The seder table in Cyprus was due to be set for 12. Rachel and Dan, long time Jerusalemites, were flying in from Israel with their children and grandchildren; their siblings and cousins were coming in from America. The B&B overlooking the Mediterranean was booked, and Pesach 2026 was supposed to be a joyous family reunion. Then, two weeks before the holiday, the airline cancelled their tickets – another casualty of Israel’s second war with Iran.

Despondent but determined, they studied websites, made calls, and finally set off on a route their parents’ generation would never have imagined: south through the Negev, and across the border to the very small and overwhelmed airport in Taba, Egypt. They made it to Cyprus on time and had seder with their family.

Rachel and Dan were not alone.  During the last two wars with Iran, with Ben Gurion Airport hobbled by conflict, over 64,000 Israelis travelled safely to and from the country through Egypt and Jordan – roughly 39,000 returning home during the 12-day war with Iran in June 2025, and another 25,000........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)