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Haredim sign deal with El Al

Haredim, El Al sign agreement for renewal of cooperation ending boycott of the airline after its decision to fly on Shabbat. El Al agrees to preserve Shabbat as in agreement from over 20 years ago

Neta Sela
Published: 01.05.07, 13:27 / Israel Jewish Scene

After over a month, the crisis between the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and Israel's national airline El Al has come to an end.

Friday morning the two parties met at the office of Advocate Yaacov Weinrot, the haredim's representative in Tel Aviv.

Boycott Soon?

Despite haredi anger: El Al again flies on Shabbat / Eli Senior

First publication: After weeks of wrangling with haredim over Shabbat flights, El Al aircraft spotted, photographed, over Tel Aviv on Saturday afternoon. Photograph of flight exclusively obtained by Ynet. Chief of Shabbat rabbinical committee: I am shocked and appalled. El Al: Aircraft was cargo plane on test flight

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At the end of the meeting the Committee for the Sanctity of Shabbat, which is run by the representatives of all of the ultra-Orthodox rabbis, published an announcement saying that the parties have reached an agreement which would "allow the Haredi public to continue flying El Al."

The haredi boycott of the airline started after El Al decided to continue flights after the start of Shabbat on Friday evening to catch up with flights delayed due to the workers’ strike.

"As part of the agreement the El Al Company announced its intention to continue to preserve the Shabbat as it has since the 1982 agreement, and as the company has announced in the past," the announcement said.

Rabbi Yitzhak Goldknopf, chairman of The Committee for the Sanctity of Shabbat told Ynet that the agreement was reached after "the Jewish leaders approved of its content."

Neither of the parties has agreed to give further details of the agreement's content. Sources associated with El Al have only agreed to mention that the agreement includes a clause stating that the Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar would serve as the advising rabbi and not the ruling rabbi.

Sources in Rabbi Amar's office said that Amar "is the ruling rabbi, everything he says goes and he must be obeyed."

It was also reported that a wealthy ultra-Orthodox Jew living in the United States has opened a charity fund for medication that is not included in the medical package. So far this fund holds half a million US dollars, and, if El Al is to breach the agreement, all ticket proceeds are to go to this fund.

Advocate Weinrot, the haredim's attorney told Ynet that "an agreement was reached which satisfies both parties. There is complete agreement between El Al and the haredi public."

The negotiations which were held over the past month were lead by the Committee for the Sanctity of Shabbat which was appointed by the head of the Lithuanian sect Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv.

Elyashiv, and other leading rabbis demanded that a legally binding agreement be reached, in which El Al commits not to desecrate Shabbat, and in cases of life and death, the company must appeal to the rabbis who will rule whether or not the flight should be allowed.

About one week after the crisis broke out the Committee for the Sanctity of Shabbat published official announcements in the haredi media saying that it is "inappropriate to fly El Al."

A week later, following many days of intensive negations which led to dead ends, the rabbis intensified their steps and signed a document calling on the boycott of the company.

After the document was signed by all the rabbis, it was ordered to be put in a safe for some time in order to give El Al once last chance to reconcile the haredim.

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