you need to go into a bomb shelter, and we do the same talk with them," said UCF Hillel Executive Director Rabbi Jordan Gerson. "In the first few day,s it was abundantly clear that this was a different situation."

An evacuation plan began to develop by coordinating security measures, travel logistics, and getting the students to a safe place before they could return to Central Florida.

"It was not even a question that we would do everything in our power to bring our students home and bring them back," he added.

Operations have also been underway helping rescue other Floridians fleeing Israel. Grey Bull Rescue Founder Bryan Stern is currently in Tel Aviv, Israel, carrying out a rescue mission. He said they were caught in the middle of Iran’s retaliatory attack just days after the U.S. carried out a surprise attack on three of Iran’s nuclear sites.

"You could hear the ballistic missile flying very, very low and impacting, so we were right in the middle of it."

Rescue requests continue being sent to Grey Bull Rescue, including requests from Floridians.

"A lot of people want out, and they’re frustrated a little bit. They want out and they want out now."

Student trips to Israel are common, Gerson said, but this time the volatile situation prompted immediate action.

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the University of Central Florida, Gray Bull Rescue, and Rabbi Jordan Gerson, executive director of UCF Hillel.

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