Sorry But your Flight Has Been Delayed - Due to a Chillul Hashem

Man Davening Shemona Esray On Airplane Removed From Aircraft

CBS2 reports that a passenger who left his seat to Daven in the back of a plane before it took off, ignoring flight attendants’ orders to return, was removed by an airport security guard.

The report states: “The Orthodox Jewish man, who wore a full beard, a black hat and a long black coat, stood near the lavatories and began saying his prayers while the United Airlines jet was being boarded minutes before takeoff at JFK Airport on Wednesday night, fellow passenger Ori Brafman said.

When flight attendants urged the man, who was carrying a religious book, to take his seat, he ignored them, Brafman said. Two friends, who were seated, tried to tell the attendants that the man couldn’t stop until his prayers were over in about 2 minutes, he said.

“He doesn’t respond to them, but his friends explain that once you start praying you can’t stop,” said Brafman, who was seated three rows away.

When the man finally stopped praying, he explained that he couldn’t interrupt his religious ritual and wasn’t trying to be rude. But the attendants summoned a guard to remove him, said Brafman, a writer who had been visiting New York to talk to publishers.

The plane, Flight 9 to San Francisco, took off without the man.

A spokeswoman for United Airlines confirmed the man was taken off the plane and put on another flight Thursday morning.

Urbanksi said flights cannot depart if all passengers are not in their seats, which risks a delay, and it is important that passengers listen to the instructions of the flight crew.

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When I saw this article I was greatly disturbed. With everything else going on in the world, is this really what the Jews need? For a story like this getting out to news circuits all over the country? Why wouldn't any average American not automatically equate this story with all the other story's we hear about a crazy person getting kicked off a plane or even a terrorist threat on a plane c''v. I don't understand why this yid had to get up and go to the back of the plane to daven RIGHT BEFORE TAKEOFF!? Was he too good to daven in his seat like most all rabanim hold is totally permissible? If he was so pious, he would have found an earlier minyan to daven with or scheduled his flight for a more convenient time. I know we have to be dam lechav zchut-- maybe his flight got delayed and the sun was setting, or maybe he was supposed to daven with a minyan at home, but his house was too crazy for him to leave. But in these N.P.T, why make this chillul hashem? Of course the article will point out that you are an "Orthodox Jewish man, who wore a full beard, a black hat and a long black coat." If he wore a goatee, a baseball cap, and a north face would they have mentioned that too? Everyone has to be aware that these are not pashut times! - when us Jews are in public, we are constantly being watched!