24 | APRIL 2 • 2020 

O

n March 11, 46 Metro 
Detroiters geared up 
for a trip to Morocco 
with Temple Israel. The tour 
was scheduled for nine days, 
with an optional extension to 
visit Marrakech and the Atlas 
Mountains.
At the same time, the novel 
coronavirus outbreak was 
spreading quickly, wreaking 
havoc on travel plans.
The Temple Israel group, 
led by Rabbi Paul Yedwab, 
Rabbi Marla Hornsten and 
Cantor Michael Smolash, 
boarded the plane from Detroit 
Metropolitan Airport to Paris’
 
Charles De Gaulle airport, 
where they had a layover sched-
uled before the final leg to 
Casablanca. But the spread of 
COVID-19 was hitting its peak, 
and worry began to settle in.
“Literally two hours after 
we left for Morocco, things 
got bad in Michigan,
” said trip 
participant Robin Murav of 
Farmington Hills.
Despite unsettling texts from 
friends and family back home, 
Murav boarded the plane. But 
soon after take-off, she watched 
group participants frantically 
booking flights back to Detroit. 
As soon as they landed in Paris, 
at least four people headed 

straight home.
Most of the group stayed on 
for the flight to Casablanca. 
Despite growing concerns 
about border closings in 
Europe, the first night of the 
trip in Morocco was a memora-
ble one spent dancing.
The group explored 
Casablanca and Fes as planned. 
On Saturday evening, March 
14, the group huddled togeth-
er in a circle for a Kabbalat 
Shabbat service.
“We all said how happy we 
were there, happy to be there — 
it was just so warm,
” Murav said.
“Then, Rabbi Yedwab got 
up and spoke, and he was just 
choked up. He had gotten word 
from the U.S. Ambassador [to] 
Morocco that we needed to get 
out of there ASAP
. We were all 
in shock.
”
Yedwab told the JN, “I 
couldn’
t be more proud of my 
colleagues” at Temple Israel 
who remained in Detroit to 
oversee congregational chal-
lenges arising with the spread 
of COVID-19. Neither Yedwab 
nor any of the other Temple 
Israel clergy would comment 
on specifics of the trip.
While the Morocco group 
knew they might be leaving the 
next day, they had no additional 

ALLISON JACOBS DIGITAL EDITOR

A group of Jewish Metro Detroiters 
scrambled to get home from afar.

Temple Israel Trip to Morocco 
Cut Short Over COVID-19

 The group at Fes Palace Plaza

Jews in the D

COURTESY OF ROBIN MURAV

Wishing everyone a
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and good health.

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