By Larry Gordon

 

All these months into the global struggle with the coronavirus, the debate rages regarding the best approach to deal with it as a society that needs to live and function with it going forward.

Some say a lockdown would be the best way to dramatically reduce the numbers of those infected, hospitalized, and so on. There are also experienced and authoritative voices who say that the cure cannot do more damage to our cities and societies than the virus itself.

So, a few personal things on this subject. As far as I can recall, my parents began traveling to Israel every summer beginning in 1963. They went every year for four to seven weeks until 1989, the year my father passed away. During that period there was no such thing as not being able to go. Since his passing, we have gone almost every summer as well, with few interruptions. That has all changed this year.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to interview a friend of my father and probably the most renowned Modzitzer chassid, Benzion Shenker. One thing he related to me that I will always remember was that his parents sent him to learn in yeshiva in Israel back in 1946. He managed to attract my complete attention when I asked him where he went and how he traveled there.

This was pre-state Israel, and it is fascinating that young people like Rabbi Shenker were undeterred and made it their business to study Torah in Eretz Yisrael. He said that he flew from New York to London and then from London to Cairo. From Cairo he went by bus to Jerusalem, where he studied at the Mir.

There was probably no El Al and no Ben Gurion Airport, thereby necessitating this circuitous route, but despite what seem like rather insurmountable obstacles, he made it happen.

It just might be that this year, 2020, is the most challenging time to get to Israel since 1946 as a visitor, a tourist, and especially as a student.

Last week, we told you about the unprecedented organization and unity of more than 150 yeshivas and seminaries in order to work with the Israeli government and health ministry to assure that despite the ongoing struggle with the virus in Israel, up to 20,000 students will be allowed into the country over the next few weeks.

Doron Perez

It is a much larger and more complex story than we told last week. The new Igud, or coalition, of schools in Israel may have come together quickly, but there was a source and precedent to work off of that made it all possible. Last week we neglected to tell that part of the important story.

A central component of all this has been the efforts of World Mizrachi and their chief executive, Rabbi Doron Perez.  I had the opportunity to meet and talk with Rabbi Perez extensively during the worldwide voting for seats on the WZO (World Zionist Organization) governing body that doles out tens of millions of dollars to Diaspora institutions with a connection to Israel.

Rabbi Perez explains how Masa Israel Journey, a 20-year-old organization that is a recipient of funding from the Jewish Agency and the government of Israel, has been significantly financing and facilitating extended periods of study (at least four months) for students from around the world. Over 60 yeshivot and seminaries in Israel benefit from these funds every year, amounting to millions of dollars.

These types of programs are designed to serve a dual purpose. Firstly, an extended period in Israel can often result in the student either staying in Israel or making aliyah. Second, when the students return home, they are often quite naturally goodwill ambassadors for Israel wherever they may live around the globe.

So from the start of the COVID-19 crisis, there was never a question that Masa students would be allowed into the country this year, albeit with significant precautions and guidelines. That left scores of yeshivas and seminaries — chareidi and otherwise — who are not part of this spectrum of Masa schools, without a solution. This placed the upcoming school year for foreigners in jeopardy. Hence the founding of the Igud, which provides a solution for these schools.

It is important to note that the partnership between Masa, the Jewish Agency, and the Israeli government has had up until this year a budget of more than $50 million, which provided $3,000 scholarships for many students and a stipend of at least $200 for all students studying in Israeli yeshivas, colleges, and seminaries. With tens of thousands in Israel each year, that translates into millions of dollars for these institutions.

Unfortunately, as part of the costly national response to the coronavirus, budgets had to undergo drastic cuts. This would have impacted on the scholarships and stipends that Masa and the Jewish Agency traditionally provide for students. Mizrachi then stepped in to create a coalition of all yeshivot and seminaries who are part of Masa to function as a lobby group, and after intense negotiations persuaded the Jewish Agency and government to restore most of the intended cuts,  conditioned on Masa raising on their own 25% of the overall
foreign-students budget. This meant that if this was going to work this year, Mizrachi and the Masa-affiliate institutions now would require fundraising to bring in close to over half a million dollars.

A plan was developed with a program led by Rabbi Perez that included all yeshivas and seminaries, entitled the Mizrachi Emergency Campaign for Yeshivas and Seminaries, reaching out to alumni dating back decades. Doron Perez is particularly proud of and grateful for the result, as he says that over the short term of the campaign, the group managed to raise over $5 million.

I suggested to Doron that in cases like this it is usually 90% of the money that comes from 10% of the people. But he said that was not the case this time. Analyzing the campaign, Doron said 25,000 people donated an average of $200 per person.

Doron added that one school in particular raised $600,000 and another about $300,000. I pressed him to give me the names of the schools and he did, though it was conditioned on not publishing the names.

Now that the money was raised, the next objective was to develop a plan to bring 20,000 students from around the world into Israel during a period when the number of daily infections around the country was increasing.

The Israeli government had already granted permission for Masa students to enter the country, but now the more expanded Igud would have to do likewise and assure the proper government agencies that they will be able to manage — or, can we say, control — students, especially during their first two weeks in Israel when they would have to quarantine.

The coalition members, as we reported last week, swung into action and put together protocols that assured that students were properly monitored and able to adhere to the requirement to quarantine in their first two weeks in the country.

Beyond those first weeks, the coalition has contracted with security companies to monitor the activities of the students and to see to it that as Israel policy on virus mitigation is implemented, the students from out of the country are in line and adhering to the policies.

All in all, it is an ongoing and still evolving great accomplishment, a format that allows 20,000 students to enter Israel while the country is essentially closed to others. It’s a fine line, but with proper monitoring and good faith it will hopefully work well. Rabbi Perez reports that there has been close cooperation between Mizrachi and the Igud to ensure solutions for all yeshiva and seminary students wishing to come to Israel this year.

According to Doron Perez, the country is on the verge of opening its skies, and the state of Israel might be welcoming tourists over the next few weeks. As he explains, the first tourists who will be allowed in are from what Doron refers to as “green countries.” These are countries that have a handle on the virus and have managed to stem the spread. Each country has their own list of green countries, and as of now the United States is not on any “green” lists.

I can understand that policy, but I don’t think it’s right to view the U.S. as a single unit. Here in New York, where 50,000 COVID tests are being administered daily, the positive infection rate this week is under one percent.

So maybe, just like the Masa and Igud students who are already arriving in Israel, an exception can be made for those of us living here in New York. Hopefully, it’s something to consider, and sooner than later they will let us in.

 

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