Denver artist stuck in Israel as war breaks out: "If I can't get out today, I don't think there's a chance of me getting out for a while"
UPDATE: Straus said he's made it safely out of Israel to Italy
"I'm in Israel! It's amazing and my painting is going to better because of it," Denver artist Topher Straus said while soaking in the ocean, in a video taken just minutes before war broke out in Israel.
The artist had taken a spontaneous trip to Tel Aviv to work on a painting for an upcoming convention. But, within hours of his landing, the attacks began.
"It was terrifying. At first, I heard the sirens, then I saw everyone just running to the shore," Straus said.
Another video shows Straus on the beach, running as the sounds of explosions can be heard.
"OK, this is crazy. I don't know what's going on but you can see missiles above me," Straus said in the video.
In the ensuing chaos, he continued to film himself.
"I'm running to a pharmacy where I know they have a good shelter with gas masks," Straus said in a video.
"While I'm here, as an artist, I'm going to document and capture this important moment from my perspective as an American," Straus said. "And be respectful of what's going on."
Straus tried to leave Israel but found every flight canceled.
"Both flights got canceled because of the risk," an airline agent is shown saying in a video Straus recorded. "The Jordanian authorities decided it's too dangerous to fly to Tel Aviv. For now there is no other solution. We don't know if next flight tomorrow will operate."
"I saw a couple people fighting for a better place in line, pushing each other," Straus said.
After spending hours in the airport's chaos, Straus returned to a safe room, where he spoke with CBS News Colorado over Zoom.
"Behind me this is a window that has a seal over it so that no glass can shatter if there's an event," Straus said.
But he isn't staying there long.
"If I can't get out today, I don't think there's a chance of me getting out for a while," Straus said.
He'll keep trying to get back to his 13-year-old son, and a home he misses now more than ever.
"I adore my home state and now I adore Colorado and the United States even more. The world is big and there's a lot of things going on that we do not know about the struggles that all kinds of people have," Straus said. "It's difficult and I miss home."
Straus says he feels deeply for the victims on both sides of this conflict.
As of Sunday night, Straus was waiting in the Tel Aviv airport, hoping for a miracle. He spent over a day at the airport and bought three flights in that time. The first two were canceled, but he hopes the third will get him out of Israel.
Straus was in Maui earlier this year when fires devastated the island. He painted several paintings in the wake of the disaster and donated much of the proceeds. He plans to do something similar with artwork he creates after this experience.
