very SAD that the haridim decide the agenda of the country. makes me want to leave here as fast as possible. I will wind up stayng here - due to age - but my children and grandchildren I strongly recommend to LEAVE ASAP.

Better shrimp than dreck.Speaking about cosher food.As a teenager on a summer break I worked at matzot factory( somewhere in Israel).Trust me,I never ate nothing from this place.Ahizat einaim.Good luck ,former aussie:-)

EL AL represents the Jewish people and ALL they stand for. By NOT flying on shabbat I do not see how it can offend the secular whereas, if it does, it will offend a large proportion of the Jewish people and put Jews in a bad light before other nations. The fact you have chosen to be secular has not been held against you. Your wish to drag the whole of Israel to your standards is another matter and is nothing less than deplorable. Shavua Tov!!

ELAL represents ALL OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE! As far as I know,majority of Israel are SECULAR Jews! If not for secular Jews, State of Israel would't exist.

And you ? you will not drag the whole of Israel to your standards ? And this is more than deplorable . Look what happened today on a road near Tsfat . And so you want us to tolerate you more ?

though I adore them , and use their phrases. Just as I'm an Israeli and adore and use our airline Obviously matsos have an effect on the stomach, when suddenly eaten as we all do , gobbling them down suddenly on Seder night( one night only, hooray!) You stick to your shrimps and I'll enjoy my delicious kneidlach made with matso meal. As long as you and your shrimpmates stay far away from El Al, I don't have a problem. Enjoy them (eugh!) I admire you, for being able to eat anything that looks so disgusting.

Y'all just chill out and get used to us. We are here to stay, we are growing, and we have an economic voice if not a political one(yet) We make babies and you dont even come close. Yours is a lost dream. But take it easy we will chill too. The nastiness and thuggishness you see in us is because we have been sidelined and threatened all these years. As we ripen into a majority, we will mellow some. Sweet dreams.

As I see it...El Al does not represent the Jewish people...but more like they are a state run business for the public that's forced to observe the Jewish religion. Here put it to you another way. If the Muslims wanted to do the same kind of tactics to a Airline business. Would people other then Muslims fly with this airline? Would you fly with this airline? I didn't think so!!! So if the state run business starts to fail or needs to be bailed out financially because of this bad decision and needs tax money to support them, it's the same tax money that these haredim already get a large portion of to breed and stay at home. While all the "other" tax payers get nothing and look to be getting less and less as time goes on. I say we put up a fight like they did and boycott this process!!! Make it a law... you know we can ask a "Secul-air" rabbi to make it a law for us "other" Israelis!! :D I say if you don't like the business, spend your money when you will have the best and most enjoyable flight. I know most will say El Al is not one of those. Especially with the extent of their prices and that there are way to many haredim on the stinky smelly flight!!! I sure do hope the pilots wear their gas masks during the flight so the plane does crash from the toxic fumes!!! :D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Israel This article is a bit old but I don't think things have changed that much http://www.jcpa.org/dje/articles2/howrelisr.htm

The first time in my life i hear EL AL is State owned - LOL it-s private stupid As any private entrepeneurs EL AL directors know business better than u and me. If they want to accomodate for the religious population (64% in Israel), they are just using their brains by taking their boycott seriously. Not only Hareidim would stick to boycot but any religious person, so yes good luck with secul-air

and who will support you ? who will serve Zahal to defend you ? Your rabbis ? or your iranian friends ? The only thing you can do is throwing stones , that will help you ?

Read clearly my post #33. If you are still unable to understand the content then you are suffering from the consequence of bias and "sinat chinam". #38. Your comments in particular are repugnant. You need therapy! By the way, as it happens, I am just a proud traditional Jew with no charedi affiliation.

I'm not sure who is a stupid one in this case.State of Israel holds 51% of the ELAL's stock ;-)

Can you explain,please,what is a traditional Jew? That means no shiksa on weekend?!:-(

http://haemtza.blogspot.com/2007/01/analysis-of-boycott.html

If Israel is 51% owner hmmm I would say it's state owned!! As they would them the MAJORITY share holder!!! Who's the stupid sad ass here? If you want to fool yourself into thinking "EL AL directors know business better than u and me". It's a business....business is business NOT RELIGION! Blackmail is blackmail...you can smell it!! It's smells like Chara or haredim!! Have fun flying Masricha-AIR! טיסה מסריחה!! Thanks mark! At least someone on this talkback list knows something about what's going on with this business!!!

Israel and the jewish people's greatest national pride is SHABBAT. You are an ignorant person. Even most secular Jews were outraged by ElAl's desecration of Shabbat. Most secular Jews identify with Shabbat even if they are not on the level to observe it.

Do your research. DO you know how many millions of dollars are given by Anglo CHAREDIM to the State of Israel. During war or crisis, more than 95% of travelers entering Israel are CHAREDIM from the USA! When no secular Jew will come to Israel becasue of the security "situation" or as you call it the "matzav" , the hotels are still filled with HARD WORKING, LAWYER, DOCTORS, BUSINESSMEN, CHAREDIM!

You say that most Israelis respect Shabbat . How do you know ? Have you seen them from your faraway Denver ? Fantastic eyes you have . Only one problem , your eyes did not see the quantitys of people walking [ Shabbat ] around on the Tayelet in Tel Aviv . Regarding Flying on "risk" moments , sorry , no not Israeli airline does it . This last summer the most tourist were non religious French Jews . You heard mostly French speaking people . Not charidi . And that's not seen from Denver , but on the streets of our towns .

Just by reading the comments, can't you see that YOUR calibre of refined proud Judaism is needed here? I agree with you. The chagim EVERY YEAR, Israel and the hotels in Jerusalem are FULL of religious and chareidi QUALITY visitors, many in Tel Aviv too. I know, as we join our family there every year during Chol Hamoed., and the hotels are packed, some keeping 2nd day, some not.They never ever cancel their tickets and anyhow their kids are here studying, so they come to visit them too. They flock to Yam Hamelach and the North, such as Hotel Ramot etc. Dan in Haifa etc and the list goes on, and gets longer each year B'H. British too, not only Americans. Ken Yirbu and keep on encouraging us, we need it.

Are they going to boycott everything that moves from Friday night to Saturday evening? like the Israel Electric company, gas companies, train line repairs? They are selective and stupid asses, the lot of them

You are unfair to us and El Al. It's ok for you there to be santimonious. Stupid over the top exaggeration. Read talkback #3, from us who live here. El Al gets us home for Shabbat, that's their aim and always will be Please Gd. (I couldn't care less about getting to Denver for Shabbat I must admit.) We prefer to give our money to Jews.Our cherem includes refusing to pay salaries that provide christmas trees to goyim, but we will do so for chanukah gelt for all kids here. With El Al, and with Shabbat and full plane loads even without the chareidi christmas tree crowd. Didn't miss them, full quota of kippas on board too. Shabbat =Israel =El Al, today yesterday and always.

Funny,but you and Steve are the same...

Do you mean because we appreciate El Al's efforts to get us home for Shabbat with El Al and he doesn't? We disagree completely on El Als intentions and motives.So be it. I hope he enjoys his goyshe airlines. No accounting for taste as they say..goyshe taste oh so loved by chareidim. Weird, no?

Poor guy he's got it all backwards. They didn't come the "help" they came to make money. The people you named "LAWYER, DOCTORS, BUSINESSMEN" are only out for one thing...$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!! By the way...because they are in America, these jews are not a part of the same charter or character as the ones in Israel!!! It's not worth loafing off a christian government like it is a jewish government!!! Come on man open your eyes....

If ELAL's managment had a backbone, we wouldn't have this conversation.And,please, stop your BS about goim and goyshe.I would preffer some of them over many Jews. We are all humans.Speaking about so called goyshe airlines,their service and passengers( in many cases) way more plesant than ELAL.And what is your nonsence about ELAL=Israel=Shabat? There is Israir and Arkia.You should get out more .

calm down, there's a good boy. Wow, theres arkia and israir, gee golly didnt know! We take them to eilat AND get there in time for Shabbat too,silly billy. I also prefer some goyim( to you probably) like the respectful lady inRhode island, (see the travel section). Honeybunch, I have loads of goyshe friends in London, and they call themselves my 'shiksa' friends as we were all in school together . We all of us, unlike you, don't have hang ups about who we are. So go stuff a shrimp, you know where, but please please ONLY fly the 'goyshe'(oivay) comfortable airlines. U no Y. Over and out, of my way, boychik.

Your hubby must have nerves of steel.I feel his pain:-(

I asked him , he LOL, and said to tell you that it's funny how americans take themselves SO seriously. I guess as I said previously, its a question of hang ups,darlin'. 'Loosen up, chill out', isn't that what 'you guys' say? Bye have a nice life, but don't forget to enjoy the journey. We sure do .