The Franklins were back in Dayton this week, and talked about their experiences living in the small village of Mitzpe Ramon, which has a population of about 5,200 people, according to Bill Franklin, close to the size of Brookville or Carlisle.
Franklin said their town in southern Israel is located deep in the desert at the edge of the Ramon Crater, southeast of the Gaza Strip and near four military bases.
“It’s a relatively peaceful area,” Andi Franklin said. “It’s too little to waste a rocket on.”
She said the area is very interesting and is a very diverse and tolerant community. Andi Franklin said before the war, people would gather at the edge of the crater to hike or see the stars at night as well as to sing and dance. “There was a spirit for life and celebration,” she said. “There is a tremendous outpouring of community there.
Prior to the Oct. 7 attacks by the Hamas, Bill Franklin said Israel was somewhat divided, but since then, the nation has put aside its differences and has come together to defend the country.
“We spent a day at the beaches in Tel Aviv and felt Gaza City could have been like this and could have been a key beach city in the Middle East that Europeans would have come to,” he said.
Andi Franklin said everyday when people wake up, they ask how are the hostages, and when will they get back, and how are the soldiers doing and when will they be home.
“Everyone in Israel knows a hostage, a soldier, an evacuee, or a wounded or dead person,” she said. “We’ve seen a lot of bad, but we’ve seen a lot of good too.”
Bill Franklin said they have also seen the harm caused to people by those in Hamas who have stolen food and fuel. However, he said, “the good dramatically outweighs the bad.”
The couple spend their days watching the news, doing volunteer work and doing things for family and friends. He said they receive a lot of calls checking in on them and making sure they are safe.
In their daily email, they shared news of doctors who are coming to the area for two weeks to help people, and when Christian firefighters from Louisiana came to Israel to help put fires out.
The Franklins said they have traveled to various places during their time together but had always felt that Israel was also home to them. They will be in the United States until they return to Israel in January.
They both grew up and lived in Dayton. Bill Franklin was a lay leader with the Dayton Jewish Federation, but moved about 15 years ago to take a finance job with the Columbus Jewish Federation. After four years in Columbus, he moved on to become the CEO of the Jewish Federation in Reading, Pa. where he worked for 8½ years before retiring from that position.
After retirement, the couple spent three months traveling around the U.S. but eventually decided to downsize and donate their furniture and everything else after deciding to move to Israel for part of the year. The couple made the move in December 2022.
“That was very liberating,” Andi Franklin said. “It was wonderful.”
The couple, who are the parents of three grown sons and have nine grandchildren, lives part of the year in the U.S. and part of the year in Israel. She said they leave their home in Israel during the summer months because of the high desert heat.
“It’s rewarding to be a citizen of two wonderful countries in the world,” Bill Franklin said.
When asked why the move to Israel, Bill Franklin said, “It was important to show our Israeli family, friends and other Israeli friends that they have American support ... It was important to show that we believe and support Israel.”
Andi Franklin said they had traveled in Israel and have many friends and family there. “We are Jewish. It’s home,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun to be there and be here. This is a wonderful way to retire.”
The couple said their experiences have made them realize how important the U.S. is to Israel and how important Israel is to the U.S.
Both said they are hoping things will be peaceful when they return to Israel in January.
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