Yes, a large part of that problem is that there is no government, but whoever is running the show, the chaos of the corona guidelines has made the lives of hundreds of olim too difficult to imagine.
Right now, the rule states that one can only come into Israel if they are vaccinated and have a first-degree relative in the country. Parents can come, siblings can come – but vaccinated grandparents cannot. And there’s no explanation why.
So that grandparent, who nursed that grandchild with Zionism, encouraged her to make aliyah and who would love nothing more but to be at that granddaughter’s upcoming wedding? Sorry, tough luck. You can’t come. Why?
There are others waiting to come to Israel too, people all over the world, but Israeli bureaucracy cannot handle it. At one consulate in the US, there are only two people assigned to handle requests, while the backlog of appeals numbers more than 1,000. Why?
At most consulates, those petitioning to come to Israel have to first buy a ticket to fly and only then request permission to come. But consulates are so flooded with requests, so overwhelmed, that they cannot keep track of the traffic, and cannot give an answer on time. So people miss their flights and lose the money they paid for the ticket.
What is the rationale for forcing a visitor to buy a ticket beforehand? First you accept or reject the request, then the person buys a ticket. Where is the logic?
Don’t misunderstand: the rules of coronavirus need to be respected and we understand not allowing in people who are not vaccinated. We also know that we have to be careful not to bring the Indian variant into the country.
Yes, there are questions on whether some vaccinations are valid, and concern over the forging of documents. But can we not send family members to quarantine, offer them a serological test and await the result in a few hours before sending them on their way?
Why are there not clearer guidelines? Do we not care about olim and their families? Does the government not understand that there are olim here who are alone? Where is the compassion for our fellow Israelis, our fellow Jews?
“Thousands of people have been in touch with me for help and guidance over the last few weeks and months,” said former MK Dov Lipman, who has been working to help people worldwide get to Israel, “and the constant refrain is: ‘Why are they making it so challenging?’ ‘Why do they have to make the rules so confusing and so bureaucratic?’ ‘Are they even aware of our suffering?’ If the government would think strategically and remove the difficulties and stress from the process, it would change worlds.”
To help “ease” the load, the Immigration Ministry recently opened new branches where one can apply for an overseas relative to come. But here, too, there is little staff to deal with the problem, so at the Har Homa branch, for example, they only handle 30 cases a day. People line up at 5:30 a.m. to be within the first 30 when the doors open at 8. Why?
Why are there not more caseload workers available all day? If the government makes a decision that there is a process, it must then provide the resources for that process. Otherwise, it is just torturing people.
Moreover, who is sitting down and making these decisions? What, exactly, is the process? Can we read the protocols of the meetings to know the people making the decisions and why? Are people being allowed into Israel based on numbers and data and science, or on the whims of a government bureaucrat? Where is the transparency?
The answer is simple: there needs to be a functional coronavirus cabinet of ministers that meets weekly to hear from the experts regarding the data, and only then makes decisions based on thought-out facts after a transparent debate. It may not be a priority of this government to help olim. But this is an embarrassment.