I have tickets to EY for succos (booked before covid) and was really looking forward to succos in EY. what are the chances we will be able to go? (obviously noone knows but opinions are good for discussion and hoping)
Based on what my Yeshiva is hearing from the various govt office, Sukkos tourism is not happening, Period.
I get it that everyone wants things to be back to normal, like last week, but thats not realistic.
Whether you like it or not the Israeli Govt places more weight on the current scientific consensus than on the firmly held beliefs of the heimishe crowd - even if they do base their conclusions on what they have seen with the two eyes that God gave them.
The borders are closed to non-citizens of Israel.
After much lobbying they agreed to allow case by case exceptions in a limited number of situations.
These include people coming in for the funerals and weddings of
immediate family (B-I-L and S-i-l have been refused)
They also agreed to allow married students - whos center of life is in Israel to return.
This is not intended to open the borders to them, rather grant them a one time exemption to return to "their center of life".
The recent news is that Non-Israelis who leave
will not be granted permission to return for at least 30 days after they leave. (After lobbying they agreed to
consider allowing those who left for a legitimate reason - funeral, wedding,medical treatment...- to return before the 30 days are up)
The Mir sent out the following
Leaving Israel for a vacation – Truly painful for me to even write about it.
We live in unique times and לכל זמן ועת, I understand that the requests we received in this topic came from a desperate need but… I have to relay to you the following statement from the Rosh Hayeshiva Harav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel Shlita - someone who is already in Israel cannot apply again for an entry permit if he needs to leave Israel unless he has a medical or other very important reason which he should clarify with the Yeshiva office in Israel before planning on leaving the country. We are working hard to help yungeleit learn Torah in our yeshiva. This is our mission and we are happy to do whatever we can to help you get there.
They also heard from one of the Chareidi MKs that the tourisim, interior, economy ministries are not currently presuring to open the borders to tourists.
The Interior Minister, who is Charedi, canceled the permission given to unmarried students to return, very shortly after it was granted.
Israel is probably closer to returning to shelter-in-place than opening to tourists.
Things could change. the infection rates in the US could drop. the virus could just stop spreading. We could discover that eating peanut butter and asparagus cures the virus. but Al Pi Derech Hateva this will not happen. This is not a chisaron in Emuna. This is understanding that HKBH runs the world, and doesnt
always run it
exactly the way we want.