After weeks of uncertainty, the first American yeshiva students arrived at Ben Gurion Airport last week, ready to quarantine for 14 days as they begin a year of study at Yeshivat HaKotel.
Untold hours of effort were invested to pave the way for the thousands of yeshiva and seminary students arriving in Israel in the coming days and weeks, with officials at all levels ironing out the many intricate details to ensure that health and safety remain the highest priority amid the pandemic. More than 10 northern New Jersey residents were among the approximately 60 Yeshivat HaKotel students who landed in Tel Aviv on Aug. 3 on three different flights, the first diaspora students to arrive for the upcoming year. Several other flights that landed last week brought additional Yeshivat HaKotel students to Israel, and boys were assigned to dirahs in the yeshiva building in groups of six to begin their quarantine.
“It is a great zechut for Yeshivat HaKotel to have been the first yeshiva to be able to come,” said Rabbi Reuven Taragin, dean of overseas students at Yeshivat HaKotel.
Nineteen-year-old Yonadav Rimberg of Teaneck joyfully snapped a yellow bracelet off his wrist as he stood in Ben Gurion Airport’s baggage claim area on Aug. 3 awaiting his luggage. Having studied in Yeshivat HaKotel last year, Rimberg had been assigned to the school’s yellow capsule during the coronavirus outbreak and he returned to Teaneck in July unsure if a second year of Israel study was even a possibility. He kept his yellow bracelet on his wrist while in the U.S. as a constant reminder of his experiences in Yerushalayim and in yeshiva, and was grateful to find himself once again standing on Israeli soil.
“Baruch Hashem I’ve just returned to yeshiva in Yerushalayim Ir Hakodesh and don’t need that reminder on my wrist,” Rimberg said. “Rather, I can learn and grow together with the outstanding, energetic chevra of guys who are here quarantining with me.”
Eighteen-year-old Coby Zwebner of Teaneck graduated from Yeshivat Frisch in July and he admitted that there were times when it seemed as if his dream of spending this year studying in Israel would never materialize.
“The minute I got off the plane and set foot in Ben Gurion Airport, I stopped what I was doing, took a deep breath, and realized how lucky I was to be in Eretz Yisrael,” Zwebner said. “I simply couldn’t grasp that we had traveled thousands of miles to a different country during a global pandemic.”
While students are remaining in quarantine until Rosh Chodesh Elul, their first week in the Old City as part of the yeshiva’s “Camp Bidud” capsule program has already been a memorable one, with the entire yeshiva joining together for minyanim and Shabbat meals from the porches of their respective dirahs, all of which overlook Yeshivat HaKotel’s central courtyard. With yeshiva not formally in session until Elul, the daily schedule has included both learning and fun, and students are on pace to finish Masechet Makkot before Rosh Chodesh, and will be given a Zoom bechina on the masechta by Rav Herschel Schachter. Camp Bidud also participated in a teleconferenced Daf Yomi siyum on Masechet Shabbat this past week, joining Rabbi Aryeh Liebowitz of the Five Towns in the celebration. Additionally, students have been enjoying shiurim on various topics including Tanach, Halacha and shnayim mikra as well as daily exercise periods, virtual tours, daily capsule meetings and night activities.
Once the quarantine period ends, students will be moved into larger-sized capsules of 26 and will be able to resume their learning in the yeshiva’s beit midrash, which is also used by Israeli students and soldiers. The overseas students have been upbeat about what is sure to be an unconventional year as discussed during their orientation, explained Rabbi Taragin.
“I explained to the boys that this has been the first time in our lifetime that a Jew wasn’t able to go to Israel and that it was very hard to get them into the country,” said Rabbi Taragin. “The fact that we were the first yeshiva to get boys in helps us appreciate that you can’t take things for granted, and that will help us get through whatever challenges may lie ahead.”
“While it’s obviously not the most ideal situation, I strongly believe we have the opportunity to make this an extra-meaningful year,” said Rimberg. “Whether it’s maturing by overcoming challenges, connecting to Torah and centralizing it in our lives or appreciating Eretz Yisrael on a deeper level, with a positive attitude, this will surely be a memorable year.”
The thought of quarantining for two weeks was certainly a daunting one, acknowledged Zwebner. But after being greeted warmly by Rabbi Taragin and the yeshiva’s other rabbeim, and after seeing a view of Har Habayit through his window, Zwebner found his reservations dissipating rapidly, despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.
“All I could possibly think about was how privileged we are to spend a year in the holiest and most amazing city in the entire world,” said Zwebner, who said that the entire school broke out in song when Rabbi Taragin gave his first address to the students of Camp Bidud. “At that moment I was sure that no matter what restrictions we were forced to adhere to, it would all be worth it … There is definitely a lot of uncertainty in our world today, but there is one thing I am certain about: Yeshivat HaKotel 5781 is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Sandy Eller is a freelance writer who writes for numerous websites, newspapers, magazines and many private clients. She can be contacted at [email protected].
