N othing went accordingly to the plans. We expected and planned to spend the summer in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, where we lived prior to our Aliah three years ago. Because of the pandemic, we had to cancel our original plan to travel in June and decided to wait and see… The travel  was limited and uncertain, and discouraged by Israeli government. We heard that airlines were cancelling flights. We heard stories of people contracting virus on the plane; and we read news about riots and racial tensions in US. Most of our friends abandoned travel plans and were advising us not to travel: “What if you get sick and won’t be able to get back before High Holidays? What if you get in the middle of a riot?”  There were also logistical complexities –  if previously there was a direct flight to Boston, from which the travel to Maine is short and convenient, now there were only two direct flights destinations – New York/NewJersey and Los Angeles. We felt immersed in confusion and darkness. But then we realized that our reasons for traveling were compelling enough, including family obligations, personal matters, etc. And then the clear picture started to emerge. We bought tickets to fly United, which, as it turned out, had one flight a day to US all summer, but we did not know that, among all the confusion and fear. We also realized that even though both US and Israel were closed to visitors, we were lucky to be able to fly both directions thanks to our double citizenship.

When we  got to Ben Gurion Airport on August 4, we were shocked to see how empty it was. The only people we saw there were people on our flight.  Of the hundreds of shops and restaurants the only two that were open was the coffee shop in the middle of the Rotunda, and the Duty-free shop. But on the other hand, the Airport was clean and quiet,  there were no lines, and it only took us minutes to get through security and onto the plane. The plane turned out to be completely full, with almost all young ultra-orthodox families with many kids. They all seemed like very nice people, polite, friendly and the kids were well-behaved.There was nobody we saw who was not religious on the whole flight.

We landed in Newark. Despite our prior fears of seeing racial tensions, and may be even riots, what we saw is that even though about half the staff and half the travelers passing through Airport were Hispanic and Black, there was no sign of any tension! Everybody was courteous, professional, friendly, relaxed and pleasant. We had to wait seven hours for our connecting flight to Portland, Maine, but it was not hard, as this Airport, too, was empty, clean, and comfortable.

In Portland Eber’s brother Neal picked us up from the Airport to drive to our apartment in Old Orchard Beach. There too, everything went totally opposite to what we expected. We were ready to keep far away from people for the suggested quarantine period, but it seemed like in Old Orchard it was just a “normal life!” As soon as we left our apartment, our acquaintances we saw in the street were running towards us, welcoming us back. Everybody wanted to talk to us, and were very much interested in the life in Israel. We found Old Orchard synagogue alive and thriving under capable leadership of Eber’s brother Neal. At the same time as we arrived, a group of yeshiva students from Lakewood arrived as well, invited and hosted by Neal for the third summer, so the synagogue had a minyan every day for a week, and also Torah learning, and a lively Shabbat, full of singing. All of these Lakewood young people already had the virus during the past winter, as did Neal and our friend Peter, so they assumed to be immune, and nobody was concerned about all the virus precautions. The next morning after we arrived there was a nice breakfast following prayer services, with people sitting around the table and enjoying food and company. 

The whole atmosphere in Old Orchard was relaxed and peaceful, in sharp contrast to the cities not too far away, like Portland, Maine and Boston, where the fear was much stronger. We noticed that difference on several occasions we had to go to Portland for various errands. Several friends from Boston came to spend Shabbat in Old Orchard and see us. At first they were very tense and apprehensive, but gradually in the course of Shabbat becoming relaxed and free of fear. 

After three and a half weeks in Maine, and completing most of what we undertook to accomplish, we returned to Israel. By the time of our return, Israeli government allowed entry to yeshivah and seminary students, and the flight was full with teenagers, most of them religious girls from different places in the US, going for various programs in Israel. They excitedly talked to each other, making new friends, asking each other where they are from and what programs they are going to. They all seemed to be happy to start this new adventure of self-discovery. For a minute our fears returned: “These teenagers would not even know if they have Corona!” But the fear did not last long, giving way to the feeling of anticipation to come back to the “Land of Living”, the feeling that we shared with all the young people on the plane.

The whole travel experience became a lesson in overcoming fear, and elevating it to its proper place – fear of G-d, learning to see clearly through darkness and not postponing what is important.