Jerusalem – El Al To Charedim: Take Your Assigned Seat Or Get Off The Plane

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    FILE - El Al CEO Gonen UssishkinJerusalem – Just days after four Charedi men caused a delay on an El Al flight after refusing to sit next to women, the Israeli airline has announced that it will remove any passengers who refuse to sit in their ticketed seats.

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    Ynet News reported that the abrupt change of policy came about after Barak Eilam, CEO of global software solutions provider NICE Systems, announced on Linked In today that his company would no longer be availing itself of El Al’s services.

    “At NICE we don’t do business with companies that discriminate against race, gender or religion,” wrote Eilam. “NICE will not fly @EL AL Israel Airlines until they change their practice and actions discriminating against women.”

    As previously reported on VIN News, a Tel Aviv bound flight from New York experienced a delay of over an hour last Thursday night as the flight crew attempted to relocate female passengers in order to accommodate the preferences of a handful of Charedi travelers.

    Responding to Eilam’s declaration, El Al CEO Gonen Ussishkin took swift action.

    “From here on, travelers who refuse to sit next to another traveler will be removed expeditiously from the aircraft,” said Ussishkin.

    El Al has long faced issues because of Charedi passengers refusing to sit next to women.

    In June 2017 the airline was found guilty of discrimination after it asked an 83 year old female Holocaust survivor seated in business class if she would mind changing seats in order to accommodate the religious beliefs of a Chasidic looking man.

    In another incident reported in 2012, a Florida woman sued El Al for reseating her without prior warning in order to accommodate the preferences of a Charedi passenger.

    According to a 2012 Haaretz article, groups of Charedi men frequently take to the aisles just prior to takeoff, asking female passengers to switch seats with them so that they can create clusters of male-only seating, making it easier to put together minyanim for davening and to create a movie-free zone.

    On some flights, Charedi passengers have also been observed putting up makeshift partitions in order to shield their eyes from in flight entertainment.


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    53 Comments
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    Moose
    Moose
    5 years ago

    It’s so simple.
    El al should assign male only sections when booking. If ur a chosid and want special seating – just ask for it.
    Problem solved.
    (Those who couldn’t be bothered to ask in advance -truly too bad).

    5 years ago

    This policy could have been adopted years ago by El Al; unfortunately, not one of those overpaid El Al executives had the guts to implement it!

    5 years ago

    Why not make a charedi section for those that want ? You can even charge more for it .

    5 years ago

    About time. Maybe Monsey Trails can open an airline to accommodate.

    Mark Levin
    Mark Levin
    5 years ago

    What a bunch of foolish leftist Israelis. Let’s say the frum community listens to ElAl’s kish mir you know where message, I have no doubt the airline will cease to exist within a year.

    kolemes
    kolemes
    5 years ago

    According the the FBI in-flight harassment against women have surged in the past year.
    So in essense separate seating actually protects woman.
    Ive seen plenty of frum women not wanting to sit next to strange men its just the law of numbers that many more frum men travel by themself then frum women.
    Elal is horrible when it comes to respecting the frum community especially by davaning.
    Ive flown United and had a steward tell me to tell her when i want to daven and theh will clearout the back for the minyan unheard of on elal flight.
    With over 35% frum customers and growing ill say to elal bring it on throw us off and then the real boycott will start.
    They will come on all four crying begging us to come back.

    5 years ago

    So dumb.

    lazy-boy
    Active Member
    lazy-boy
    5 years ago

    I am a frum person and traveled much. I have had the miserable luck to have to sit next to woeman who do not dress properly or act properly. It is not pleasant sitting next to some one with a mini skirt.

    One time, I sat next to a woeman who was drunk and keep drinking and tried to flirt with me. disgusting!

    Another time a woeman fell asleep and kept putting her head on my shoulder. (I bopped my should up several times during the flight!)

    There should be rules to accommodate men who wish to have their sit changed!

    PS I know woman is not spelled woeman, but these females were really woe to me!

    5 years ago

    Coming from the Yidisha medina that shld respect Jewish values but the opposite holds true. While improper behavior cannot be condoned by chareidim there is always a way of satisfying both sides besides if its a secular self hating Jew that is provocative and all she wants is to spite charedim which is usually the case.
    May the “yiddishe medina” b alive and well. Lol!!!

