Elderly Israeli left in limbo

TALI FEINBERG

The stark situation demonstrates how lives are in limbo as a result of the coronavirus crisis shutting down air travel. For Orlik’s father-in-law, Moshe Orlik, it is truly a case of “man makes plans, and G-d laughs”.

Two weeks later, nothing has changed for Orlik. He says, “I bought a ticket from El Al to go on aliyah on 23 April, and the flight was cancelled. There was going to be a flight on 4 May, but it was also cancelled without any notice. In the meantime, we sold all our furniture. I’m left with a mattress and a small fridge. No one is helping, no one knows when there is going to be a flight. It’s a terrible situation. I’m ‘on hold’, and I have a pet that I’m taking with me. It’s terrible. Really, I don’t know what to do.”

His son, Guy Orlik, says that Moshe and his wife were supposed to head back to Israel as returning citizens after living in South Africa for 30 years. At the last minute, his father decided he wanted to bring his beloved dog with him to Israel, and would stay behind to organise this. In the meantime, his wife went ahead and found them an apartment in Bat Yam.

But then, coronavirus hit, South Africa went into lockdown, Moshe’s flight was cancelled, and he is well and truly stuck in Johannesburg. “All because of the dog!” says his son with a smile, before adding that it’s a worrying situation. His father has health problems including diabetes and high cholesterol, is short on cash after spending his savings on his original flight, and there is no real solution in sight.

There is talk of a special flight coming to South Africa from Israel to bring back South Africans, and then heading back there with the 30 or so Israelis stuck here. However, it’s very expensive, and his father wouldn’t be able to take his dog. So even if it happens, possibly in June, Moshe will most likely not be on it.

In the meantime, the elderly grandfather is frustrated, worried, and bored, keeping himself busy by playing solitaire on the computer, but is unable to use social networks because he isn’t computer savvy. His family check in on him constantly. The fact that he isn’t a new oleh [immigrant] but a returning citizen puts him in greater limbo because his case doesn’t technically fall under the Israel Centre’s aliyah department.

Liat Amar Arran of the Israel Centre in Johannesburg says, “The last El Al flight was on 30 March. It took 14 olim to Israel. We approached all the olim and offered them a place on this flight until it was fully booked.”

“It’s not only olim, many Israelis want to get back home,” says Arran. “At the moment, there are no flights. The skies are closed.” Meanwhile, they haven’t stopped helping people make aliyah.

“Israel wants to make sure that people are making aliyah the right way, that it’s not rushed. We don’t want to push people who have no support with their absorption. It needs to be done properly, with the correct documents, living situation, and so on.

“Furthermore, if anyone landed in Israel now, they would be put in quarantine for 14 days in a hostel, not their own accommodation, which isn’t easy. We are constantly working with our olim to complete the process, so when the skies open again, they are ready to go. We are working around the clock to make it happen.”