 APRIL 2 • 2020 | 25

details. They continued to tour 
into Sunday, staying relatively 
close to the airport.
Suddenly, the tour stopped 
short — the group was instruct-
ed to board a bus headed 
straight for the Casablanca 
airport. They needed to leave 
immediately.
According to AP 
News, Morocco placed a ban 
on international passenger 
flights and ships that same 
day. The country now is in 
full lockdown mode, shutting 
down hotels, restaurants and 
more. Many U.S. citizens are still 
stranded there.
Temple Israel worked with 
the tour organizer, Arza World 
Travel for Reform Judaism, to 
get everyone back to Detroit.
“It was like we were a moving 
target and things were escalating 
very quickly,
” said Linda Kovan, 
who resides in Novi. She and 
several other participants went 
through Washington, D.C., to 
get back to Detroit.
All participants made it back 
safe and sound to their respec-
tive homes. Temple Israel cler-
gy sent a letter to the group, 
urging them to self-quarantine 
for 14 days.
Murav says no trip partici-
pants have contracted COVID-
19. She is thankful for good 
friends who have dropped off 
food because her self-quarantine 
leaves her unable to go to the 
grocery store right now. She 
says she keeps busy by going 
for walks and talking to the 
Temple Israel-Morocco group 
on WhatsApp.
She is now staying with 
Kovan, and both agree that 
Temple Israel did a “yeoman’
s 
job” of getting them home safely.
“We all got out — we got 
there in the nick of time,
” Kovan 
said. “It was pretty amazing.
” 

Yi
tzak 
Rabi
n 
cal
l
ed 
Magen 
Davi
d 
Adom 
Isr
ael
’
s 
second 
l
i
ne 
of
 
def
ense.
Wi
th 
the 
coronavi
rus,
 
we’
re 
the 
first.
 

af
mda.
org/prot
ect 

When 
t
he 
COVID1
9 
cor
onavirus 
arrived 
in 
Isr
ael
,
 
t
he 
Minist
ry 
of
 

Heal
t
h 
knew 
who 
coul
d 
best
 
prot
ect
 
everyone’
s 
heal
t
h.
 
Because 

Israel
is 
know 
Magen 
David 
Adom 
has 
t
he 
paramedics,
 
t
raining,
 

and 
vision 
t
o 
minimize 
t
he 
spread 
of
 
t
he 
disease.

Wit
h 
it
s 
innovat
ive 
home-t
est
ing 
program 
and 
cut
t
ing-edge 
 

video 
apps,
 
MDA 
can 
l
it
eral
l
y 
see 
how 
pat
ient
s 
are 
recovering 

enabl
ing 
most
 
Isr
ael
is 
t
o 
r
ecover 
at
 
home,
 
wher
e 
t
hey 
can 
inf
ect
 

t
he 
f
ewest
 
peopl
e.
 

Support
 
f
r
om 
Americans 
l
ike 
you 
has 
hel
ped 
MDA 
shiel
d 
al
most
 

al
l
 
of
 
Isr
ael
’
s 
9 
mil
l
ion 
peopl
e 
f
r
om 
t
his 
disease.
 
But
 
t
his 
fight
 
has 

depl
et
ed 
t
he 
t
ool
s 
and 
suppl
ies 
MDA 
needs 
t
o 
ensur
e 
t
he 
inf
ect
ion 

r
at
es 
don’
t
 
rise.
 
Hel
p 
Magen 
David 
Adom 
cont
inue 
t
o 
pr
ot
ect
 

Isr
ael
is 
and 
save 
l
ives.
 
Make 
a 
gi
f
t 
t
oday.
 
Chag 
Pesach 
sameach.

000_DJN040220_JD Temple Israel Morocco.indd 25
000_DJN040220_JD Temple Israel Morocco.indd 25
3/30/20 12:01 PM
3/30/20 12:01 PM

