By Larry Gordon
It was a period of 18 months away from Israel and we missed it a great deal. So if I missed it that much, why don’t I just move here and it won’t be an issue anymore? The best answer I can come up with is: I don’t know.
The second-best response I can conjure is that I have always had a tourist’s orientation that has been built into me, and it’s not easily done away with. Sure, it’s possible and perhaps I have to work on it.
Maybe we are all comfortable to some extent with the idea that we should all have a move or at least a visit to Israel on our agenda. Then again, perhaps just having that on the agenda without acting upon it is something we are contented and even satisfied with.
That said, if coming to Israel at some point this summer is on your agenda, it is vital that you know that doing so is a complex and detailed avodah. It is quite doable, but you need to concentrate on what it takes so that all the bureaucratic i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed. Here in Israel paperwork is king, so if you are planning on visiting, make a checklist and make sure everything is checked off before you take off.
As you know if you follow these matters, Israel was supposed to open its tourist doors to almost everyone beginning July 1. Unfortunately, due to several cases of the so-called Delta variant (that’s the form of the virus from India), that date was pushed to August 1. That does not mean that you cannot come to Israel; it’s just a bit more arduous to accomplish.
While it is true that I applied through the Government Press Office (GPO), once they granted me permission to enter the country I had to navigate my way through the usual rigmarole to finally get everything approved.
Firstly, you do not really need the vaccine to enter Israel, but it helps to facilitate the process. I’m not saying that you should get the vaccine for that specific purpose, but, on the other hand, why not? (I know I’m going to receive a long list of “why not” e-mails now, so bring it on.)
This vaccine is one of the touchiest subjects I have come across in quite a while. In Jewish life especially there are many other such topics, but this heads up the list if there ever was such a list. (I think we all make our own lists.)
Of course, if you had the virus and it was resolved and you have antibodies and you can prove it, that might be just as good as paperwork that indicates that you were inoculated with the vaccine. Now I’m beginning to sound like a doctor or a scientist, which, as you know, I am not. While being one of those requires a great deal of study and advanced degrees, one thing we have learned that you do not have to be, even if you are a doctor or a scientist, is accurate or correct in your assessments.
Dr. Tony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Health, has stated it many times. Someone who is committed to science is committed to understanding that things in that area are constantly changing. And as I stated a few weeks ago, if you want to pursue expertise in any area, the best might be in an area of study where things can change every day. That way you can be consistently wrong and still claim that you’ve always been right.
Back to gaining entry to Israel. I received my vaccine a few months ago, so I was good on that count. Even though I submitted my request to the GPO and it was approved, I still had to get approved by both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Interior. That sounds like a lot of work but it’s really not. The person handling my file at the GPO took care of getting the approval for us, but I still had to provide him with the documentation he required.
You need your passport and an airline ticket so they know you are coming and not just trying to get approval because you are thinking about making the trip. Then you need proof of vaccine and a copy of a special traveling medical insurance policy. Depending on what kind of other coverage you prefer on the policy, it can run anywhere from $75 to $300 per person.
Then you need a PCR test and the results 72 hours before your scheduled flight. Without that and entry permission of the Interior Ministry here in Israel, you are not getting past the El Al check-in desk or any airline-to-Israel counter at JFK or Newark or any other airport.
The airlines require that you wear a mask at all times except, of course, when you are eating, but on a long flight like the one to Israel, if you’re in your seat the crew does not bother you about it. It is only common courtesy that if you are moving around you should be wearing a mask. How you personally feel about masks is irrelevant, and no one is asking you.
Last Friday in Israel, after about a week of the masking policy being lifted, the mandate was back. Starting last Friday masks had to be worn at indoor public places. It is precautionary at this point because of the few hundred cases of the Delta variant of the virus. Fortunately, those who tested positive for the virus and who were already vaccinated had either minimal or no symptoms. Once again, the concern is about those not vaccinated and children under 12 years old, most of whom have not been vaccinated.
What to do about children and vaccinations going forward is a topic of intense discussion here in Israel as well as in the U.S. The risks are that no one knows the long-term implications of the vaccine as it is less than a year old and these types of vaccines are generally tested for five to ten years before being released to the public. That was not the case here because of the emergency nature of the pandemic.
Still, at this stage, if you just take a look around the world, the mostly vaccinated countries are doing fairly well. Those lagging behind like India, Brazil, and even South Africa are enduring yet another shutdown.
On Friday night, the Kotel was teeming with people, but as far as I could tell, the American presence here is diminished considering the time of year. That might pick up over the next few weeks but the delay in more of an open-door policy that was supposed to begin July 1 but has now been moved to August 1 will impact considerably on the flow into Israel from the States.
Over last Shabbos I was reviewing the interplay between Balak and Bilaam and it occurred that the thrust of the story was essentially about keeping Jews out of Israel. Of course, Balak’s plan was a bust and, in fact, as we all know, Bilaam’s plan to curse the Jewish nation turned into the absolute reverse—great blessings.
In a few weeks we will be reading about Moshe Rabbeinu also being denied entry into Israel, but not by the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Interior. It was a Divine directive, but isn’t everything that way? Moshe desperately begged Hashem to allow him to enter the land of Israel, but he was denied.
The similarity to our situation is that regardless of the details there is presently an effort to make it difficult to enter the land. However, I’m writing these words from my hotel room in Jerusalem, so obviously it is not impossible to enter Israel. You know what they say—the difficult we do right away; the impossible just takes a little longer.
Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