    Normal
    Normal
    5 years ago

    Or book a seat with your mates to avoid the Chillul Hashem

    chugibugi
    Active Member
    chugibugi
    5 years ago

    It should have been done years ago,behaving like ignorant savages has nothing to do with Yidishkeit

    fat36
    fat36
    5 years ago

    It took them that long to wake up

    Fuzzywuzzy
    Fuzzywuzzy
    5 years ago

    Why don’t they just make a designated “men’s section” and “woman’s section” and “mixed section” and everyone will be happy? It’s a no brainer !!!

    MAYERFREUND
    MAYERFREUND
    5 years ago

    I advice that the chariedim should stop using el al. Watch how quick they will change this rule.

    Easygoing770
    Easygoing770
    5 years ago

    Male only separate seating organized by the airline is a great idea. There’re definite ways of solving this problem. El-Al should wake up to the reality of the changing demographic and act accordingly. Or someone mentioned a Monroe bus style airline accommodating the oilam, great idea!!

    5 years ago

    “At NICE we don’t do business with companies that discriminate against race, gender or religion”

    So instead he will do business with establishments that discriminate against Orthodox Jewish men (that is discrimination on two grounds – religion and gender) by forcing the latter to sit with women?

    grandbear
    grandbear
    5 years ago

    Just as there used to be a non smoking section, let the airline have a men only section if possible.

    mgold
    mgold
    5 years ago

    As expected from the official airline of the So called “jewish” state

    This is why me & all my friends never fly ELAL, the are the most disgusting anti religious airline
    Never accommodate a minyan etc.
    Feh
    Time for all chareidim to start using other goyisha airlines that are way more understanding to the needs of the chareidy passenger

    yaakov doe
    Member
    yaakov doe
    5 years ago

    How does the Saudi airline handle this?

    woodmerejoe
    woodmerejoe
    5 years ago

    Forbid international perverts with Russian hands and Roman fingers from flying.Who needs holier than thou hasids with special food on El AL

    elyeh
    Noble Member
    elyeh
    5 years ago

    A male only section is probably illegal !
    If you are flying with others, arrange the advance seating that you want. If it costs more, then that is like paying extra for kashrus.

    As stated in the article:“At NICE we don’t do business with companies that discriminate against race, gender or religion,” wrote Eilam. “NICE will not fly @EL AL Israel Airlines until they change their practice and actions discriminating against women.”

    5 years ago

    Not a single Airline would allow a plane to be delayed by 75 min. as happened last week. I have flown United many times and 20 min before scheduled departure they bring on Ground Crew to help everybody with overhead luggage etc. to make sure flight can leave on time. When flights are full and 5 ppl (Chareidim or anyone else) are not happy with they’re assigned seats they can not delay departure because of it!!

    puppydogs
    puppydogs
    5 years ago

    Why don’t they have a separate seating section on the plane. There should be family seating and separate seating sections.

    Katanti
    Katanti
    5 years ago

    Absolutely disgusting! Haredi men who refuse to sit next to women has nothing whatsoever to do with “gender discrimination” and everything to do with Jewish law and religious freedom!

    Barak Eilam, CEO of global software solutions is obviously a leftist who is intolerant of Haredim, much like most leftist.
    El-Al CEO, Gonen Ussishkin is most likely a leftist as well, who sympathizes with this twisted and distorted notion.

    This follows in the footsteps of the far left in the USA where attacking religious freedom is on the increase, especially against President Trump’s stance of safeguarding religious freedom.

    It’s President Trump however, who moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem which the left never allowed for.

    It would be prudent and proper to make sure that upon booking, Haredi men be allocated appropriate seats. That could be easily accomplished.

    Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Apparantly there is no such will!

    S_Mintz
    S_Mintz
    5 years ago

    There are several “classes” of tickets: it’s not just coach, business and 1st. El Al can label blocks of tickets as a certain class that could be grouped as consecutive “men or women only” seats on their planes and offer them at a higher cost. They can even sell these tickets to exclusive brokers who will pay them extra for the right to sell them. Frum people pay extra for these types things: noone will complain if they offer a premium service at a higher price.

    berelw
    berelw
    5 years ago

    about time! all airlines should adopt this rule. serial offenders should be blacklisted from flying! what a chilul hashem this causes, not to mention they waste hundreds of other peoples time. gezailas hazman!
    if these people really care about this, book accordingly beforehand book an entire row, or whatever. where in shulchan aruch does it say dont sit next to a woman..ahavs yisroel is doraisa!!!

    KOL HKOVOD to ELAL!!!

    PaulinSaudi
    PaulinSaudi
    5 years ago

    #19 Saudia makes no special arrangements for same-sex sections. The problem has never come up. They do have a prayer area at the back of some planes. People tend to sleep on the floor back there.