Yuntiff rules for observant Jews from Israel visiting USA

Question:

An observant relative from Israel is arriving in Miami on Simchas Torah. Can an arrangement be made for her to be picked up at the airport (by a non-Jew) prior to Yuntiff being over in Miami?

Thank you

Answer:

Although the relative that is arriving from Israel does not have Simchas Torah, and he doesn’t daven like everyone else, he is still not permitted to do any melacha and has to act as if he is living in Miami. The reason for this is because it is maris ayin to do melacha when it is yom tov in that place. For this reason he is not permitted to do melacha even in private when no one can see him. Therefore a gentile may not drive him back from the airport until after Yom Tov is over in Miami.

There is discussion among the poskim if a person from Israel is even allowed to take such a flight, because he will be landing on Yom Tov, (and he will have to do melacha in the airport when going through customs). Most poskim say that if the airport is not within a “techum shabbos”, (approx. a kilometer), of a city that Jews live in, then it is permitted to land and stay in he airport, since it is a place that Jews don’t live.

Sources:

O:CH 496-3, M:B ibid 9, Ohr L’tzion 3-chap.23-4, Be’er Moshe 7-pg. 265 (19),  B’tzel Hachochma 3-35, Yom Tov Sheini Khilchoso 3-11, Aliba D’hilchoso 90 pg. 50 in the name of R’ S. Dovlitsky Zt”l and Y”BCHLCH R’ E. Auerbach shlit”a