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Ahead of Passover, Israelis seeking to leave cut a reverse-Exodus path through Egypt

JL;DR SUMMARY Amidst the backdrop of military tensions involving Israel, the U.S., and Iran, many Israelis found themselves navigating a modern "reverse Exodus," traveling through Egypt to escape conflict zones and reach safety abroad ahead of Passover. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish CultureJewish HistoryPassoverEgyptConflictExodusSymbolismTravelIran Tensions

Places mentioned

Tzfat, Northern District, Israel
"He would cook for an American family of 21 who were planning to spend the holiday in the northern city of Tzfat."
Eilat, Southern District, Israel
"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."
Sharm el Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt
"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."
Sinai, South Sinai, Egypt
"This year I physically left Egypt, wondered [sic] the Sinai to arrive to Israel, only to head to Jerusalem after, Seni shared on Facebook."
Jordan
"lines of travelers at the Taba crossing stretched far back into Israel, especially as an alternate escape route through Jordan faced cancellations."
Jerusalem, Israel
"This year I physically left Egypt, wondered [sic] the Sinai to arrive to Israel, only to head to Jerusalem after, Seni shared on Facebook."
Turkey
"In total, Mochkin spent 12 hours in transit in Egypt before flying on to Turkey and New York before reaching his final destination in California."
Oakland, California, United States
"The symbolism is almost too sharp to ignore. The place that once represented our oppression is now a transit point."
Pleasanton, California, United States
"Cindy Seni, a social media consultant who appeared on the Netflix reality show Jewish Matchmaking in 2023, made a similar observation even as she was one of the relative few to make the trip in the same direction that the ancient Israelites took."
New York, United States
"In total, Mochkin spent 12 hours in transit in Egypt before flying on to Turkey and New York before reaching his final destination in California."
California, United States
"In total, Mochkin spent 12 hours in transit in Egypt before flying on to Turkey and New York before reaching his final destination in California."

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Retrieved 2026-04-02 05:31:03 UTC
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