Jewish Prayers Cause Bomb Scare On Airplane

If they were Arab this wouldn't be an issue . The air marshalls would have beat their asses and been done with it .

The bottom line is EVERYONE IS SUSPECT on an airplane. From 8 to 80 blind, cripple and crazy, every race, creed, color and sex. If you choose to fly on a public airline leave all of your suspicious items at home or FedEX them to your destination.The teenager was in idiot for pulling this stunt.

this is but a symptom of a greater malady.

think about it. you cannot even leave a sack of crap lying on the sidewalk without some hysterical fuck calling the bomb-squad

A reasonable young Jewish man and a civil neighbor are on a plane. The young man begins to wind a strap around his arms and place a small box upon his head.

Neighbor, looking slightly uneasy:"Excuse me, but if you don't mind my curiosity, what is that?"

Boy "It's my Tefillin, I use it to help me focus my prayers."

Neighbor, intrigued: "What's in the box?"

Boy: "religious verses written down. As part of my religion, we believe that objects such as these serve to further our connection to the divine."

Neighbor, smiling: "Thank you for this glimpse of your fascinating culture. Please continue without my further interruption."

Boy: "Civil discourse about our histories and practices is never any interruption."

Neighbor: I happen to be Muslim myself, and I wish more people would show an interest in my culture and educate themselves, instead of making sweeping judgements and promoting hatred of my religion.

Boy: Agreed.

Obnoxious Hipster (addressing both): Duuude! Religion SUX! You're just narrow-minded, brainwashed sheep! Stop trying to push your beliefs on everybody else, and quit thinking you're above the law!

Ignores pilot's request to turn off all electrical equipment, whips out laptop and proceeds to rant on Gothamist.

Boy and neighbor look at each other, shrug.

Religion blows.

At least they didn't try to set up an illegal settlement in the bathroom.

Ah, good lord. The ignorance is making my head explode!

2 words: "chosen people"

'nuff said.

I think saying a simple prayer and doing a ritualistic display of worship that requires lots of sound, movement and/or gesticulations are two different things. Catholics can prostrate themselves in front of the Holy Mary...but should they do that on a plane? Should a Muslim pull out a carpet and start worshiping in the direction of Mecca during takeoff? Should this guy have done what he did? No in all cases. Time and a place, people...just use a little common sense.

Either way, the illegal zionist occupation of that airplane seat is over.

If I were the pilot, I would've diverted the plane too if I found out one of my passengers is one of those people that hear voices or have invisible friends and has started to pray wearing ritual garments.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't feel comfortable around religious nuts that think they can communicate with a sky god by putting a black leather box filled paper on their head.

I agree, if it was a muslim person he would have been violated on the spot.I have to admit this story is priceless:-)

If they were Muslim they would now be cooling their heels in Guantanamo and called terrorists on the front page of every newspaper in the US.

I am quite surprised someone who flying out of LGA never saw a jewish person wearing that on certain occasions.

I really wish people would stop trying to dictate when and where i can worship and pray to that which i call Creator and God. I do no harm to anyone in the name of my God. I have been called to love my enemies, and to do good to those that hate me, and i will continue to do so.

Try that attitude on my front lawn and see where it gets you.

You're an asshole. Now go wax my car.

The terrorists are laughing their asses off right now. This is exactly what they want us to do, to disrupt our own lives and society while they don't even have to do anything. "Hey, those stupid Americans landed a plane for nothing. And even better, they hassled a Jew! Too bad they didn't shoot him, but maybe next time."

Ain't that the truth.

Head butt brought to you by orthodoxy.

The -unfuckingbeliabable- message : my religion is better than yours! and if you don't know it by now, well, is your fault.

Where is reason here?

Religion is the perfect excuse for so many to just antagonize...just for fun.

Is anyone going to comment on how Dov Hikind's is a douchebag?

Does anyone need to?

Everyone has the right to behave like a narcissistic twat anytime they want to, whatever the reason, just like we all have the right to call them on it, wherever and whenever we choose.

wait .. what?

So was the 17 year old jewish kid arrested or not? I am going to go with NOT. Now if he was a muslim kid saying his prayers, doing that little head bow thing they do....that'd be a whole 'nother story.

Air travel...it's the new wild west.

The 'little boxes' are connected to the Sabbath and have a very deep ritualistic meaning.

