A Yeshivaworld reader emailed El Al protesting their recent Chillul Shabbos. This was the response sent back in the form of an email. (It seems as though this is the standard response being sent to all emails that they are receiving.)
Dear Passenger,
Further to your email, I would like to bring to your attention that El Al’s policy has always been not to operate flights on Shabbat and ‘Hagim’. Following El Al’s privatization the same policy was adhered to strictly.
The events that took place on the 1st of December led to an exceptional deviation from our policy but I assure you that our policy has not changed. The strike that was called by The Labour Union of Israel caused great difficulties to thousands of passengers who were stranded in Israel and at airports around the world without appropriate accommodation. Amongst those stranded were families with young children, elderly and sick passengers without medicine, and passengers without the finances to extend their stay.
El Al’s management had many considerations to take into account during the strike and was forced to allow a small number of flights to land in Ben-Gurion after Shabbat commenced. The decision was taken with no financial or business motives. Our only wish was to prevent suffering and distress to our passengers.
As soon as the strike ended, El Al representatives at all stations around the world contacted passengers and gave them the option to postpone their journey until after Shabbat. Many passengers did postpone their flight until after Shabbat.
El Al considers the religious community of great importance and we do our utmost to give them the best service and ensure their needs are respected. El Al is the only airline in the world that plans its flight schedule without flights on Shabbat.
At present, discussions are still taking place between El Al and leading Rabbis of the ‘charedi’ community in order to come to an understanding.
I am very sorry for the distress that you were caused and we hope that we can continue to serve you in the future to your full satisfaction.
Miri Yidis
Customer care Manager.
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19 Responses
who cares what the motive was elal still flew on shabbos.
If the rabbis are still meeting with el al, why is it forbidden to fly with them, and everyone is cancelling their tickets!?! Looks there is no official boycott yet, is there?
A friend of mine got this same response to his email. I actually think that they should be given credit for their usual policy of not flying on Shabbos.
there is no official anything.
no “psak” or “kol koreh” was issued to the public.
Whatever has appeared are indirect quotes of the rabbonim.
It seems to me that the fact that the written “kol koreh” has not been released, ateasts to the fact that the rabbonim have chosen to wait and not prohibit flying with El Al.
My rav did come back on El Al.(He also went there when the boycott was just starting).
I have read alot about the boycott in the papers ,but I do admit, I am surprised we did not see an official Kol Koreh on it.From what I read, they did Asur it, but if that’s the case, issue the psak to the public.
In the meantime, I would buy on another airline if I went.
be happy- who is your rav?
The boycott so far has been deliberatly “unofficial”. As long as negotiations take place it will remain unofficial. Nevertheless there is a boycott. I suppose there is a boycott ongoing in order to maintain pressure, and get the oilem used to the idea of not flying with el al.
abe we aren’t dealing with frum people. instead they would be mechalel shabbos other ways
I am not understanding something. Was there ever a time where one did not see the ElAl blue and white planes flying on shabbos? I dont think so. They always flew and they were always operating. why was this a BIG deal??
I would rather not mention his name except to say, he is considered one of today’s world’s Posek.
the rabonim shuld stop talking with elal members thay are mechalel shaboss all the time in their private garage
the best is to use swiss air, continental air canada, british air, etc.
with them we will never have a problem of chilul shaboss
moshe emes vetorato emet
the gdolim are the moshe of our generation
now is chanuka wich asembles me lashem eilay
YYY
“The gedolim are the Moshe….”
Aha…so the concept of yeridas hadoros is lost on you?
Do you know how many “frum” owned businesses operate on Shabbos? El Al is a publicly traded company and they have a right to do what they want. If you don’t want to patronize them, fine. But chances are you and many others shop in stores and do business with companies owned by frum yidden and operated on shabbos with the same heterim that affords thousands to hold onto their chametz throughout Pesach. Keep that in mind when you declare a big fancy holy war. What a kanoi.
The El Al rep wrote in her email (quoted above): “Amongst those stranded were families with young children, elderly and sick passengers without medicine, and passengers without the finances to extend their stay.”
To which I say: “Guess what, there were many Charedi people with the same situations, and they didn’t fly on Shabbos. You shouldn’t have given the chilonim the option to fly. You should have just cancelled the flights altogether for that day. When your reveared chayalim are on the front lines in Lebanon and Gaza (being moiser nefesh for all of us), the last thing they think or care about is their ‘comfortable’ accomodations. We – as a collective Jewish nation – fight a battle for Shabbos as well, and our own personal ‘luxuries’ can take a back seat.”
eyes wide open,
you wrote, “Keep that in mind when you declare a big fancy holy war. What a kanoi.”
Just want to clarify- are you referring to the Gedolim involved?
FRUM FORUM: “Your revered chayalim”, who is the YOUR?
Do these same “YOUR” allow you to go and daven at kever rochel, and at the Kosel (with hashems help, of course). Isnt it OUR, as a collective Jewish nation…
god forbid would i give el-al credit for normally not fly on shabbos. The only reason they dont fly normally fly on shabbos is they know that we would boycot them.
Chananya: So they have ulterior motives. So what? Since when doesn’t a person get credit for a mitzvah done shelo lishmah? If that were the case, we would all be in dire trouble.
to me its news that elal has a “customer care” dept.
years ago this was unheard of!