I was sixteen when I was privileged to travel to Israel for the first time. I was on a teen tour. Israel was a wonderful, magical place then, and it has become an incredible, powerful, and yet still magical place now. The contrasts between then and now are huge. The counselor of the teen tour I was on lived in Efrat. Her name was Elisheva. As I recall, she told me that the entire town (not "settlement") of Efrat had only one phone. In the years since, the town of Efrat has grown into a beautiful city. Back then, my aunt and uncle who lived in Bnei Brak did not have their own phone for years. When I wanted to visit them for Shabbat, I had to call a neighbor to get in touch with them. The neighbor would dutifully, gently put the phone down and open their door and shout up to my aunt to come get the phone. What a difference from my life in America. But today Israel is the Start-Up Nation, a nation of high tech and wonder.
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One thing that has remained somewhat of a constant is El Al. While today it has fancier planes and flies to many more places around the globe, including incredibly as of this week, to Abu Dhabi, there is a warm feeling that overcomes me when I get on an El Al flight.
During my time in the White House I was required to fly a US carrier, unless there was a very specific reason not to. I think that is a smart rule. My airline of choice was United, and I was always pleased with the friendly service. It also felt good to be on a US carrier. But there was one trip where there was an issue with my flight and I ended up on an El Al plane, and I have to say, it felt great. There is something about getting on an El Al plane when flying to or from Israel. Oh sure, there are the occasional uncomfortable moments when for religious reasons people try to be reseated and sometimes people are unwilling, or cannot cooperate. Eventually, everyone settles down. And yes, there are times when there are people who pray in the aisles or galley areas when and where they are not supposed to – we should be better than that. And lots of kids running around. But that's why it is so special. It feels like coming home. It feels like family. The flight attendants try their best to manage the bustling, active crowd; they try their best to provide service with a heart and warmth, and the security and pilots are top notch.
Even before the massive difficulties caused by COVID-19, El Al had been suffering financially. Big changes need to take place to fix these difficulties. COVID-19 has significantly expanded these challenges. Serious solutions must be found to strengthen El Al and to get it ready for the new future.
Today we face an incredible opportunity. Hopefully, we are a lot closer to the end of COVID-19. No one can be sure when it will finally end, but people are thirsting to travel. A favorite tourist destination is Israel. Israel has so much to offer – history, fun, spirituality, adventure, an incredibly friendly – and sometimes opinionated – population, beaches, hikes, religious sites, world-class museums, great food and so much more. Israel needs a national carrier that can show its best side and get people to and from Israel with the level of service, style and sophistication that a powerful country like Israel deserves. To do this, changes need to be made. El Al needs a major cash infusion and other changes to give it the shot in the arm it desperately needs and deserves.
As with all processes of this magnitude, there are layers of complexities and politics to contend with. No surprises there, and I am no stranger to those issues. We are hopefully approaching the other side of COVID-19, and with the newly announced Abraham Accord between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, and both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain announcing they are permitting all flights to fly over their airspace (hint, that includes El Al), there is no more important time to focus on the issue of El Al. It is time for El Al to properly get ready to spread its wings again, get people back to work, and get people to and from Israel in a manner deserving of a powerful country like Israel.
May the best man, or woman, win.
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