They are not there for show, it's symbolic for a profound phenomena of Life.

If you notice the little black box is also similar to the "big black box'" in Mecca.

Careful with that truth talk. You could upset someone.

Like the time I told a Catholic friend and his family on Easter that the Last Supper was a Passover Seder, the 'body' was matzoh and the blood was Manishevitz.

Man were they pissed. Haven't spoken to me since.

"Truth" and "Right" are not the same thing.

so you pissed off a friend because of your shared ancient history hangups? you must be very proud of yourself.

Actually no. I was only 19 y.o. and still thought that truth was supreme. I wasn't trying to piss anyone off, I just mentioned an obvious fact.

I'm saying I learned my lesson. Just because I spoke the truth, did not make me 'right' in the eyes of my former friend. My level 'happiness' is irrelevant.

People hear what they want to hear and will hate those who say anything that opposes their basic concepts of how the world works.

That is the truth.

you still haven't learned the lesson that when you're speaking religion, "truth" is subjective. you can't reason with religious people because faith blinds them to their own arrogant foolishness: my book vs. your book.

why bother?

truth? that tale speaks of or merely semantics and a bit of history.

Truth is the closest to a sum, a total, a collection composed by many many different sources of information, taking into account MANY CULTURES, and methods, specially when verified trough logic and science (something rare and totally optional by the herds of dumb these days)

"Truth" is exactly what religion avoids: truth by religions are interpretations written by a very small number of old, extremely conservative and borderline psychotic (the voices that talk to them with TRUTHS) men writing a handful of chapters, then taken to seriously by thousands of even dumber men!

i agree with what you're saying Amanda, despite the obvious sexism of your last line. i certainly don't have to tell you there are plenty of religious women today and throughout history. anyway, keep fighting the good fight!

"disruptive passenger"

They keep using that word. I do not think it means what they think it means.

Hypothetical conversation between the Flight attendant and the Jewish kid:

Flight Attendant- Excuse me sir, what is that on your head?

Jewish Kid- Oh its a tefillin, part of my prayer ritual. They are made of leather and contain holy scrolls.

Flight Attendant- Oh! Interesting. Coffee or Tea?

Plane lands in Louisville safely

That is what should have happened but every one is so G-D dammed terrified we can't take 30 seconds to relate to each other as humans.

According to the Post story:

The teen explained the ritual after being questioned by crew members, but the captain decided to land in Philadelphia anyway, authorities said.

Which almost makes the story even more incredible, that the kid actually explained what he was doing and they still landed the plane. Silly goyim.

OH WOW, I usually read the article before I comment but had to assume that no one asked that question since the plane was diverted. There is no way I could have imagined that the plane would be diverted unless they were just assuming the tefillin was a dangerous device

"The teen explained the ritual after being questioned by crew members, but the captain decided to land in Philadelphia anyway, authorities said."

just because he gave some "story" doesnt mean its legitimate. Do you think a bomber with a suspicious device is going to tell the FA that it's an innocuous device?

I think the captain made a good judgement. Young kid with wires connected to his arm and head somes pretty weird to me. Very weird, especially if you're not familiar wiht it. Most pilots aren't jewish, believe it or not.

Most of these problems stem from religion and especially our protective stance of Israel.

The U.S should stop assisting Israel so much. There would a lot less animostiy and bombings towards the us.

Idiot, they were not wires. They were leather straps which cannot conduct electricity.

And I dont see what this has to do with America's support for Israel- something that is a worthwhile and fruitful endeavor as opposed to the money we give Egypt each year which is more than what Israel gets and provides us nothing in return.

Egypt gets more money from the U.S. than Israel gets?! In what universe? Look, this isn't about Israel. That's a completely separate discussion, and I'm not going to get into it with you about Israel here, but to suggest that Israel gets less money from the U.S. than Egypt does is an obvious and egregious falsehood.

jusrt because he gave some "story" doesnt mean its legitimate. Do you htink a bomber with a suspicious device is going to tell the FA that it's an innocuos device?

I think the captain made a good judgement. Young kid with wires connected to his arm and head somes pretty weird to me.

Most of these problems stem from religion and especially our protective stance of Israel.

The U.S should stop assisting Israel so much. There would a lot less animostiy and bombings.

Do you htink a bomber with a suspicious device is going to tell the FA that it's an innocuos device?"

