Smartphone Vs. Uman [#15685]

October 9, 2021

QUESTION:

Every year I fly to Uman for Rosh HaShanah. Last year all the flights were closed at this time, but this year the flights are open, and this year there are all kinds of corona rules to follow upon entering Uman and leaving. One of the rules is that if a person isn’t vaccinated, he needs to have a smartphone so that he can get an APP confirming if he’s in quarantine from the moment he arrives. Special kosher phones were made for this purpose so that a person doesn’t need to use a smartphone. However, the very fact that they are asking the entire religious Jewish community to come with smartphones was a turnoff to me and because of this I am thinking that maybe it’s not worth it to go at all.

ANSWER:

If going to Uman requires you to have a smartphone, do not go to Uman.