5:30PM (Friday): [UPDATES IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] At least two flights with Frum Jews on board, have been diverted from landing at Newark Airport due to stormy weather, and community activists are working aggressively to ensure they are taken care of before Shabbos.
The Misaskim organization are working closely with officials at Continental Airlines, and U.S. Customs to deal with the unfolding situation.
One of the flights was a Continental flight from Eretz Yisroel, and was diverted to an army base in Maine. The problem is that since it’s not a regular airport, there are no customs agents to deal with the people who wish to exit the aircraft. This plane has been given “priority status”, and will be put to the front of the line to ensure it hopefully lands in Newark Airport before Shabbos starts.
The other flight is from Chicago, and has been diverted to Hartford Connecticut. Arrangements are being made for them locally, should the airplane continue to be delayed further.
Most of the NY, NJ, CT area is currently under severe thunderstorm warnings.
UPDATE 6:26PM: With Shabbos in the NY area under two hours away, YWN has learned of a third flight that was scheduled to land at Newark Airport that has been diverted. This flight was a Delta flight from Toronto, and diverted to Allentown, PA. There was a Frum couple on the plane, and they were given permission to disembark. Arrangements are being made locally for Shabbos.
Meanwhile, after intense work by noted Askan Reb Yanky Meyer of Misaskim, it appears that Continental will let off the people who wish to exit the flight in the Army Base, and U.S. Customs is doing their best to accommodate those of the Orthodox Jewish faith, so that they may not violate their Shabbos.
The flight from Chicago which landed in Hartford has also agreed to allow the Frum passengers to disembark, and arrangements are being made for them locally as well.
UPDATE 10:00PM (MOTZEI SHABBOS): The Continental flight landed in Newark just as Shabbos was starting, and the party involved was rushed with a food package by a non-Jewish Volunteer from Misaskim to the local Marriott Hotel.
(Dov Gordon – YWN)
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8 Responses
Wow, what a great country the USA is
I don’t believe that any real Frum Shomer Shabbos person was on board the Continental flight from Tel Aviv, this flight was originally scheduled to land in Newark at about 4:35PM, just getting off plane, clearing Customs and getting home Before Shabbos is almost impossible
To Simon01
Real Jews fly ElAl!!!
While not recommended, landing 3.5 hours before candle lighting is not,”getting home Before Shabbos is almost impossible”
#2, Candle lighting was 8.10, add another 18 minutes, that gives you 4 hours from landing time to get home. Why is that impossible? It may not be the wises choice but its not impossible
DON’T FLY ON EREV SHABBOS.
RABBI YAAKOV KAMINETZKY ONCE SAID THAT HE HOPED THAT SOMEDAY YIDDEN WILL OBSERVE EREV SHABBOS.
Rabbi Teitz’s shul is 4 miles from Newark Airport and in fact has an “Airport Emergency” link on its web site:
http://elmora.thejec.org/
There is a shul less than 1 mile from La Guardia Airport, the Young Israel of Jackson Heights.
DON’T BE A SHOITEH. IF IT’S REPORTED THAT MISASKIM IS DOING THEIR AMAZING WORK TO HELP A FELLOW JEW THEN IT’S TRUE. WHY WOULD THIS SITE MAKE UP SUCH A STORY? SECONDLY 3 HOURS TO SHABBOS IS PLENTY OF TIME AND MAYBE SOMEONE HAD A FAMILY EMERGANCY AND THAT WAS THE RESON FOR FLYING ON A FRIDAY? DON’T BE A KNOWITALL TYPE OF PERSON. AND MISASKIM CARES ABOUT JEWS WETHER THEY ARE FRUM OR NOT SO COMMEND THEM INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR NEGATIVE JUNK.