First Report: Despite yesterday’s sudden ban on unmarried students entering Israel, first reported on exclusively by Matzav.com, numerous bochurim who had previously received permits succeeded in boarding flights yesterday. Single students – bochurim and girls – who arrived on United Flight 90 from Newark entered Israel without incident. However, Matzav.com learned, seven single yeshiva bochurim on Delta Flight 234 did not fare as well.
The group was detained upon arrival and was told that they would be returned to the United States.
Matzav.com learned that one bochur who was from Detroit and another who was from Boston both told authorities that they were en route to Israel before the recent ban went into effect.
Askanim, including the staff at the Chaim V’Chessed organization, were contacted shortly after the bochurim‘s arrival and immediately activated numerous contacts in an attempt to have the bochurim released.
At first, Border Police officers were insistent that the bochurim be sent back on the very plane they’d arrived on. Officials spent nearly four hours on the matter, holding talks with a bevy of officials.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and his staff made extensive efforts to assist the bochurim
Journalist Moshe Erlanger was especially instrumental in advocating for their release.
After over five hours, the efforts paid off and the bochurim were told that they will be allowed to enter the country. However, they have been sent to a state quarantine hotel.
This story should be a cautionary tale: Bochurim and all single students should not attempt to travel to Eretz Yisroel at this time, even if they have previously received entry permits.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Uh oh. So basketball can resume but not Yeshiva bachurim?
Don’t forget that they are NON CITIZENS. The US and Canada closed their borders (albeit belatedly…), as did many other countries, to prevent the spread of Covid. Israel is slowly opening theirs up and allowed the married students (who, don’t forget, are also non-citizens) to come back. Then they allowed the single students, but as timing had it, immediately after there was a spike in the amount of cases, especially in the school system, mostly teenagers. So… naturally enough, they decided not to “import” more teenage (and slightly older) students right now until they have the domestic Covid-in-schools situation under control. Not everything is Anti-Semitic and not everyone is out to get you…..
Tw the reason the married couples are allowed in and not single bochurim is because married ppl spend more money.