Travel
Airlines: Stop 'impurity of Kohanim' procedure
Arie Egozi
Published: 07.09.09, 17:18
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1. Capitulation
NYC Girl   (09.07.09)
It started with the banning of El Al flights on the Sabbath, but anybody who's familiar with the ultra-Orthodox propensity for upping the ante, should have realized the ban wasn't going to be enough to satisfy them. In fact, the only way to deal with these people is to refuse, under any circumstances, to cave into any unreasonable demands. If they don't want to be at the airport with a dead body, let them not get on a plane. Why should all those passengers have to suffer because of anybody's religious beliefs? Not only that, but the ones who've been holding those weekly riots over the issue of the parking lot should be dealt with harshly by the justice system. Think of what would happen if every group in Israel, with a real or imagined grievance, took to the streets and wreaked havoc every weekend. The entire country would devolve into a state of anarchy. When is enough finally going to be enough?
2. Over My Dead Body
Anon ,   Johannesburg   (09.07.09)
I would not mind waiting, respect for the dead has far reaching effects, however, to switch off the Aircon on a plane for 30 min ... madness
3. A few years ago, there *was* a limit to the lunacy
Raymond in DC ,   Washington, USA   (09.07.09)
One group, according to a JTA report published by the WJC, was requesting a "cocoon" be provided cohanim on those flights that would be flying over a cemetery. El Al rejected the request. I discussed the story with a fellow in our local minyan. "Where's the 'Torah and derekh eretz?'", I asked. "Where's the 'Torah and common sense?'" he asked. Well put. In this case, two traditional principles have been forgotten or ignored. The first is that one does not impose "g'zera al g'zera" - a fence around a fence around the Law. The second is that one does not impose a stricture the tzibur (public) will not accept. I, for one, do not accept this. One could argue that their over-concern for "purity" has veered into obsessive-compulsive behavior. It's not healthy for them or for us.
4. Easy solution, last on, first off. The bodies can be the
Bunnie Meyer ,   Los Angeles, CA USA   (09.07.09)
last item loaded in the plane and therefore the first off, no one need be inconvenienced. And the person who turned off the air conditioning? Fire them.
5. Shouldn't the people be moved first?
William ,   Israel   (09.07.09)
The haradim request doesn't make sense to me. If a body is being flown back into Israel (a mitzvah in my book), should people be moved away from aircraft and cargo areas before unloading said offending cargo? According the law, Cohanim may not come in contact with a dead body nor cross over a cemetery. It should be easy to keep a body from coming in contact with passengers, as they already do with regular luggage.
6. Israel becoming a LUNATIC state
Jewish CANADIAN ,   Toronto   (09.07.09)
Any nation that continually capitulates to a cult is doomed. Forget Iran. You are destroying yourself with your settler and haredi madness.
7. Torture
Andy ,   USA   (09.08.09)
It's ok; let the europeans feel a bit of the discomfort my parents felt on the trains (=to the camps) or stay home
8. #7
P ,   Philadelphia   (09.08.09)
With few exceptions, those who created Shoah are dead. You're taking joy in the unhappiness of unrelated people. Let it go.
9. I don't understand ...
Tobias   (09.08.09)
It seems there are always still a lot of things left to learn about Israeli and haredi customs ... I don't understand the reason for the whole procedure ... perhaps someone can explain it a bit more detailed ... If the passengers aren't allowed to come into contact with dead bodies, OK, they don't do it anyways, as they are leaving the plane through the doors of the passenger cabin through the passenger bridge, and the dead bodies are taken out of the cargo area of the plane through another door, is brought to the cargo area of the airport -- and not to the passenger terminal -- so where should they come into contact to any passenger?? Even if they should not be unloaded at the same time as the passengers are leaving the plane, why don't they first let all passengers leave, and remove the dead after that?? And finally, what does the article mean by "in order to prevent the impurity of people waiting inside the terminal." ??? How are the people waiting in the terminal, which don't even come near the respective plane, connected to the timing of the unloading of the plane?
10. Experience your own laws
jlst ,   Haifa, Israel   (09.08.09)
I wish that plane had been full of haredim.
11. oh for goodness sakes...let's have a little think...
(09.08.09)
If the mortal remains of a Jew are in the cargo area of an airplane wouldn't it be easier to place those remains in an airtight container and thereby solve the whole issue? That would solve the problem...both the living and the dead would be respected and everyone would be happy!
12. Cohanim should stop flying! or alternatively...
(09.08.09)
it should be their responsibility to check that there are no dead people on the plane before they take the flight. This all sounds like a real Shanda and busha (shame)! No need to hurt everyone because of a few zealots!
13. #7, 8
INCognito ,   Brooklyn, NY   (09.08.09)
Not to mention forgetting that secular Jews may not want to wait for the voodoo rituals of a couple of rabbis.
14. 13 as a practitioner of Haitian Voodoo I find ur comments...
(09.08.09)
offensive. There is no relationship between the practices of Jewish rabbis and Voodoo. Voodoo is a respected religion and as such your comments are out of line!
15. You AC freaks.
riki ,   LF   (09.08.09)
Have you ever tried to run the AC in your car when the engine is not on? It doesn't cool. And it's too expensive and a waste of fuel to not turn the engine off when the jet is just sitting there because of a bunch of retarded superstituious people who have yet to join the 21rst century. If you are afraid of dead bodies then flap your arms and stop making life miserable for everyone else.
16. #13 & 14 - G_d love you two! See JewDoo it's worst.
5th generation ,   Israel   (09.08.09)
Hey, extremists - ever thought about tipping your doo-ings scale so at LEAST half don't contribute misery to your fellow Jews?
17. Airplanes
Ralph ,   London   (09.10.09)
What a shame to attack a whole group without even knowing basic Halacha. Once the plane gets joined to the main terminal the Tumah spreads since it is now considered under the same roof. This would make problems for Kohanim entering the Terminal. Instead of moaning about those Rabbis who sat round a table with the IAA in a dignified manner to ask for a solution, why are you not asking why systems are not put in place where any Airliner arriving with a body must have it near the door so it can be removed within minutes of landing? If there would be a VIP on board , you would all have to wait those few minutes whilst he is scuttled of the plane.
18. #7 Andy
Rahel   (10.09.09)
aren't you a bit unfair here? This happened to be a European airliner- it could have been an American one- with you on it- dear! You would have know how your parents felt too... Those people probably were not even alive when the Holocaust happened- why make them suffer because of some abstruse Jewish law... are dead people more important than live people? I guess so! Why not ship dead people on private planes- just an idea... would that make the religious extremists happy?
19. #7 Andy
Ramon   (10.11.09)
has it ever occured to you that it could have been an American plane- with for instance YOU on it? Your remark about the Europeans is totally unfair and stupid. Those people had nothing to do with what happened to your parents, or anybody else's parents- in fact, if it was SWISS Airliner, it was probably at least half full of haredim who want kosher food etc.. so why make your own countrymen suffer?
20. corpse removal at airport.
chaim silver ,   johannesburg south a   (04.13.13)
when i was in charge of west park jewish cemetery, i exported many deceaced people to israel, they were encased in zinc metal boxes in wooden plain pine coffins and wrapped in hessian. signed by my hand.. no problem with kohanim whatsoever. don't understand why the problem exists. chaim.
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