Prague Seminary Girls Stay Positive Despite 30 Hour Detour

After visiting Israel and enjoying a beautiful Yom Tov, 11 Chabad girls from TMI – The Maharal Institute seminary in Prague, left with a bang!

Baruch HaShem they were all safe and ready to go back to seminary.

They arrived at the airport on Monday afternoon, 6 hours in advance of their flight back to Prague because they didn’t know how busy it would be due to the war. The girls waited for their flight for many hours until they finally got an email update that they can’t go straight to Prague, they now have a flight to Cyprus and from there to Prague. They ran to their new gate, and 40 minutes later, they landed in Larnaca, Cyprus.

Goodbye Eretz Yisroel.

Flying through passport control and security in Larnaca, the girls thank G-d made it to their next gate. They were about to board the plane of their connecting flight to Prague when they were told the flight was cancelled because “the crew has reached their 12 hour limit.”

But, flight attendants informed them they couldn’t leave their gate because they wanted to hold them all there to get on the earliest flight out. They got comfortable there along with the rest of the passengers until they were told their flight would be 3 pm the next day, on Tuesday. At this point it was still Monday night for them, but it was already 4 am Tuesday morning. They were given vouchers for food and water and were allowed to leave the gate, but not the airport – unless they wanted to lose their flight.

The girls found a lounge area and finally rested for a bit and washed up. They woke up a few hours later to see messages from the local Chabad that they have food for them!

It took a little while, but BH Chabad Rabbi Arie Zev Raskin and Rabbi Shneor Zalmen Levitin came to the rescue, bearing a package of food, a most welcome sight. The girls also used their vouchers and found some kosher snacks and water.

For more reasons known only to HaShem, their flight for 3 pm was once again delayed, this time until 7:30 pm.

A couple who was visiting Cyprus for Yom Tov and flying back now came to the airport prepped with food and shared a bunch of snacks with the girls. The girls continued making friends with many Jewish people in the airport, all helping each other out.

Someone walked by them, running to catch his flight, and he saw the girls and realized their situation. He stopped and pulled out $20 for Shliach Mitzvah money and told them he’ll be at the Ohel tonight and he’ll daven for them all!

By then, the girls were sitting in the airport together arranging more food from Chabad for supper and davening that their flight is on for 7:30 and they’ll make it back to Prague safe and sound.

“It was hard to leave Israel in such a state, and being stuck in Cyprus was challenging. Baruch HaShem for the Shluchim there and all the people who got us in touch with them and helped along the way!” the girls said later.

Yidden are never stuck! At times of strife or chaos Jews are always there to lend a helping hand for one another.