Cuban delegation to Maccabiah Games overcomes significant hurdles to reach Israel

A delegation of 52 Cuban athletes has overcome considerable hurdles to participate in the Maccabiah Games in Israel, undertaking a complex journey that spanned multiple countries over four days. This arduous trip underscores the unique challenges Cubans face when traveling internationally, exacerbated by current global travel disruptions.

Hella Eskenazi, a vice president of Cuba's Jewish community and a former athlete herself, described the journey as far from easy. The original travel plan involved flights from Havana to Panama, then to Paris, and finally to Tel Aviv. However, Air France's cancellation of flights to Tel Aviv due to the conflict in Iran forced a last-minute pivot.

Compounded by Cuba's political and economic situation, which restricts international travel options and the absence of a national airline with extensive global reach, the delegation had to reroute. Some athletes traveled from Paris to Austria, while others went through Abu Dhabi, where Cubans do not require visas. Each leg of the journey involved lengthy layovers, extending the total travel time significantly. Eskenazi's own journey differed as she had a visa allowing travel through the United States, flying from Havana to Miami and then to New York before continuing her trip.

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Due to the turmoil affecting travel to Israel generally and the unique complexities of getting anywhere from their communist island nation in the Caribbean.