Orthodox Jews Putting On Tefillin Causes Airline Scare–Again

Pilots on an Alaska Airlines flight locked down the cockpit and alerted authorities after three passengers conducted an elaborate orthodox Jewish prayer ritual during their Los Angeles-bound flight.

 

Pilots lock down cockpit over praying passengers
AP

LOS ANGELES – Pilots on an Alaska Airlines flight locked down the cockpit and alerted authorities after three passengers conducted an elaborate orthodox Jewish prayer ritual during their Los Angeles-bound flight.

Airline spokeswoman Bobbie Egan says the crew of Flight 241 from Mexico City became alarmed Sunday after the men began the ritual, which involves tying leather straps and small wooden boxes to the body.

FBI and customs agents, along with police and fire crews, met the plane at the gate at Los Angeles International Airport.

Airport police say two or three men were escorted off the plane, questioned by the FBI, and released. No arrests were made.

Other similar Orthodox and haredi airline tefillin incidents: 1, 2, 3.

Comments

[krembo]

Biblical Hebrew is VSO, Ivrit is SVO. The two languages share a lot of vocabulary, but so do English and German - that doesn't make them the same language.

udlo yavin yashtik velo yathheid shakra

[Office of the Chief Rabbi]

בשבתך בביתך ובלכתך בדרך means don't do it on an airplane.

[Maskil]

וה' אלוקיך הולך לפניך וייראו ממך: אלו תפילין שבראש

I guess it's true!

[Maskil]

Airport police say two or three men were escorted off the plane, questioned by the FBI, and released. No arrests were made.

I did hashgacha (kashrut supervision), as a fill-in for a mashgiach who had a doctor's appointment, at a wheat farm where flour was being made. This was within one year of 9/11. They were surprized when I showed up on time, as they were expecting the usual mashgiach to arrive 1-3 hours late. It was recounted to me how a week earlier 3 towncars with heavily tinted windows pulled up unannounced, and federal agents dismounted and spent hours inspecting the facility. Why? Because the bags of wheat had some strange Arabic script on them that warranted the Homeland Security to make a full investigation into possible links with Al-Qaida or other terror networks. The bags read (among many other things): "هلل" - "Halal." This is the same FBI.

[David]

There is a time and place for everything and whilst we mostly enjoy religious freedom, inside a plane being "in your face about it" is not the time or the place. I always don tefillin in a private place before or after the trip. It is particularly confronting for those unfamiliar with this part of Jewish religious practice when the tefillin wearing is combined with some heavy duty shockling.

[ber]

the correct Possuk

וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה' נקרא עליך ויראו ממך

[PulpitRabbi]

Actually, there is a very simple solution: inform the crew and your neighbors on your row.

When I need to daven on a plane, I tend to do it early, when people still sleep, discreetly, and only put on tefillin if I can either put them on in the back (with crew permission), or if I won't be able to do so after landing (say landing too late in the day).

When asked at a time when the kitchen is calm, crew is generally accommodating, and when we ask them, they are ipso facto forewarned, so there are no security scares.

When there are too many men to all go to the back, still, let the crew and the immediate neighboring passengers know, and they will appreciate. In those moments, I also tend to mention the previous tefillin scares and people have a good laugh.

[Maskil]

ber,

Thank you.

[Gefilte Fish]

I thought that the cockpit was supposed to be locked down on every flight, not just those "threatened" by tefillin.

[David]

I thought that the cockpit was supposed to be locked down on every flight, not just those "threatened" by tefillin.

I have flown all over the world numerous times since 9-11 and have seen open or at least unlocked cockpit doors on many occasions. They are not open all the time necessarily but they do get opened and left open for significant periods of time. I thought the rules required that they be locked ALL the time except for meals delivery and toilet breaks (and then only after checking if there are bad guys about to jump in).

[David]

Further to the above, gone are the days when a child could ask the hostess if they could meet the captain for a tour of the cockpit during flight...

[Garnel Ironheart]

> gone are the days when a child could ask the hostess if they could meet the captain for a tour of the cockpit during flight...

"Hey Billy, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?" (Airplane: the Movie)

[jancsipista]

those guys should be happy in a european country they would break their bones for putting on tefilin in a public place theese guys are mindless morons for putting it on in a public goyishe place what in the world are they thinking that they are in a shul with full of jews i cant beleive how such idiots exist in this world

[curiousity]

This type of issue is a multifaceted problem that often occurs in our country today. It's a global society, yet there are many insular communities. Social Studies and geography are neglected in the public schools, precisely at a time when, more than ever we need this knowledge. While people are sticking their heads in the sand, the world goes on around them.

