Israelis seeking to fly abroad for Passover make a reverse Exodus path through Egypt |
JTA — Zalmy Mochkin, a 36-year-old chef and artist in Israel, had lined up what seemed like a perfect Passover gig for this year: He would cook for an American family of 21 who were planning to spend the holiday in the northern city of Safed.
But then Israel and the United States attacked Iran on February 28, and Hezbollah entered the war two days later, putting Safed in the line of fire. If Mochkin wanted to keep the gig, he’d need to get to the United States.
The war had largely grounded flights, with most carriers halting service to Israel altogether and El Al experiencing severe restrictions that limited departures in frequency and volume. Iranian missiles scrambled even the flights that stayed on the schedule.
So earlier this month, Mochkin boarded a bus to the southern city of Eilat, then hopped on a three-hour van ride to Sharm el Sheikh International Airport. For him, and countless others, the road to marking the Israelites’ escape from Egypt millennia ago would run through Egypt today.
Mochkin said every person he has told his story to has cracked jokes about him participating in a sort of reverse Exodus story. But he doesn’t see it that way.
“My choice of thought with this whole thing was like, ‘This is me traveling. This is not me going to Egypt,’” he said.
יציאת מצרים על מלא: מעבר הגבול בטאבה pic.twitter.com/zmTN7cdxcl — משה ויסברג (@moshe_nayes) March 30, 2026
יציאת מצרים על מלא: מעבר הגבול בטאבה pic.twitter.com/zmTN7cdxcl
— משה ויסברג (@moshe_nayes) March 30, 2026
He may be in the minority. On social media and in conversation, Israelis and Jews around the world have been observing the irony of achieving freedom on Passover by heading to Egypt.
A parody of multiple Passover Seder songs by the Israeli Tziporela Theatre Company starts with a simple tweak: Instead of praising God for bringing the Jews “out from Egypt,”........