I would be appaled that the guy photographed on shabbat using a digital camera! And I would not use this as evidence against El Al since it is the product of just as "evil" a desecration of shabbat as the plane flight... This being said, El Al being our "national air company" should not fly passengers on shabbat.

Before all the anti-Haredi posts get tacked to this article - just remember folks - people have the right to speak with their money. If you don't like what El Al is doing on Shabbat...and you believe you can influence those actions by not flying...it is legitimate to choose not to fly El Al. El Al isn't sacred. It's a business. If it decides it can do more business by breaking Shabbat...it will. And, if it does - it can and should expect to lose business. So one would assume it has made the calculation. El Al should stop trying to have the best of both worlds. Fly on Shabbat and lose the Haredi (and Orthodox and other) communities...and gain those so filled with hatred that they would support El Al merely to thank it for breaking shabbat. Or...maintain the policy that has been in place for a long time...and keep the same customers.

All EL Al need to do is have anon jewish crew on all airplanes that flies in the shabat. Problem solved

I'm a very frequent flyer on EL Al and usual travel First class on business to quite a few countries. With sadness I have cancelled my flights and rebooked with other airlines. I know quite a few regulars that have done and will do the same. El Al please rectify the situation so can we can fly again or better yet this will give me an opportunity to try other airlines without guilt.

how was that picture taken on shabbos?

Is it OK for the plane to undergo maintainence on Shabbat- but not to fly on Shabbat? That's also Halachically nonpermitted Shabbat " Malacha " I'm confused.

I haven't flown El Al for years because the competitors rates are better. However, if the Haredim are boycotting, I will be back to show my support of the airline's policy of running their business the best that they can for the most people that they can.

All airlines need to maximize the working hours of all expensive equipment to get a fast return on their huge capital investment. This applies to many other industries. Are the haredis prepared to pay more for their flights tickets to compensate? I bet not! So we the general public have to in fact to pay higher prices if we want to use the national carrier which has exclusivity on many routes.

Since EL AL is owned by the government (I think), they need to abide by government guidlines. Egged doesn't run on Shabbos, so why El Al? Our tax dollars supprt them and I do not want my tax dollars supporting Shabbos desecration! That said, if they were a private company, let them do what they want, although I still would not approve of a "Jewish" company desecrating Shabbos!

1. Let the Haredim boycott El Al. Since take aboard food is banned on all airlines, maybe they will just stay home and go into the army. 2. Find a halachic ruling that will parallel selling of hametz (i.e. Let El Al change its name for Shabbat). 3. Let all, like me who have avoided El Al now start flying it.

ELAL permits Sun D'or to use their planes on Shabbat. This has been common practise for many years, and if I'm not mistaken they are on flights generally to TLV-Frankfurt, Marseille, Paris, Berlin, Prague, and London Stansted and also Heathrow to Ovda. Also, I believe there are certain codeshared flights with Arkia on Shabbat as well.

Isn't it the year 2006? I do respect other people opinion but when it sound outrageous I just cannot help being sarcastic!

if there are no hara-dim then I will fly them again. Why should we let goyim dictate to us all time?We have the u.n.,the arab league,the e.u. and the hara-dim. Let them go back to their ghettos in eurabia and their neighborhoods in the U.S. and leave us Jews alone!

This whole argument is so stupid that makes me think am I crazy? So the haredim what to boycott ElAl cause they are desacrating Shabbat, can anyone explain me what are all the other airlines doing? THEY FLY ON SHABBAT!! For example to Nro 4 now you don't fly ELAL but you fly another airline who surely flies on Shabbat and you brag about that. Maybe you should try politics for double standars! By the way I don't fly El AL cause the haredims think is their own airline, so if they want to boycott I might just get back t the airline.

Since when are the only people to observe Shabbat are Haredim? Don't conservative Jews observe Shabbat and only drive to and from Synagogue?

We are in the year 2006 and you want an airline to not function on the Shabbat ??? This is extreme backwardness. There was a man called Jesus Christ who said to the Haredim like people "Shabbat is made for Man, not Man for the Shabbat". GET A LIFE PEOPLE.

Stop shoving your beleifs down peoples throat. Shall we call you Taliban in a Kapota? For heavens sake. Be a mench and stop being a Hillul Hashem. Yes you are being a Hillul Hashem by being pushy and bossy. People in good time will find the beauty of Shabbos without the brow beating. ElAl is a private company. If you dont like it fly any other airline out there. G00D G-D you think you are bringing kedushah with this behaviour?

if they boycott which airline will they use? will they produce magic carpits to fly them to New York? will they walk across the oceans? Will they telitransport themselves with some Star Trek tech? This is going to get intersting no matter what happens and there will bew more seats on El Al's planes for me and who ever else wants to fly!

seems that all airlines fly on Shabbat so what did you do ? You just gave your money to another company that doesn't even cater to you in the ways EL AL has over the years... seems like your boycott is not going to work out as you tried . cause al other airlines are not shomar shabbat!

First off all , EL AL has been privatized . Secondly as an Israeli resident , why do you use the galut Shabbos ? it's Shabbat . Third , do you pay your taxes in dollars ? this is not the Israeli currency , in Israel we have the ILS , Israeli Shekel . Fourth , Egged lines start working before the end of Shabbat , Dan also . So , boycott also those two companys .

The plane in this photograph is either a Boeing 767 or possibly a Boeing 777. ElAl cargo jets are ONLY 747s.

"Are the haredis prepared to pay more for their flights tickets to compensate? I bet not!" Actually, they have been paying higher rates to fly El Al. Until now that is. Now, they will fly El Al's competetors who charge less.

Honestly. You know I love you. What is that man. DONT BE THAT RELIGIOUS. BE NORMAL. WE ARE NOT PROPHET OR ANGELS. I was thinking I got little mind problems !!! but I see many are more than me :)))) fly fly :))))) I am flying now: )))) cold beers :)))) no hostess (you know ladies who helps for tea or coffea in air) what is the subject about this article ?

Then watch how 1) Air fares drop as competition increases, 2) tourism increases because Israel becomes more affordable and 3)ElAl either return to its no flights on Shabbat or go bust! Nothing is owed to the private owners of ELAL! Demand the government act now.

El Al doesn't have a monopoly on NY-TLV flights. Arkia flies direct as does Continental. Plus you can always go via Italy or the UK and get a good price and short transfer.

"ElAl is a private company. If you dont like it fly any other airline out there. " Ummm... that's what they're doing. So, what's your problem? "Yes you are being a Hillul Hashem by being pushy and bossy. " Can you show me in ANY Jewish writing where fighting against the desecration of Shabbos in this way is a Chillul Hashem, or are you paskening without thought?

B"H I am not sure what the agreement is. But this seems to me to be a shabbos violation by the company. Forcing the pilots to work without shabbos rest endangers those riding. Israel cannot afford pilots "worked to the bone" flying its aircraft. So what is the consequence in the agreement for not upholding its terms? Does the company have to pay for its violation or does it get away with it? It seems that this is a test on Jews' ability to uphold standards by the government of Israel that owns the company.

B"H If the company is owned by Jews, there is the question of "benefit" derived by having a non-Jew work on Shabbos as one's servant. Rabinical authority needs to be involved here. The solution as proposed is not necessarily kosher without that Rabbincal variance being granted.