Rabbi Yosef Garmon, an Israeli rabbi with the Humanitarian Coalition organization, arrived Tuesday for an unusual visit to Somaliland, where he was warmly welcomed by Muslim residents of the African territory, who waved Israeli flags and sang “Am Yisrael Chai.”
Garmon, a former chief rabbi of Guatemala, is active in delivering humanitarian aid and medicine across Africa and Latin America. He chose to travel to Somaliland shortly after mutual recognition and the establishment of relations between Israel and Somaliland, a self-declared republic that broke away from Somalia and is not internationally recognized. Even before that, he had been in contact with an official from the Somaliland president’s office who invited him to visit. “I thought it was an opportunity,” Garmon said.
Rabbi Yosef Garmon sings “Shalom Aleichem” with residents of Somaliland
Reaching Somaliland was not simple. Nearly all airlines refused to fly him, arguing that he did not have a visa for Somalia. Israelis can enter Somaliland without a visa, but Somalia objects. “At first we tried to go via Dubai, but they refused to fly us. Then we flew to Addis Ababa, and there too they refused to fly us to Somaliland,” Garmon said. “The moment they see an Israeli passport, they refuse because there is no visa from Somalia.” Left with no choice, the group took a domestic flight to the Ethiopian city of Jijiga, near the Somaliland border. “There they allowed us to cross into Somaliland, but warned me to remove my skullcap,” he said.
Upon entering Somaliland, the attitude changed completely. “They welcomed us warmly. The border police immediately pulled out an Israeli flag and waved it,” Garmon said. “They said they would take us wherever we needed. I showed a hotel reservation and they said they would find us a better hotel. Everywhere people are excited that I’m Israeli. In the immigration office, an Israeli flag was flying. They took us to buy a SIM card and handed out water.”
Local police escorted Garmon and his companions to the capital, Hargeisa. “Everywhere people see me wearing a skullcap, they immediately make the connection to Israel and come up to say thank you,” he said. “You have to understand, these are very devout Muslims. Alcohol cannot be sold here, and anyone who does risks two years in prison. People wave to us. The admiration comes from the fact that Israel recognized Somaliland. It’s simply moving to see people who view Israel as their hope.”
Garmon said one man told him he knew nothing about Israel, so he went and read about the Exodus from Egypt. “He said that for them it feels similar,” Garmon recalled. “I told him that’s how I always explain it: The Jewish people are not chosen because they are better or smarter, but because they were chosen to carry this hope, as a people that suffered so much and emerged from it. They were chosen to feel those who suffer and to work together to improve the world.”
Residents of Somaliland cheer to Israel
Garmon said it was very important to him to arrive in Somaliland shortly after Israel’s recognition to send a message. “I’m a simple person from Israel who wants people to see that Israel is also humanitarian aid and things beyond politics,” he said. “You feel the love for Israel in the streets. People came to take photos with Israeli flags. One man asked why we don’t recognize the Palestinians. I explained that we do recognize them, but the Palestinians do not recognize us.”
Describing the capital, Garmon said: “The city is very developed, with tall buildings and good hotels. The roads are excellent. The police continue to escort us. There were people who sang ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ to us. I knew they liked Israel, but I didn’t know how much. Almost everyone on the street simply admires Israel.”