Hundreds of Breslover Chassidim traveling to Uman for Rosh Hashanah have been left without their luggage, clothing, medications and other essential supplies after suitcases belonging to passengers on HiSky flights from Ben Gurion Airport to Chisinau, Moldova, were left behind in Israel.

Passengers who began arriving in Chisinau on Thursday night told Matzav.com that they discovered upon landing that their luggage had never made it onto their flights. According to the passengers, they were subsequently informed by the airline that the missing suitcases would not be sent on later flights and would instead be returned to them only after they come back to Israel following Rosh Hashanah.

The situation has left hundreds of travelers — including elderly passengers, people with medical conditions and children — facing an extended stay in Uman without changes of clothing, tashmishei kedushah, basic hygiene products and essential medications.

Some passengers had also packed meat and other food for Yom Tov worth thousands of shekels. They now fear that the food will spoil completely while the luggage remains stranded at Ben Gurion Airport.

Among those affected is the elderly Rav Yosef Kadish Shapiro, who arrived without his suitcases and personal belongings.

A disabled bochur, Chaim Shalom ben Esther Malka, whose luggage also remained in Israel, issued an emotional plea describing the predicament he now faces in Uman.

“I have nothing to wear and no way to manage over Yom Tov in Uman,” he said.

Family members in Israel have attempted to retrieve the stranded luggage from Ben Gurion Airport so that it could be handed to other passengers who have not yet departed and brought to Moldova. According to the report, those requests were rejected by personnel at the airport.

The affected passengers are now demanding that the airline immediately transport the luggage to Moldova on a dedicated flight or, alternatively, allow relatives in Israel to collect the suitcases from Ben Gurion Airport and arrange for them to be transported independently.

A Chabad shliach in Moldova reported that dozens of stranded passengers had arrived at the Chabad House in Chisinau with virtually none of their belongings.

Many initially believed their suitcases would arrive aboard subsequent flights and remained in Chisinau awaiting their luggage. Some were forced to rent hotel rooms in the Moldovan capital at considerable expense while waiting, only to discover that their belongings were not arriving.

An aviation expert who spoke with Matzav.com said several possible factors could explain how such a large quantity of luggage was left in Israel. One possibility is a malfunction involving Ben Gurion Airport’s computerized baggage handling and routing system.

Another possibility, the expert said, is that the airline sold excessive cargo or baggage capacity, resulting in the aircraft being overloaded.

The expert also raised the possibility that aircraft departing Israel were carrying larger quantities of fuel because fuel prices in Israel are relatively inexpensive compared with Europe. The additional fuel would increase an aircraft’s overall weight and could consequently reduce the amount of baggage it could carry in its cargo hold.

Matzav.com contacted HiSky’s representatives in Israel seeking a response to the widespread baggage problems. The local representatives said the matter does not fall under their responsibility.

{Matzav.com}