It felt like an Ephraim Kishon’s story
Four years ago, October 29, 2020, COVID Pandemy
The phone rings. My sister-in-law, Jocelyn, is up to make Aliyah and come to settle in Israel, She is calling me on WhatsApp from New York.
“Haim, I’m stuck. They won’t let me come to Israel—it’s hopeless.”
“What? Why? I thought everything was ready for your move!”
“Well, it’s not. The Israeli consulate in New York is refusing to grant me an entry visa. We’re stuck. We’ve already sold the apartment! Our move-out date is December 15… We’ll be on the street! If COVID isn’t over by then, I don’t know what we’ll do.”
Joce is my wife’s older sister.
After living in Israel for eleven years, she took a teaching position in communications at New York University. There, she married to Willy. Now that Willy has retired, they made the big decision to move to Israel. Willy would be a new immigrant, but here they were, stuck at the last hurdle—a consulate official refusing Joce’s entry visa. I could almost sense the absurdity of a story straight out of Kishon.
“But why won’t they give you a visa if you have an Israeli ID and your husband is a new immigrant?”
“Because he’s not yet an Israeli citizen, and I, while holding an Israeli ID, am technically classified as a permanent resident.”
“And…”
“And due to COVID, I haven’t been in Israel for 180 days in 2020 as required by law. They don’t know how to classify me, so they’re refusing me an entry visa. My husband Willy can fly, but I can’t.”
It was a situation straight out of a Kishon story, wasn’t it?
Stay tuned.
I call the Population and Immigration Authority to ask how to help. They tell me that if she wants their help, she has to be physically present in Israel; otherwise, the consulate decides.
I refuse to accept this answer. I call again and get the same response: “The consulate official makes the decision.” I call a third time, a fourth time.
On the fifth call, I request an appointment to discuss the visa without detailing the issue—I need to crack this situation.
In such situations, people usually get frustrated, blame others, and give up.
But I knew this was a test, a crossroads: either it was Game Over, where I would give up and tell Joce there was nothing more to do, or I would make a clear, unwavering decision to go all in.
The goal was simple: to free Willy (and Joyce) and move to the Next Level in the game. But I knew from experience that success would only come from being fully focused on one outcome: obtaining the signed entry visa, in hand or inbox.
The day of my appointment with the Population Authority arrives, and I come armed with all the necessary documents—copies of family members’ ID cards, proof of Willy’s status as a new immigrant, and more. The conversation with Li, the clerk, is surreal:
“Joce can come to Israel once her husband is an Israeli citizen.”
“So, it’s all set?”
“No. Willy is not Israeli; he’s classified as a new immigrant. For the consulate to approve, he has to be Israeli.”
“Let’s change his status then.”
“That’s not possible; he must be physically present in Israel to do that.”
“Willy is elderly, doesn’t speak Hebrew, and cannot come alone—he needs Joce with him.”
“Fine. She can come with him once she has an entry visa in hand.”
“Let me clarify: for Joyce to come, Willy must be Israeli; for Willy to become Israeli, he must come to Israel; to come to Israel, Joce must come with him! But this is a self-sustaining vicious cycle with no way out!”
“Exactly. You’ve described it perfectly,” Li smiles at me. Kishon must be turning in his grave.
But I was in familiar territory—breaking vicious cycles is my specialty.
If I could help tech companies turn destructive cycles into constructive ones, I could work my magic for Joyce.
Step 1: Identify the Link in the Chain to Break
I thought about how I could apply my professional skills here.
“Listen, Li, her whole family lives in Israel; you have to help. We need a way to allow the wife of a new immigrant, who has not yet become Israeli, to accompany him. How can I help you make this happen?”
“I need proof they genuinely intend to settle in Israel, not just escape COVID in New York.”
Step 2: Remove the Weak Link
“I’ll get you proof that they sold their home in the U.S. and bought a home in Israel two years ago, and that Joce is registered for rabbinical studies in Ra’anana. Will that be enough?”
“I hope so. Send me all those documents today. I’ll complete a special application form and forward it to the committee in Jerusalem, which meets early next week. We should know more then.”
“Li, are you really willing to help resolve this embarrassing situation and get Joyce and Will to Israel?”
“Yes, absolutely. I’m with you on this,” Li shouted back, “we’ll get them here.”
Step 3: Turn the Vicious Cycle into a Virtuous One
Ahead of the committee meeting, Li called to ask if Joce and Willy had flight tickets and six months of COVID medical insurance coverage. For me, this was an opportunity to turn the vicious cycle into a success story. That day, I returned with flight tickets for December 29 and a signed insurance contract covering them both.
Five days later, I received Joce’s entry visa by email.
Wednesday, December 30, 2020, 1:30 PM
Willy and Joce land at Ben Gurion Airport.
It was either Game Over or Next Level—I chose Next Level.
And the reward for reaching Next Level? A new game, with fresh challenges and new growth.
