Ultra-Orthodox Jews Threaten To Start Their Own Airline

[Matt Molnar]

El Al is considering flying on the Jewish sabbath, or Shabbat (between nighfall Friday and nightfall Saturday). Orthodox Jews are upset.

Click here (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1164881870575&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull) for the full article from the Jerusalem Post.


Haredim may set up mehadrin airline
Dec. 11, 2006 15:40 | Updated Dec. 12, 2006 14:08
By MATTHEW WAGNER

In the face of an imminent boycott of El Al, haredi businessmen in the US have expressed interest in setting up a haredi-owned airline, Rabbi Yitzhak Goldknoph, secretary of the Rabbinic Council for the Holiness of Shabbat, said Monday.

"The airline would fly the most popular haredi routes to the US and Europe," he said.

Goldknoph refrained from divulging the names of the haredi businessmen, and his announcement was received with skepticism by the Israeli business community.

[Midnight Mike]

Jew Air?

:wink: :lol:

[Mellyrose]

AirFutt :lol:

[cancidas]

this religion thing is getting out of hand. let them start the airline, it'll flop in less than a year IMO.

[T-Bird76]

This almost like that German airline that wants to begin all smoking fights. This is rather an interesting concept, maybe the planes will look like that one in the Movie Airplane? LOL ;)

[mirrodie]

this religion thing is getting out of hand. let them start the airline, it'll flop in less than a year IMO.

Yeah, the religion reason is not cool.
I think El AL has a nice tradition of not flying the Sabbath. But the response to start a new airline is childish and I too think it'll fail due to low demand.

[NIKV69]

I liken this to the Larry David episode where the orthodox Jewish girl jumps off the ski lift because she can't be with him after sun down. She first tells Larry to jump and he looks down and says "Are you *ucking nuts?"

The sabbath is great and all but come on already.

[uplander]

I didn't realize El Al didn't fly on the Sabbath. This could pose some challenges. Like what would they do if they were flying eastward on a Sunday and then crossed the international date line?

[Futterman]

AirFutt :lol:

Or "JewCanoe" :)

[Art at ISP]

Hannukair? Fly us when you have to Rusha Homa?

Yom Kippair?

I'll stop while I am ahead.

Adonair?

Oy-Lines

[hiss srq]

hey futt that title is alredy taken some guy registered his westwind to an llc. by that name lol... I think this is retarded though.... The religion holyer than thou thing is getting far to out of hand and frankly that kind of stuff pisses me off really.

[Art at ISP]

Pre board is like Pre engaged...which is in turn like Pre dead--a condition all who are alive find themselves in....

[mirrodie]

It is an interesting issue and something I would like to further understand.

Matt, I looked at the article twice. The Orthodox Jews are looking to set up another airline as a direct response to EL AL possibly flying on Shabbat?

It doesn't seem to make sense, for those opposed, to stop flying the airline b/c the airline is making achoice to fly on Shabbat. I mean, the consumer is not losing anything, no loss of service, etc. In fact, the clientele is only gaining/offering omore in tmers of routes and service schedule. So if the resposne ot flying on Shabbat is real and they do want ot start another airline based on that, its a matter of principle....(At least, I think, if I got all the facts straight.)

[Tom_Turner]

Hey Nick...

Do you remember the song, "Gefilte Fish Blues," originally made popular by Larry David and the Hipsters? LOL....

ttyl,
Tom


I liken this to the Larry David episode where the orthodox Jewish girl jumps off the ski lift because she can't be with him after sun down. She first tells Larry to jump and he looks down and says "Are you *ucking nuts?"

The sabbath is great and all but come on already.

[mirrodie]

Furthermore, is this airline going to fly on all days BUT Shabbat? If it did, then it would not make it any different from El Al. SO I just don't get the business strategy.

Shoshana's airline name pics

Air Bubbulah
Hebrew Haulers

[NIKV69]

Do you remember the song, "Gefilte Fish Blues," originally made popular by Larry David and the Hipsters? LOL....

