MK Yitzchok Pindrus retraces the battle to bring yeshivah and seminary students to Israel
“The capsules,” he adds, “are a lot of work, but they’re not a prison.”
The multiple government bodies who had to be convinced that the plan was workable didn’t see the foreign yeshivah sector as a particularly high priority, despite the dollars that it generates. “Even the Finance Ministry wasn’t impressed by the money. They said, ‘you bring in $400 million, but the tourism industry brings in billions — and we’ve shut the whole thing down,’ ” explains Yitzchak Pindrus.
Coronavirus has dramatically impacted all yeshivos, but perhaps none more so than the powerhouse that is Mir. On a recent visit to my former chaburah there, I saw the normally packed batei medrash far below capacity, the decibel level noticeably lower, the stores around the Beis Yisrael neighborhood shuttered, and too many available parking spaces around the yeshivah.
Under the new plan, the crowds won’t be returning anytime soon. While avreichim will continue to learn in the socially distanced, mask-wearing beis medrash, hundreds of bochurim will find themselves in capsules far from Jerusalem.
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