[Shlomo]

Do they have to put on tefilin in mid-flight? Air travel today is tense and crazy enough without the tefilin squad!

[Althelion]

> gone are the days when a child could ask the hostess if they could meet the captain for a tour of the cockpit during flight...

"Do you like gladiator movies?" (Airplane)

Always good to start the week off referencing lines from Airplane.

[Dovit]

Funny how you never heard about the ultra orthodox making a giant show of davening, praying out loud and putting on tefillin. But now, after 9/11, it seems to be "the thing to do", knowing people will be afraid (well who taught them to be afraid? We all did for acting like every Muslim is a terrorist). So now they ARE afraid, and yes, to the goy, Muslims and Jews look alike and sound alike. Face it. Use your heads and don't cause panic on an airline. Or better yet, stop telling everybody that every Muslim is out to blow up a plane.

[Frozen Chosen]

@dovit It's not any more of an "in thing" than before 9/11. If anything, in my experience as a semi-frequent air traveler, I have seen significantly LESS people davening in airports and on planes. It's simply post 9/11 that the general world population is more alert and concerned.

I agree that people who *must* daven in such places should have a bit (a lot) more tact, common sense and sensitivity...but come on, this panic is just as much on ignorant airline employees as it is on the numbskull traveler.

[tooclose2detroit]

maybe the pilots thought these guys were Chabadniks that were going to insist on asking them if they were Jewish and putting teffilin on them.

[Maskil]

ROTFLOL!

[WoolSilkCotton]

++tooclose2detroit | March 14, 2011 at 12:40 PM++

LOL!!

[WoolSilkCotton]

++this panic is just as much on ignorant airline employees as it is on the numbskull traveler.++

I partially agree, but I don't think the onus needs to be on the airline employees. Putting tefillin on is a weird looking thing to do, in the eyes of most of the nonJewish planet. A religious Jew ought to realize this, and use discretion, common sense, and good manners (as described above by PulpitRabbi).

The airlines shouldn't have to be responsible for understanding every religious shtick that exists in the world. Orthodox people of all religions need to understand their environment and how their behavior can be misconstrued, especially in an airport or on the airplane, especially nowadays.

[Maven]

"What do you mean what are these? They are tefillin, you know, phylacteries" "Oh phylacteries, oh of course".

[Rochel]

PulpitRabbi, I think your advice is excellent and the most sensible thing to do. Simply informing the crew and nearby passengers would eliminate most problems.

I am, however, surprised that airline personnel aren't trained to know the basics about religious behavior that they might encounter in-flight (ie the prayer rituals of various religions that they might encounter). I remember a flight attendant asking me about orthodox Jewish prayer rituals she observed mid-flight. She was aware that this happens but didn't know the religious requirements behind it.

[flailed]

consider how would it appear to you if you weren't familiar with the scene. i was at a florida airport gate early one morning as multiple minyanim began their ritual and noted how it appeared to bystanders. let's be careful.

[Adam Neira]

The reaction by the cabin crew was over the top. However the orthodox Jews on board should have been more mindful of the situation. To the uninitiated seeing a religious black clothed man praying in a strange tongue and putting phylacteries on his head may seem like something out of the box, excuse the pun. I am not for one minute saying that people shouldn't be allowed to pray on a flight. A little bit of sensitivity and perhaps an explanation to the passengers and crew may prevent a misunderstanding. Perhaps the airlines should also update their training manuals to inform staff of various religious practices that some passengers may like to partake in on their trip.

Flight 101 “Golden Mean” airways, departing gate nine.

[FBI]

The actions of the cabin crew were in order with federal guidelines. How come nobody here is talking about the fact that 2 of the men entered the same bathroom while the third waited at the door. I am a federal officer, had I been on the plane, I would have made sure that each was seated for the entire flight in separate areas and they all would have also been arrested for failing to obey flight crew for opening an overhead bin while the seat belt sign was on.

[Adam Neira]

To FBI,

Thanks for the extra information. The behaviour you shine light on can definitely be interpreted as suspicious. It is always good to get as much information as possible about a case.

P.S. I work for OSSADM. The Ossetia South Secret Agency of Disgruntled Mensheviks. Stalin tried to disband us back in '51 but a few of us old timers stuck around. Nostrovia !