Author Topic: Another Scare on a plane  (Read 11310 times)

Offline chefnoel

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Another Scare on a plane
« on: January 21, 2010, 07:40:11 PM »



Offline joeyb747

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Re: Another Scare on a plane
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2010, 09:24:20 PM »
More here:

"PHILADELPHIA — A teenage airplane passenger using a Jewish prayer object caused a misunderstanding that led the captain to divert a Kentucky-bound flight to Philadelphia and prompted a visit from a bomb squad.

A 17-year-old boy on US Airways Express Flight 3079 from New York to Louisville was using tefillin, a set of small boxes containing biblical passages that are attached to leather straps, said Philadelphia police Lt. Frank Vanore.

When used in prayer, one box is strapped to the arm while the other box is placed on the head."


From:

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20100121/US.Flight.Diverted/

http://avherald.com/h?article=4261cc01&opt=1
« Last Edit: January 21, 2010, 09:28:30 PM by joeyb747 »

Offline Chananya Freedman

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Re: Another Scare on a plane
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2010, 04:50:20 PM »
As a religious Jew I could relate to this article and incident. This is not the first time that tefillin has caused suspicions on a flight.

Offline muhuskerfan32

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Re: Another Scare on a plane
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2010, 12:59:55 PM »
Nothing Against Jews or their practices, but come on, have some common sense.  Praying is good, but taking out boxes and strapping them to yourself...Of course there's going to be somebody who flips out.  Especially these days.

Offline speedotann

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Re: Another Scare on a plane
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2010, 04:07:38 PM »
Nothing Against Jews or their practices, but come on, have some common sense.  Praying is good, but taking out boxes and strapping them to yourself...Of course there's going to be somebody who flips out.  Especially these days.

Some people have no common sense!!

"YOU DON'T SAY BOMB ON AN AIRPLANE" or strap boxes to yourself, that was not the brightest move in the world!!

Nothing against the Jewish Faith  :-D
« Last Edit: February 22, 2010, 04:16:17 PM by speedotann »

Offline fholbert

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Re: Another Scare on a plane
« Reply #5 on: February 23, 2010, 01:13:22 AM »
As a religious Jew I could relate to this article and incident. This is not the first time that tefillin has caused suspicions on a flight.

Strapping a box on your head in flight is about as dumb as it gets. The plane gets diverted which is a major expense to the airline. 200 people miss their connection which is another major expense.

Let's say a Catholic was lighting incense in flight. That guy would be in jail!

Offline bleyton

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Re: Another Scare on a plane
« Reply #6 on: February 23, 2010, 01:41:04 AM »

Strapping a box on your head in flight is about as dumb as it gets. The plane gets diverted which is a major expense to the airline. 200 people miss their connection which is another major expense.

Let's say a Catholic was lighting incense in flight. That guy would be in jail!

There is a big difference.  I don't know that much about Catholicism, but I doubt that there is any religious obligation on a Catholic to light incense at a particular time.  In this case, the young man had left for his flight at a time of day when it was too early to put on his tefillin, and if he would have waited until his flight landed, it would have been too late to fulfill the obligation properly.

The young man lives in an insular community in New York where no one gives tefillin a second thought.  When putting tefillin on while on an airplane, he probably assumed people would consider it an oddity, but I doubt it ever occurred to him that people might feel threatened.

I think this case is more of a reflection of how dramatically our attitudes have changed since 9/11.  Until people started attempting to blow up planes with their shoes and underwear, something like this would have never provoked the same reaction.  Maybe he should have been more sensitive to these changes, but how many teenagers are really that aware of such things?

Brian
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Offline Chananya Freedman

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Re: Another Scare on a plane
« Reply #7 on: February 23, 2010, 02:40:45 PM »
This response is not meant as an attack to anyone of the forums:

First off I was a little taken back by the comments that the teens actions were "stupid" and "dumb". The flight attendant should have asked him what the boxes are which would have avoided the whole incident. For all of your information, Jewish men put on tefillin on flights very often especially flights to NY, Israel or other places with large Jewish populations. For the flight attendant to jump to conclusions and falsely alert the pilot is "stupid".  Even in these times of heightened security and terrorism we still need to use common sense and common courtesy. As Brian pointed out putting on tefillin is a time sensitive religious obligation for Jewish males and the teen was just doing his religious duty.

Unlike lighting incense which is a hazard and should be punished on a plane, praying is not against US law and this incident shows how people are too quick to judge and jump to conclusions. I am a little nervous now about flying because of this and since I may need to put on tefillin during a flight one day...
« Last Edit: February 23, 2010, 02:51:39 PM by Chananya Freedman »

Offline speedotann

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Re: Another Scare on a plane
« Reply #8 on: February 23, 2010, 03:45:54 PM »
It was not the smartest thing to do on an airplane, not matter if he is 17, 30, Jewish, Muslim, Canadian, American, or whatever, not smart...... He did not mean any harm, but others do not know that... Especially since this was a regional flight, couldn't he of waited to do his thing when they landed?

B
« Last Edit: February 23, 2010, 03:54:04 PM by speedotann »

Offline Chananya Freedman

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Re: Another Scare on a plane
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2010, 04:00:57 PM »
Even if it wasn't smart it wasn't illegal and certainly shouldn't have been responded to how it was.  He may have not had adequate time to pray once the plane landed or in the airport. There are limits on when you can pray certain services (Morning, afternoon or evening)

Offline speedotann

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Re: Another Scare on a plane
« Reply #10 on: February 23, 2010, 04:37:00 PM »
Even if it wasn't smart it wasn't illegal and certainly shouldn't have been responded to how it was.  He may have not had adequate time to pray once the plane landed or in the airport. There are limits on when you can pray certain services (Morning, afternoon or evening)

I see, I agree it was not illegal, but how do you approach someone about that? On the other hand, if it was something illegal, and the flight attendant asked, it could of just caused more problems. I have nothing against anyone's faith, but that kid was lucky he didn't get taken out by a hero passenger like the guy on that a330 over the holidays.

B

Offline Chananya Freedman

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Re: Another Scare on a plane
« Reply #11 on: February 24, 2010, 03:17:42 PM »
You just ask them what they are doing like anything else.  :roll:
The guy probably would have explained that he was praying and that the tefillin are worn during morning prayers. As far as the "hero passenger" bit, maybe his prayers saved him from that...  :wink: