Murder Of Israeli Teens Sends Shockwaves Here
(CBS) -- The grisly discovery of three Israeli teenagers who bodies were found in the Palestinian territory after being missing for 12 days is prompting angry, outrage and determination from Jewish communities around the world, including here in Chicago.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker spoke with parents and teens.
In Israel, a country mourns the murder of three teenage boys kidnapped in Israel's West Bank. It's a pain shared by those in Chicago's Jewish community.
Bracha Schabes' 22-year-old son is in Jerusalem, studying religion and Israel's history like so many Jewish-American teens and young adults.
"I worry about him every day there," she says.
But she's not asking him to return home.
"He's very happy. He's doing well, and he loves the land," Schabes says.
In just two months, 18-year-old Eliana Cutler heads to Israel to spend a gap year before college.
"It definitely hits close to home ... There's a strong government there," Cutler says.
Her father, Mitch, is equally confident.
"I know the kids will take proper precautions, the school will take proper precautions," he says. "It never entered my mind to change the trip or cancel the trip."
A trip to Israel is a rite of passage for many in the Jewish community -- one that won't be deterred by fear.