#20: Evacuation from Israel; 7 Oct 2023; Hope & Resilience; Diplomat’s Dilemma; Family First

In this episode, Andras welcomes Aurelien for an extraordinary first-hand account of how he and his family were evacuated from Israel on 7 Oct 2023 after the barbaric attacks of Hamas. His recount blends diplomacy, personal resilience, and how geopolitics affects personal lives.Aurelien shares how his path took him from journalism to advocacy work in Brussels, and how life as the spouse of an EU diplomat led his family ultimately to Jerusalem.He tells the story of the dramatic days surrounding 7 October 2023, when the Hamas attacks caught his family in Tel Aviv on holiday. Aurelien shares the confusion, fear, and difficult choices of protecting his children amid sirens, rocket alerts, and unfolding chaos. The conversation explores what it means to stay calm in crisis, the ethical dilemmas of evacuation, and the contrasting realities faced by diplomats, locals, and aid workers in a conflict zone.Andras and Aurelien discuss identity, responsibility, and the moral complexity of working for the EU in such a charged environment. They reflect on how macro-level politics collide with family life, what empathy looks like under pressure, and the invisible weight of leaving others behind. The episode captures the fragility of normal life when history breaks in, and how one man’s story reveals the personal cost of global events.linkedin.com/in/aureliendayde