Tying Up Loose Ends

I finished the three month observation period working at Sheba Hospital this past Monday. I said goodbye to the staff there and it was all very nice, hugs, well wishes, etc. I should receive my official recognition as a cardiologist from the Israeli Medical Association soon, and then they will also add me as a member of the Israeli Cardiology Society (not sure if that’s actually what its called, but whatever), where the chair of the Sheba cardiology department (who I know very well now) will be starting as the new president this coming year. I also had my last day at the medical biotech company where I was working part time.  They want to continue the relationship with me in the US, so that will be fun and interesting. 

On Wed I drove to Bet El once again, this time to pick up the finished tefillin that we had ordered for the boys bar mitzvahs next year. It is such a beautiful drive there. You drive straight East into the mountains (in Samaria, the west bank) to the city of Ariel, then turn south and drive through the mountains. The scenery is just breathtaking. Hills, valleys, villages, towns, herds of sheep and goats every now and then, a mix of orange (Israeli) and white (Palestinian Authority) license plates on the cars. I drove right past the entrance to Ramallah, where Israeli citizens are barred from going, the entrance being demarcated by large red signs. After picking up the tefillin, I went once more to the site of Jacob’s dream, this time alone. There is not much there, I was alone, it was a beautiful day, a few scattered clouds in a clear blue sky, the air crisp and slightly cool with a shifting breeze. You can see all around across the valleys to the surrounding hilltops and ridge lines. I davened the afternoon service there by myself. The Western Wall is the tradition “spiritual” place to go in Israel, but there are places like that all over the land. The ma’arat ha’machpela – the tomb of the patriarchs and matriarchs, for example, and this site of Jacobs dream.  And these two places have a much more personal feel than the Wall, which is more national and communal. Anyway, I highly recommend them to anyone who is interested, once things open up. 

One thing I’ve been worried about is the fact that, as you may have heard, the airport here is closed. But not just closed like it was before – this time its totally closed, even to Israeli citizens, they’re not letting anyone in or even out. But, there is a “government exceptions committee” to which you can apply if you meet certain criteria. Can you imagine? What do you suppose the chances are of getting through a bureaucracy like that? The strict closure started at the end of January and was for two weeks. Then they extended it for two weeks. That put it only one week before my flight out. Then just last week they extended it again for another two weeks, which covers my flight, which will therefore be cancelled. ElAl is running a few what they’re calling “emergency flights” to bring stranded Israeli’s abroad home, if they are granted permission through the exceptions committee. Luckily I was able to book a flight out on one of those ElAl flights, and the ElAl website had links to the government webpages for the exceptions committee, etc. I was able to figure out the online form for the exceptions committee (all in Hebrew) and submit it. About two days later I received an email reply. They had denied my request. But they said I should resubmit the request with a statement that I would not seek to return to the country for a minimum of 60 days after I left. OK, I thought, so it sounds like they will accept me if I just write that out on the applications.  So I resubmitted the exact same application form, but in the comments I said something like, “as requested, I will not return to the country within 60 days…” I figured it should take about 48hrs again to hear back, which was yesterday.

When I didn’t hear back by mid-afternoon, I started to get nervous, since today is Purim, then its shabbat, then the flight out is the very next day on sunday. That doesn’t leave me much time. I thought to myself. If only there was someone I could call, but it’s the government, there’s not going to be anyone. And even if there is, the phone line will be swamped, they won’t speak English, there is just no way this is going to work. So I started to type out a message to one of my Israeli friends to ask for advice or to see if they knew anyone in the government who could intervene on my behalf. As I was typing the message, since I was already on the computer, I just went back to the website for the form I had filled out, just to see if there was a number listed. It wouldn’t hurt to call, I guess, even if it led nowhere. Sure enough there was a number listed. I called, got a very nice English speaking woman on the line, who told me she knows exactly what I need, that you can’t just do the same application and write in your own words you won’t be back for 60 days – there is another form for that which you need to fill out. She texted me the link while we were on the phone, stayed with me while I navigated to the correct site, whereupon I filled out that new form. About two minutes after submitting that, I received clearance from the committee to exit the country as planned. All very streamlined and nice. I have to say, despite what you’ve heard about the Israeli bureaucracy, I have found it to be not bad at all. 

The only thing left (other than the health declaration form that you need to fill out online within 24hrs of your flight), is the COVID test that the US now requires for entry from international flights. (I have already been fully vaccinated, fwiw). There are free COVID tests all over the place here, but those won’t work because the results need to be in English and they need to have your English name and passport number on them. So that can only be done at a few of the hospitals here. Remember, this was yesterday late afternoon. Today is purim, tomorrow is shabbat, then I leave Sunday night. The test needs to be within 72hrs, and the results usually take a day to come back. Which means basically it needed to be done today. My first call was to Sheba, since they do it and that’s where I was working. Their phone wasn’t answering though, so I used their text chat feature to eventually find out they’re not doing any testing on Purim or on shabbat. Which ruled them out. Then I called a few other places which simply didn’t answer. Then I finally got to Herzliya Medical Center which had a website listed specifically for preflight COVID testing. I filled out the online form with my English name and passport number, then picked a time, I actually got an apt for this morning at 7AM, and paid for the test (unlike regular covid testing, these ones are not free or covered through insurance) which was about 500 shekels (about $150.00).  I showed up this AM, got my throat and nose swabbed, and they said the results should be back tonight, I should get them by SMS (not sure how the shabbat thing works regarding that…)  But once I have that, I should be good to go…

Finally, it is purim today, so פורים שמח!! I was invited to a friend’s house (a friend that Val met in ulpan last year), where they were having one other couple over (all vaccinated and wearing masks, and windows open…) and were having a rabbi friend come over to do a private megillah reading in their apartment.  You have to realize, it is a mitzvah/commandment of the holiday to hear the Megillah (the story of Purim) read twice on the holiday – once at night, and once again the next day – from an actual parchment scroll. It’s just a cool thing in Israel that I was able to walk a couple blocks over to a friends apartment and hear the megillah chanted from a real scroll, in their living room. We hung out for a bit, drank a beer in honor of the holiday, and had an all around good time, while the mom did face painting on the little kids who ate pizza, candy, and pre-wrapped ice cream cones. It was fun, and super cute. 

So tonight starts my last shabbat here (until the next time.) My next journal entry may indeed be from back in the US. If so, even thought I’ll be back were I started, it will be not only as a Jewish American, but as a dual American – Israeli citizen. 🇮🇱