RIDICULOUS - Tefillin Wearing Jews Terrorize Another Airplane

[tastybasslines]

Tefillin Totin' Jews Terrorize Another Airplane: Gothamist

Tefillin Totin' Jews Terrorize Another Airplane

Even Barbie has been known to wear tefillin (via Jewish Women's Archive). Should flight attendants have to be fluent in religious rituals? We wonder because for the second time in a little more than a year a flight has been disturbed when Orthodox Jews praying with tefillin were confused with terrorists getting ready to terrorize. Last January a flight out of LaGuardia was diverted to Philly over the prayer ritual and then yesterday a similar confusion struck an Alaska Airlines flight from Mexico City to LA. After concerns were raised the airplane was swarmed by police, FBI and customs agents when it landed at LAX.

What exactly the three men, described as Mexican nationals, were doing didn't become clear to officials until after the plane had landed. In LA the three men were escorted off the plane because a stewardess had informed the cockpit they "were acting rowdy and a fight had broken out." In fact they were just praying with tefflin.

Tefillin are a set of black leather boxes containing religious verses that some observant Jewish men place on their heads and bind to their arms during some prayers. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, tefillin comes from scripture urging Jews to "take to heart these instructions...bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a frontlet between your eyes."

According to an Alaska Airlines spokesman a "flight attendant became spooked when she saw the men wrapping the straps to their foreheads and arms and praying loudly in Hebrew, and she instructed the crew to lock down the cockpit."
After officers had inspected the boxes and straps and discerned that they were, in fact, not bombs, the men were allowed to go.

[basstotheface]

I mean, it is kind of a weird thing to do, on an airplane.

[tastybasslines]

Originally Posted by basstotheface

I mean, it is kind of a weird thing to do, on an airplane.

It is? Praying on an airplane?

[basstotheface]

Originally Posted by tastybasslines

It is? Praying on an airplane?

Yeah.

[PSPookie]

Originally Posted by tastybasslines

It is? Praying on an airplane?

Well, with the tefillin it is at least unusual.

[Jhengsman]

People willing to fight for their God have given all "PDA" to God a bad name. By law and custom we do not distinguish between them

[Rocker949]

Originally Posted by basstotheface

I mean, it is kind of a weird thing to do, on an airplane.

I don't know how much you've flown, but people tend to do whatever they want to on a flight. If it is an international flight, that applies even more.

[arbitrary]

Cultural competency for the win!

[basstotheface]

Originally Posted by Rocker949

I don't know how much you've flown, but people tend to do whatever they want to on a flight. If it is an international flight, that applies even more.

I've flown a lot, and from a Jewish family, the tefilin is definitely a weird thing to do on a plane. Whenever I see people praying, while on a plane, it's very quick and to yourself.

[machine gewehr]

Think how weird it'd be if a muslim uses a praying rug for prayer instead of doing their prayer sitting on the seat.

I bet they'd be questioned for at least 24 hrs after the landing.

I certainly wouldn't be feeling so good if some people took their prayers to a little extreme for a flying airplane conditions,no matter if they're Muslims,Jewish,satanist or else...

[Thor]

I am usually praying that the airplane mechanic didn't have a bad night 2 nights ago.

[tastybasslines]

Originally Posted by machine gewehr

Think how weird it'd be if a muslim uses a praying rug for prayer instead of doing their prayer sitting on the seat.

I bet they'd be questioned for at least 24 hrs after the landing.

I certainly wouldn't be feeling so good if some people took their prayers to a little extreme for a flying airplane conditions,no matter if they're Muslims,Jewish,satanist or else...

24 hours of questioning for putting a rug down? Jesus, do anything different than what the "norm" is or (the person observing) are used to and panic sets in like crazy to the ignorant masses. All hell breaks loose.

[bassybill]

If people are actually disturbed and deluded enough to believe that strapping little black boxes to yourself containing bits of paper with words on, because the almighty creator wants you to do so for some unimaginably bizarre reason, is somehow rational and significantly important behaviour to adhere to, then I find it hard to be overly concerned about the fact that other people quite rightly consider them to be bat**** crazy.

What next? Slaughtering a goat in the aisle during take off? Why not?

[TheVoiceless]

Originally Posted by bassybill

If people are actually disturbed and deluded enough to believe that strapping little black boxes to yourself containing bits of paper with words on, because the almighty creator wants you to do so for some unimaginably bizarre reason, is somehow rational and significantly important behaviour to adhere to, then I find it hard to be overly concerned about the fact that other people quite rightly consider them to be bat**** crazy.

What next? Slaughtering a goat in the aisle during take off? Why not?

LOL!! I like this one, I thought you would have gone the other way on this one for what ever reason, but you pretty much voiced my opinion.

[tastybasslines]

Originally Posted by bassybill

If people are actually disturbed and deluded enough to believe that strapping little black boxes to yourself containing bits of paper with words on, because the almighty creator wants you to do so for some unimaginably bizarre reason, is somehow rational and significantly important behaviour to adhere to, then I find it hard to be overly concerned about the fact that other people quite rightly consider them to be bat**** crazy.

What next? Slaughtering a goat in the aisle during take off? Why not?

You are getting carried away. Praying with a little box attached to your head does not infringe upon the rights of others. Slaughtering a goat does.

[machine gewehr]

Originally Posted by bassybill

What next? Slaughtering a goat in the aisle during take off? Why not?

Few years ago,governmet officals slaughtered a camel where the planes get fueled in Istanbul (IIRC).

Yes,Istanbul,not Tehran not Baghdad,friggin' Istanbul...

[fo shizzle]

Originally Posted by bassybill

If people are actually disturbed and deluded enough to believe that strapping little black boxes to yourself containing bits of paper with words on, because the almighty creator wants you to do so for some unimaginably bizarre reason, is somehow rational and significantly important behaviour to adhere to, then I find it hard to be overly concerned about the fact that other people quite rightly consider them to be bat**** crazy.

What next? Slaughtering a goat in the aisle during take off? Why not?

Is openly mocking a religious ritual now standard fare for TB mods?

In Southern parlance, I "don't have a dog in this hunt". But I also like to think that a measure of respect for others beliefs is a good thing.......

[TOOL460002]

Originally Posted by tastybasslines

You are getting carried away. Praying with a little box attached to your head does not infringe upon the rights of others. Slaughtering a goat does.

i dont understand. can they slaughter a goat in the bathroom? is that okay? or are you saying that there are certain behaviors that are not appropriate on an air plane and you are drawing a line in the sand?

if you were, i would agree with you, because flying is not a right; it is a privilege.

[tastybasslines]

Originally Posted by TOOL460002

i dont understand. can they slaughter a goat in the bathroom? is that okay? or are you saying that there are certain behaviors that are not appropriate on an air plane and you are drawing a line in the sand?

if you were, i would agree with you, because flying is not a right; it is a privilege.

Bassybill compared the small boxes on their heads saying "what's next - you might as well slaughter a goat in the asile".

I am saying that their action, (wearing the box affects NO ONE else) Not in the least.

Who is anyone to judge their actions then? Oh, and that it was necessary to "lockdown the cabin" as a result?

[kesslari]

Alternate thought - what if they were Catholics praying the Rosary?

I agree that the response was a little extreme.
I think the response here is even more extreme.