If a deal is still not reached between the Gedolim in Eretz Yirsoel and El Al by this evening, the Gedolim are threatening to come out with a full blown boycott against the airline.
El Al stands to lose a significant chunk of its clientele if, as is expected, the boycott is called. The Frum Oilam make up close to 30 percent of El Al’s passengers. They are among the most faithful clients that the airline has – who continue to fly even during difficult situations in Eretz Yisroel such as this past summers war with Lebanon.
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13 Responses
Wasnt there some sort of boycott in effect?In either case it surely wont last too long…before there is some sort of compromise.
I don’t understand… If chilul shabbos is the problem, why aren’t the gedolei yisroel trying to shut down the State of Israel’s international airport on Shabbos? What difference does it make that it is El Al when all the airport workers are Yidden too? Why should this private company be penalized any different then any other non-frum company? If shmiras shabbos is the issue in eretz yisroel, ban all planes from landing in Israel over shabbos and don’t have a double standard that forces El Al to operate at a disadvantage from its competitors as every other airline is free to operate on Shabbos.
Does the shmira against the Israeli airline not affect Egged busses that run on Shabbos throughout the country and have been targets of terrorists too? Why isn’t egged shut down on Shabbos? Why are charedim still riding Egged?
Dear torboy2006 and anyone who understands his position.
Whatever happened to Emunas Chachamim? Has the level of chutzpa in our generation reached the level that someone with internet access (and who actually uses it) questions the judgement of our Gedolim? I hope I misunderstood but if I didn’t, torboy2006 please reconsider your position.
Elal is the only airline that can display the Israeli flag. Up intil recently it was government owned. Twenty years ago the threat of a boycott caused Elal to stop flying on shabbos. We have to do what we are able to to do. Egged buses do not operate in yerushalayim on Shabbos. In the beginning. people were hired to stand at every bus depot to ensure that busses dont leave to early on Motzei Shabbos.
We cant force elal to close every office that operates on shabbos. However, we can get them to stop the public chillul shabbos and to stop flying on shabbos.
You have to pick your battles to be able to accomplish anything.
what I dont understand is that el al is a company that is mechalel shabbos befarhesya anyway. There phone operators work on shabbos. They are selling tickets on shabbos and certainly doing things in the airport. What does flying have to do with this.? If it was still a governemnt run thing then I can hear it…but as a private company, the charedim will have to speak with their actions to make this boycott felt.
yehudi echad- emunas chachami doesnt mean that one isnt allowed to try to understand the reasoning behinda psak! IF torboy asked his questions in a disrespectful manner then you are right.but he didnt! He isn’t saying he wouldn’t accept the ban just because he doesnt understand it.He is just asking some valid questions to understand the issue….
jl the chareidim r speaking with their actions. Here in ey people r canceling elal tickets by the droves. As far as elal being mechallel shabbos anyway, as yungerman1 put it, you have to pick your battles. they r an airline, the main thing they do is fly, at least lets stop them from doing that on shabbos. Another thing, since when do two wrongs make a right? why is everyone asking what about them or them or that? The gedolim feel for whatever reason that this is the battle to fight right now and our job as bnei torah is to stand behind our leaders.
go behind the bus staion in Yerushalayim after shobbes starts and they say that Egged does not work on shobbes. torboy2006 does have apoint why is there such abig noise about elal but not about auther chilul shabbos?
El Al agreed to stop flying on Shabbos. Now they are backing out of the agreement. They may be private now, but they are still considered the National airline of Israel and as such present an extra level of Chillul Shabbos by scheduling flights on Shabbos.
Anyway, the question should be asked in reverse: Why are they antagonizing such a significant block of their customer base? It doesn’t make financial sense and it doesn’t make marketing sense. Whatever savings they made by flying those flights on Shabbos has most likely been lost many times over by now, and the damage isn’t over. This is commerically stupid.
But apart for all this it is important to listen to our Gedolim and support them when they take a strong position on something. If they have chosen to draw the line in the sand at this, how can we even think of not supporting their decisions? When we don’t have achdus in our own community we are pathetic indeed.
I find it amazing that people are trying to second guess our Gedolim. As previously stated, Egged buses operates on Shabbos. Do you not think that the gedolim are aware of that also. I am certain they have their reasons. Many times the Chazon Ish ZT’L would issue a Psak without telling the person who came for it why he Paskened in such and such a manner. When questioned on why he did not want to explain he Psak, he replied that if people would know how he approched his ruling, they would try and find reasons to go around them. Not to compare the Gedolim to HaShem, but it is brought down that one Tanna said ” If I could understand HaShems’ ways, I would be Him”. Same thing here. If we could understand the Gedolim, we would be them. AND WE ARE NOT!!!
Maybe this will finally tell the world to stop flying ElAl. Its a bad airline. Its overpriced, lacks customer service, and is never on time. I try not to fly ElAl becuase I spend 10-12 hours on a plane and are annoyed by the flight attendents and the people. Maybe now the intelligent Olam (not Oilam will fly other airlines and it won’t look like being cheap.
An aside, In the posting the word for world was spelled Oilam this is improper hebrew their is no yud in the word, it is spelled Ayin Vuv Lamed Mem on the vuv is a cholem. For it to be an oy sound it would have to be a vuv followed by a yud.
I am a travel agent. I have not seen any statement from any of the Gedolei Yisroel. I am being asked all day what to do. Has any Godol come out with a written statement?
If the gedolim say dont fly elal on Tuesdays, wouldnt you listen? a person shouldnt say “I dont eat traif because it doesnt taste good – only thats what our father in heaven commanded!” now if someone would question a Tuesday boycott – he would be going against Chachomim, if he questions a Shabbos boycott, he is going against Chachomim and Shabbos.