Do you SERIOUSLY believe a bomber is going to sit in his seat and strap a suspicious device to his head?!

"Young kid with wires connected to his arm and head somes pretty weird to me."

What wires? There are no wires in tefillin.

Please, try to use your brain - if you have one.

And why not? Maybe the next guy will pretend he has a tefillin but instead blows himself up. Do these people really think they are committing a great sin by skipping a ritual for one day?

Oh, get a grip and try to use just a tiny portion of the brain your daddy and mommy gave you.

In other words, you don't know.

Now I'm not saying the flight crew and captain have to be bomb experts or nothin, but wouldn't a cursory examination or the little boxes and leather straps have indicated that there was noting dangerous about them at all?

Seriously how much of a technical expert does one have to be to determine that hololow boxes tied to leather is not an explosive?

If such a conclusion cannot be made by the flight crew then they have to assume that everything just might be a bomb.

We're humans?

Now you know how "they" feel.

It doesnt matter if it was used for religious purposes or not. Having two big boxes on your head and arm with something connecting the two can pose a risk. What if it wasn't an orthodox jew with a box on his head? Would you argue for that?

Look, clipping your nails has been around for thousands of years and you still can't bring a nail clipper on board.

What "big boxes"? They are small leather boxes attached with leather straps. Oh - and I am so sure that a terrorist who wants to blow up a bomb is going to sit there in his seat in full view of the flight crew and everyone sitting near him and strap two bombs on his head and arm.

What kind of collective hysteria has taken over people in the United States?

the boxes are also easy to open. If asked, the boy could have easy opened the boxes to reveal nothing inside beside a few pieces of paper. If they had bothered to ask.

this issue should be addressed with education. flight attendants and tsa agents should be trained to identify religious practices, to avoid a recurrence. furthermore, everything going onto an airplane should be checked for explosives somehow. it's absurd that flight attendants and passengers are responsible for determining whether a person has a bomb! proper security going onto the plane would remove that possibility, in a case like this.

The boxes are actually pretty small, maybe an inch or two across. But at least now al Qaeda knows not to try to stuff explosives in tefillin. We're on top of that shit!

This story annoys the hell out of me -- actually some of the following comments do as well. Let me be clear. I am not religious in any manner, nor do I prefer to see people practice their religion in public. BUT, that is their right. I don't see how this affected other people on the plane. It's not like he occupied the isle and prayed there. Did the flight attendants not ASK this man what he is doing? Seems like it would be a simple thing to do. I would be pissed as hell if my plane was diverted because of something as stupid as this. Let's have dialogue people!

It's a little crazy that no one asked, "so uhhhhh...what are you doing there buddy?"

Yeah sure. Let me place a blanket over myself and if someone has the guts to ask, I'll just say in my religion we pray under a blanket. And then I'll ignite my bomb.

They ask that when they see little boxes tied around his other head...

Surprised? We live in a shoot first, ask questions later society, aka "Operation Preemptive Strike, America: Fuck Yeah!"

Oh wait, do rhetorical questions count as well? That means I should have gunned you down before asking "surprised?".

Shooting first and then asking, Americans vote the same way: "let's vote against anything liberal" not even understanding what the consequences are.. 8 years of counter thinking are still manifesting in dumbness all around.

it's one thing to practice your religion, it's another thing to practice your religion in a way that annoys or disrespects others.

I was on a crowded bus once and this orthodox jew was reading his book and bobbing back and forth very aggressively.. I mean, if someone accidentally got even slightly near his space he could have headbutted or pushed the person very hard and hurt him. This, I call disregard and disrespect for those around you, and if you ask me, it stems from the ridiculous antiquated jewish belief that gentiles or non-jews are inferior (or not god's people).

Some Jews are jerks just as some of every-other-group are jerks. Are you surprised?

He's more surprised that you believe that some Jews aren't jerks.

Well, we ARE inferior. Haven't you been following the bike lane wars? The non-Hasids are totally losing that one.

This incident shows the absurd results that ensue when you don't engage in common-sense ethnic profiling because the TSA is more concerned with political correctness, and appeasing the likes of CAIR, than keeping the flying public safe. I mean, hello, the Jews are among the people that the jihadists are trying to kill. How many acts of terrorism have been committed on American soil by persons of the Jewish persuasion?

