Jewish man removed from airplane for praying

Platinum Member Joined: Sep 11 2004 Posts: 19241

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2006/09/05/qc-hasidicprayeronplane.html

Platinum Member Joined: May 22 2005 Posts: 13795

Platinum Member Joined: Sep 11 2004 Posts: 19241

notice it doesnt sound like he was even wearing a talis or tefilin.
he was probably just saying Tehillim or something.

I wonder what type of person he was "bothering."

Platinum Member Joined: May 22 2005 Posts: 13795

Platinum Member Joined: Sep 11 2004 Posts: 19241

maybe youre right, for some reason I assumed that was a hat. Confused

but I would think the tefillin would be more attention-catching than a talis, and tefillin werent mentioned at all in the article.

btw, soon after 9-11, my bil was davening in the airport while waiting to board his plane and people stared at his tefillin and asked him blatantly: "Are you a terrorist???" Razz

Gold Member Joined: Apr 06 2006 Posts: 1492

Air Canada runs daily flights to Israel. You'd think they'd have a clue.

Anyone have more solid information on the incident? If I had solid details (not just report from another website), I'd contact Air Canada.

Gold Member Joined: Mar 21 2006 Posts: 2052

When we came back from France this summer, as usually we went through security, the security guy told my dh to show them what was under his yamulka. I really do not know what that was all about.

Anyway reading the article about this man it seems his real crime was that he did not speak either English or French. Poor guy.
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Smile and the world smiles with you!!!!!

Executive Member Joined: Feb 14 2006 Posts: 403

You wouldn't believe this:
I just read this thread on Friday and this morning (Sunday) this happened to my dh. He was flying to visit his children (from his first marriage) and when the sign to fasten your seatbelt went off he found a more secluded place to daven. He had his tefillin and his talis on. A nervous stewardess asked him to sit down and asked what he was doing. He stopped and explained. She asked him to stay seated and take off his stuff. They asked him if he had changed his clothes. I guess they thought he was changing his clothes under his talis so as not to be recognized.
The plane landed (at first he thought at his destination) and he was escorted off by security. As the questioning continued they apologized and explained their need for security.
While trying to pick up his reserved rental car, dh realized he did not reach his destination. So he caught a later flight to his final destination.

Get this:
He was told by security that if he had been lighter skinned (he is Sephardic) he would probably not have been detained.
All in all I am glad that security is tight. I would rather innocent people get questioned than guilty people not.
I am still in amazement at this!!

Standing up to daven always attracts attention,often negative, & btw usually disturbs othr people.

Active Poster Joined: Aug 02 2006 Posts: 70

wow!! I agree with you its worth getting detained rather then them not being catious. I saw an oprah episode of the man who checked in 2 of the 9/11 terrorists - if only he would have detained him for his tremendous feeling of something being wrong. He worked for 35 years checking people in and never had such a strong feeling that soemthing was shady about them. But he didnt detain them because probably back then it would have been considered racist or something - thats not what he said - im not sure why he didnt detain them but he said he never had such a feeling that something was wrong.

Hopefully now all airport personal can just go with their gut feelings, I wouldnt mind.

Executive Member Joined: Feb 14 2006 Posts: 403

Previous amother -
In dh's case he moved so as not to disturb anyone. The flight was pretty empty so he moved to a free row.
I'm not sure if he was standing or not. I'd guess he was.