DRAMA IN THE SKY: 2 El Al Flights Have Shabbos Issues, 1 TO LAND ON Shabbos, 1 Lands In Athens
Two El Al flights from New York to Israel have had serious “Shabbos issues” on Friday afternoon. There is much confusion and disinformation going around, and the following are the exact details.
Both flights, 008, and 002, were delayed for hours leaving NY on Thursday due to the snow storm. Flight 002 was supposed to depart JFK Airport at 6:30PM, and was supposed to arrive at 11:50AM on Friday morning in Israel. The flight eventually departed NY at 11:45PM. The flight is packed with Frum people, and a decision was made to land in Athens before Shabbos. The passengers were being put up by El Al in a hotel.
Flight 008 also departed late, but it was a flight that to begin with that was supposed to land at around 3:40PM on Friday (Shkiya is around 4:40PM in Tel Aviv). It does not appear to be full of Shomer Shabbos passengers. Despite that, the plane was going to land in Rome for Shabbos, but a person became seriously ill on board and a Shaila was presented to Hagaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef. He ruled that the plane should continue to Israel, and land on Shabbos – due to Pikuach Nefashos. It appears the flight will be landing at around 5:30PM – around an hour after the Shkiya.
El Al said in a statement that “extreme weather in New York is causing cancellations and delays in hundreds of flights, including El Al flights that left Israel last night. Due to the delays and delays, El Al does not fly on Saturday, the company is forced to land Flight 002 in Athens and Flight 008 in Rome.”
“EL AL will take care of alternative flights to Israel for all passengers. In addition, passengers who prefer to stay in Athens or Rome on Shabbat will be treated by representatives of the company and do not worry about returning them to Israel at the end of Shabbat. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers.”
As YWN reported in 2007, the Chareidi community around the world boycotted El Al after the airline was Michallel Shabbos. Gedolim around the world signed a Kol Koreh and thousands cancelled their tickets. The boycott was lifted after they promised never to fly on Shabbos again.
Anyone with a bit of Yiras Shomayin should have left the plane before departure once it became clear that arriving in good time before Shabbos was no longer guaranteed.
Silly that they were planning on landing the plane full of frum passengers in Athens which does not have any Jewish community, and the plane with non-frum passengers in Rome, which has a relatively large Jewish community with available shuls and kosher food.
Source: Yeshiva World News
