I sure hope that this letter was written as satire!
Dear Yeshiva World News,
I didn’t think that I would be writing this, but the meshigas has been going on now for almost two weeks now and no one else has written anything, so I have to!
I am a normal person who moved from Brooklyn to Toms River. I have a few children, some married, and some in seminary and yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel. We don’t do hotels for Pesach, but we do go to Florida every year as a family. This past year has been very hard for all of us. We were not together last year Pesach or summer because of COVID. We were moser nefesh to send our kids to E”Y this past year. My daughter had to give birth without her mother, husband or any other family in Yerushalayim. The seminary year for my daughter has been a far cry from the year we imagined. My son is shteiging in yeshiva, but locked up in plastic bubbles. Every other day there seems to be a lockdown. its been insane for everyone. We didn’t go to be oleh regel for sukkos as we normally do. Our kids didn’t come home for Chanukah and we and they missed many family simchas on both sides. Zoom is great but only goes that far.
When they announced that they were finally opening the skies to let people fly a few weeks ago, we were all thrilled! We have been looking forward to being together as a family for a whole year now! We booked tickets for everyone to come home for a well needed yom tov break. Then one ticket cancelled, and another rebooked. Its been two weeks of constant PCR tests, ever changing regulations, crazy schedules – imagine running to the airport, packing to fly, only to find out your flight is no more. Again and again. Everyone is blaming everyone else. The askonim are saying don’t leave, because otherwise you don’t know if or when you can go back.
It seems to have become a political game, and we are the pawns before elections. And the guilt that everyone is giving us that we don’t want the zechus for our children of being Eretz Hakodesh for Pesach, of why is everyone trying to run away from Israel? Let me tell you, we love E”Y as much as the next person, which by the way as a collective frum yidden in America pour a TON into the economy in Israel when we go. Does the government really think that after this massive failure we will be in a rush to come back and visit? Enough is enough already! And to all the people faking corona tests – stop it’s ruining it for everyone else! Yes, I know that priority should go to to medical cases and worse situations, but just open more flights – we also have a right want to spend time as a family together. To all the government people reading this now:
Dayenu! Let us go
Am i the only one who has an issue with this letter? It starts off by saying “I am a normal person who moved from Brooklyn to Toms River.”
But then goes on to say:
“but we do go to Florida every year as a family.”
“We didn’t go to be oleh regel for sukkos as we normally do. Our kids didn’t come home for Chanukah”What a normal family!! If these are the standards for normal then we have other issues, worse then no flights to Israel.
If i remember correctly last year there was a massive push to convince the chassanim and kallos to have smaller chassunas, because who needs gashmiyus. So only gashmiyus for chassanim and kallos on the most momentums day of their lives needs to be cut. But family trips to Florida and “Oleh Regal” for Sukkas doesnt. The hypocrisy is disgusting!!
Correct me if im wrong, but most people dont fly home for Chanukah.
Your poor son and daughter in Israel, who went to grow there, are stuck learning in school instead of having camp in Israel. Terrible!! You should probably ask for a refund.
Also, they left to Israel in middle of a pandemic. So you should’ve expected things to not be smooth sailing.KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADSTHANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES
Sorry. While you seem to be serious and well intentioned you come off as privileged and spoiled. Life can be hard but those in charge should not make their decisions based on what an occasional tourist wants. Their responsibility is the safety of their citizens and only that. They owe you nothing. Any interest in opening Israel to non citizens is a financial decision that has to be considered risk relative to benefit to their citizens.
For the record, I hope I can call myself frum. My daughter was in Seminary and no, she did not have to go home to see mommy and Daddy during that year. My wife had our children in the USA without parents being present, it worked out BH.
By the way, frum families do not add as much to the Israeli economy as you think. The new mode of using apartments instead of Hotels is part of that. Most Seminaries get some funding from the Israeli Government (yes, we still pay a lot!!!) and there are many that get monthly checks for each child born in Israel. Friends have found it is cheaper to support their married children in Israel than in the USA.