MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin man is happy to be back home in Madison after a recent trip to Israel to visit his daughter, but there is still a lot about that trip weighing heavily on his mind.
Scott Forester experienced a quiet day in Madison on Monday. It’s a stark contrast to the helicopters and fighters he heard in Israel last week.
Scott Forester was traveling to see his daughter, Rena Forester, at her home in Israel before the war began.
He will never forget how the world changed in an instant.
“I was so, so happy … I had no idea that the world was going to completely change three days later,” he said.
Being close to the Israel-Hamas war, the Foresters had to find strength in each other.
The two also felt it was necessary to get out of harm’s way. Scott Forester returned to Madison while his daughter set off for Asia.
He said they continue to talk to each other daily.
“She’s looking forward to going back in a month and hopefully things will have calmed down and she is really eager to get back and restart her life and see friends,” he said.
Scott Forester said he returned home with a heavy heart.
“Everybody in Israel knows someone who is dead or missing — literally everybody — and to have left the dead, and the wounded, the missing, and their families, it’s really hard and I feel I should be with them,” he said. “Not that I could do anything, but I just care about them so much. I also care a lot about the innocent Palestinian people who are caught up in this who are being used as human shields by Hamas. It’s just not fair.”
He said he also thinks about what the conflict means, not only for those in the middle of it but also in other parts of the world.
“As a Jewish person with family involved in Jewish organizations in this country, I’m worried for everyone’s safety because it’s clear that Hamas and others don’t value human life the way I and most people do and it’s very concerning,” he said.
It’s been an emotional and trying time for Scott Forester and his family. He said what matters most to him now is that peace can one day be found.