That episode is an all time classic, I love when he is trying to talk in Hebrew and basically is talking gibberish. Or when he is pretending to be married to Suzy Greene and she tells them the story of how they met.

[T-Bird76]

Remember its only a threat to start an airline, whether they do it or not is to be seen. I don't see the point though.

[i_mizrahi]

Furthermore, is this airline going to fly on all days BUT Shabbat? If it did, then it would not make it any different from El Al. SO I just don't get the business strategy.


Hebrew Haulers

Hi

I'm from israel, and I can tell you that trying to understand the ultra-orthodox from one newspaper article is no use. You may just as well live in Israel for 30 years and still not understand this.

But what I do understand is taht the current management of EL AL is made up of not too bright people, and that is not just because of this shabbat thing.

If you want to learn a little more on EL AL you can read my blog at:
http://aviationblog.wordpress.com/

Izhar

[mirrodie]

I just glanced at your link.

WHile it does show issues with El Al, I don't think they justify the Orthodox response to starting a new airline.

SO I guess we are left with just scratching our heads and acknowledging that, hey, we might have another airline to spot soon :)

There is one thing though.... I think if Mel and Phil had a baby plane, it might look like....http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=22949 Wow, I have never seen that before!

[nwafan20]

One thing that "irks" me about El Al is the whole armed gunmen following the plane to takeoff thing. Plus, the gunmen aren't nice people, and they hate spotters!

[hiss srq]

I would love to have a run in with one of them while spotting..... Seriously what the heck are they going to do on public property or otherwise.....

[nwafan20]

I see we have a suicidal spotter on the boards! LOL!

Just kidding, but I'll tell ya, every year there is a tradition in Michigan where people walk the Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) bridge on labor day, I did in 2002, the year after 9/11 and every 10 feet there was an armed National guardsmen, a no-fly zone over the bridge, armored vehicles, marine boats, and every other military asset available, when you see one of those automatic weapons in real life, 3 feet away from you, it's pretty scary.

[hiss srq]

I get to see them every day lol..... LGA is well protected..... lol

[mirrodie]

One thing that "irks" me about El Al is the whole armed gunmen following the plane to takeoff thing. Plus, the gunmen aren't nice people, and they hate spotters!

So the fact that El AL is doing what it can to protect its assets "irks" you?

The gunman are there to protect, not to be your friend. They are good people, have families and really could care less that you are a spotter or not. They in fact might be a spotter themselves. But there are there to execute a job, not to be nice. It's a good thing.

[hiss srq]

what happend to the nicknames

[Mateo]

Tower catered to the ultra-Orthodox market. Remind me again how that one turned out. Yes, there are a lot of haredim on the NYC-TLV flights, but I don't know if it could sustain a year-round, profitable operation, especially while El Al already makes lots of concessions to the Orthodox (Glatt Kosher meals, mezuzot on the doors, accomodating prayer services). El Al actually owns the catering house that supplies the meals ex-NYC. You're also hard-pressed to make it work with 1 plane - it's about 10h there, 11:30 coming back, so you've really got to mach schnell with the turns to keep it in a 24-hour cycle. It's actually a 138-hour week once Shabbat is factored in, which gives you 5.5 25 hour roundtrips, but the plane keeps leaving an hour later each day!

[Deltafan2006]

AIR JEWISH? :lol:

[hiss srq]

CO's crews call the JFK-TLV run the Bagel Bullet

[Deltafan2006]

CO's crews call the JFK-TLV run the Bagel Bullet

why?

[hiss srq]

I guess it is just the term they choose to slap on that run ........ I am not walking into that ant hill

[T-Bird76]

I guess it is just the term they choose to slap on that run ........ I am not walking into that ant hill

Then why even bring it up?

[mirrodie]

I don't know but Bagel Bullet is not something I'd call it.
The Matzoh Meteor has a bit more pizzazz.

Back on topic though, while I don't agree with the underlying reason for the new airline, it would be cool to have another livery to take photos of :)