CREVE COEUR, Mo. — "I was incredibly worried about my literal brother and sister," said Senior Rabbi Jeffery Abraham at Congregation B'Nai Amoona in Creve Coeur.
All day, Rabbi Abraham couldn't stop thinking about his siblings and millions of people who live in Israel.
His fears kept growing as U.S. officials say overnight Iran kept firing nearly 200 missiles on the country.
"I was really infuriated that this was happening. A direct attack on innocent people," said Rabbi Abraham.
He was teaching his current events class at the Creve Couer synagogue at the time of the attack.
Several of his students live in Israel and were in class via zoom.
"We could hear the sirens. It was like crazy and it's so terrifying. You don't know what's going to happen. You don't know if you're going to get hit," added Rabbi Abraham.
His sister, brother and brother's family are among the many who ran for their lives and hid in bomb shelters as missiles kept streaking across the sky.
"It was eerie. You're watching it in real time," said Karen Sher, Vice-President of Community Impact at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, also in Creve Couer.
She, too was on a zoom call, with colleagues who have partnerships in Israel, when they heard the Iran attack.
"They had to go to a shelter. They came back out of the shelter. Sirens went off again. It is scary," said Sher.
Now, as the anniversary of the Oct. 7th Hamas attack on Israel and hours before the start of Rosh Hashana celebrations, security remains tightened at synagogues and Jewish facilities.
"We're ready. We're prepared. I think all of our congregations are prepared and there are protocols in place," said Karen Sher.
"My prayers right now is really for peace," said Rabbi Abraham.