When 30-year-old Shira moved to Jerusalem from the US a year-and-a-half ago, she knew that it meant living thousands of miles away from her parents, sister and relatives. However, she would have never imagined that one day she would find herself unable to see them as a result of restrictions implemented by the authorities, as it has happened during the coronavirus pandemic.
For the olah (new immigrant), the situation has turned to be especially painful because her grandmother passed away of COVID-19 at the beginning of April.
“When my grandma died, I was trying to mourn and support my mom and my family from afar and it was very hard,” she told The Jerusalem Post. “I know two other olim who also lost their grandparents and could not leave the country. We gave each other support. But it was hard not be able to grieve in person.”
Being in Israel by herself, Shira pointed out that usually what helps her is making plans for the next trip, having a date on the calendar for the following time she would travel to the US or one of her family members would visit. However, due to the uncertainty the emergency has caused, making plans is quite impossible.
“My mother really wants to come, but I keep telling her that we have to wait before we can make any decision,” she explained.
Israel for now does not allow any non-citizens to enter the country unless they receive a special permission from the local Israeli consulate or embassy, a measure is that will stay in effect until at least June 15. Moreover, the country requires all citizens who come back from abroad to self-isolate at home for two weeks. At the same time, commercial flights have almost completely halted. Earlier this week, a senior official with Ben-Gurion Airport told Ynet it is unlikely Israel will open the country to foreign travelers in any significant number before at least mid-July.
“I’ve been grateful to be in Israel but also very worried about my family,” Shira said, pointing out the situation related to COVID-19 is much worse in America, especially in New Jersey and New York – where her family lives. “I used to think that my choice to move here was idealistic, that from the practical point of view it would have made more sense for me to be in the States. But now I have more confidence in how the government is handling the crisis here and I feel more safe from the health perspective.”
Shira’s story is hardly unique. Since the foundation of the State of Israel, and even before, in the US, UK, France, Italy and Jewish communities all over the world, many people have seen their loved ones make aliyah. In the past few decades, with international flights becoming more and more affordable, for many new immigrants and their relatives, going back and forth between the old and the new country was simply the routine. In the past three months, the coronavirus has prevented this from happening, causing people not only to face the impossibility of paying a normal visit but also to attend important moments.
Riccardo and Diana Gandus, a couple from Milan, would visit Israel, where their son lives, at least twice a year. At the beginning of May their daughter-in-law gave birth to a baby girl in Tel Aviv and they had planned to spend at least a couple of weeks in Israel to enjoy the new grandchild. Coronavirus disrupted the plans.
“We are very sad that we could not be there and that we have not been able to see her yet,” Diana told the Post. “We speak with my son’s family every day on FaceTime but it is not the same.”
Riccardo highlighted that they understand very well the reason Israel is restricting traveling.
“Israel has been very good at handling the situation. Here in Milan it has been tragic. We are sorry that we have to wait to see the baby, but we are aware that there are more important things,” he said.
Their hope is that their son and his family will be able to travel to Italy in July to spend time with them in the mountains and that they will be able to be in Israel in October for the High Holy Days.
“In the meantime, I send a lot of vocal messages to the baby, so I hope she will recognize my voice,” Diana concluded.
Another category of people who find themselves separated from their families are the half a million Israelis living abroad.
Among them are the 27-year-old twin sons of Tami Yosef, a resident of Jerusalem.
Yosef’s children have been living in San Diego for more than four years and she has not seen them in a year and a half – also because, as she told the Post, she could not leave the country for a long time because her father was sick.
“At some point I finally bought a ticket to visit them in August,” she explained.
However, her plans are currently threatened by the general chaotic situation of international traveling at the time of the pandemic. Yosef has American citizenship and her passport expired. For weeks, she has been trying to reach out to the US embassy – which is currently only operating for emergencies – but to no avail.
“I don’t know what to do, I’m very worried. I really want to see my children,” she said.
34-year-old Adinah Also has a bureaucratic problem: she moved to Israel almost two years ago on what is considered a pre-aliyah visa, which permits her to work and gives her temporary residency, but not the certainty that if she were to leave the country she would be allowed back.
“I was in the US in February, just before the crisis started and I had to cut my trip short, but I consider myself lucky, because I just saw my siblings and my mother,” she told the Post. “I don’t feel the urge to travel right now, but the idea that if something happened and I had to go back it would be a problem is scary.”
Adinah pointed out it is harder for her mother, who was used to come to Israel every other month.
“My problem is that I think that the minute it is going to be possible to travel again, she will take the first flight, even if she shouldn’t since because of her health she is considered population at risk,” she concluded. “This worries me.”