MK Rabbi Avraham Ravitz (United Torah Judaism) and his wife found themselves in a German jail cell for three hours on Friday afternoon ten days ago - all because he had left his passport behind.
The story began when he was released from a Swiss hospital after successfully undergoing medical treatment. He and his wife then visited the Rhein Falls on a river bordering France, Switzerland and Germany. "There are some beautiful falls on the river," Rabbi Ravitz said, "that as soon as you see them, you can't help but blurt out, 'How wondrous are Your creations, O G-d.'" He said that the highway goes in and out of the three countries, yet there appeared to be no need to carry a passport.
The German border guards who stopped him did not agree, however. They told the Ravitzes that they were to remain under arrest until their companion drove back to the hotel and retrieved the passports. Though MK Ravitz was able to make contact with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and though an Israeli official from the consulate in Germany asked to speak with the German guard, the latter refused to answer any phone calls "until the passports arrive." They finally did, and the Ravitzes made it back to their hotel only a short time before the onset of the Sabbath.
The story began when he was released from a Swiss hospital after successfully undergoing medical treatment. He and his wife then visited the Rhein Falls on a river bordering France, Switzerland and Germany. "There are some beautiful falls on the river," Rabbi Ravitz said, "that as soon as you see them, you can't help but blurt out, 'How wondrous are Your creations, O G-d.'" He said that the highway goes in and out of the three countries, yet there appeared to be no need to carry a passport.
The German border guards who stopped him did not agree, however. They told the Ravitzes that they were to remain under arrest until their companion drove back to the hotel and retrieved the passports. Though MK Ravitz was able to make contact with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and though an Israeli official from the consulate in Germany asked to speak with the German guard, the latter refused to answer any phone calls "until the passports arrive." They finally did, and the Ravitzes made it back to their hotel only a short time before the onset of the Sabbath.