Just hours after Misaskim issued an advisory at the behest of the Karlsburger Rov, Rabbi Yechezkel Roth, warning kohanim of a change in handling that invalidated a heter allowing them to fly on El Al flights out of JFK that were transporting niftarim, the airline has taken positive steps that will rectify the situation in a matter of days.
Misaskim founder and director Rabbi Yanky Meyer was contacted by a high ranking El Al official on Wednesday night who was completely unaware of the situation that affected kohanim. After investigating the matter, he determined that it wasn’t an intentional change in policy but rather the airline had run out of the special boxes that were used to encase aronos, which created the problem that prompted the Rabbi Roth to rescind the heter that had given kohanim the ability to take El Al flights carrying niftarim.
El Al is expecting a new shipment of boxes to arrive within 24 hours and no niftarim will be transported out of JFK until after Shabbos. A second shipment of boxes is due to arrive next week and the airline will keep an emergency supply of approximately two dozen boxes in Misaskim’s warehouse in case any further shortages occur.
“We are very grateful to El Al for its prompt response to this problem,” said Meyer. “It is clear that they take our community’s concerns very seriously and we look forward to a follow up meeting with them and Rabbi Roth next week to ensure that all of the relevant issues are being properly addressed.”
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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6 Responses
42% of El Al is now owned by someone Shomer Shabbos so this cooperation isn’t very surprising, but very much appreciated. We’ll see more good things from El Al form now on.
Please advise the public that irrespective of these “boxes” the Sheila is still there and one should consult his rov
GREAT HOLY WORK REB YANKY
Don’t see the major breakthrough. Israel is closed to foreigners for the last 9 months. So the few Israeli Kohanim can travel home on ELAL from JFK?? And if they went with Delta or United or ELAL from EWR big deal
May amYisroel never need anymore boxes. May Moshiach arrive soon.
So, seems like an organization issues a psak without first talking with El Al and trying to clarify and rectify the problem? It may be the reporting is incomplete and they talked to someone, but it was a wrong person or El al dismissed the issue first.
But if there was no discussion, I would say El Al should go to Beit Din and get damages for both lost sales and reputation, especially during such difficult times for the business. Any Hoshen Mishpat bakis here?