Naive, much? You have obviously never heard of these guys.

Man Bat: Yeah, I guess I'm naive because I don't give credence to the type of crackpot conspiracy theories that you linked to. You've got me.

Ummmm - actually, the story is true. What it actually signifies is another question, but those guys were eventually picked up and deported.

your mistake is thinking certain groups of people are inheirtantly terrorists. Reality ain't so simple.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Defense_League

In 2004 congressional testimony, John S. Pistole, Executive Assistant Director for Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence for the Federal Bureau of Investigation described the JDL as "a known violent extremist Jewish Organization."[29] FBI statistics show that, from 1980 through 1985, there were 18 terrorist attacks in the U.S. committed by Jews; 15 of those by members of the JDL.[13] Mary Doran, an FBI agent, described the JDL in a 2004 Congressional testimony as "a proscribed terrorist group".[30] According to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs,

The Mosque bombing and US Congressman assassination plot is facinating sequence of events.

pihctanlp: Okay, you've answered my question: as recently as a quarter century ago, this now-inactive group was running amok (albeit not trying to bring down any airliners, even at a time when airport security was even more porous than it is now). I regret my failure to acknowledge the contributions of the JDL to the history of terrorism. What this has to do with the utility of profiling at airports in 2010, when 100% of the threat comes from jihadists and their recruits, I'm not sure.

ha. you asked a question. I answered it.

It doesnt matter what I say. You have no interest in the in truth, its all about your idology of us vs them, jew vs arab, blah, blah, forever hating. grow up.

On December 12, 2001, JDL leader Irv Rubin and JDL member Earl Krugel were charged with planning a terror attack against the office of Arab-American Congressman Darrell Issa, in the wake of the September 11 attacks.[26] The two also planned attacks on the King Fahd Mosque in Culver City, California.

Next time I get proselytized on a flight to Atlanta, like I did the last time I was on a plane, I'll be sure to call the TSA and get his "disruptive passenger" ass removed

A nice elderly black gentleman sat down, takes off his hat says hello. I'm thining "oh goodie, a normal person with old timey ways and nice southern manners." But, as soon as we were strapped in and taking off, he asks me if I'm a Christian. I'm thinking, "you sneaky motherfuc*er..." and he then continued to read the Bible at me the whole damned flight.

"he asks me if I'm a Christian... and he then continued to read the Bible at me the whole damned flight."

Then you must have given the wrong answer. The best ones to use in that situation are either "Scientologist" or "Jehovah's Witness." "Satanist" might work, but not many people can pull it off.

Viane Delgado stated anti-semitic remarks were made by the plane crew.

Yes! You win! I hope you make comments like this ALL DAY ALL NIGHT.

Would it change any minds if we looked at this not as religion but as culture? It's pretty easy to beat up on things that look like funky superstitions, but what about keeping traditional cultural practices alive? Especially benign ones (notwithstanding how they look to panicked airline crews)?

Especially benign ones -100% agree. I'm hate when cruelty is justified by "culture" and/or "tradition" But benign traditions are welcome.

This is fucking stupid.

Tefilin doesn't look like wires, its long leather straps with two tiny boxes that a Jewish male wraps around his forehead and arm. It is an honor and a mitzvah to wear these. He must have looked clearly orthodox and was probably wearing a visible prayer shawl under his clothes too.

Stupid world. Poor kid was just trying to davin quietly.

Prayer won't save you from AIDs, cancer, or pregnancies.

Homeland Security better beef up on a variety of customs. We all suspicious for one reason or another. This is not going to help us be more tolerant or more understanding of our differences...only create more tension, fear and hatred.

all parties involved are idiots.

You know the guy was thinking to himself "I don't give a fuck if everyone thinks I look like a fucking dork! One day me and my kind will enter the promised land and everyone will suffer but us! Until that day." The basis of all religion is pure selfish greed. But the price of life eternal is too cheap even if it's looking ridiculous and doing ridiculous things (I'm looking at you ash wednesday mofos) every second of your life in a lifespan of ~80 years.

I suppose they were no other Jewish passengers on the plane?

Dop all jewish people have to wear this?

What a bummer..

Dop all jewish people have to wear this?

Yeah, to cover up the horns on their heads.

For fuck's sake, go back to Kansas you ignorant twit.

why would you think im from kansas?

Its an honest question. THe psoter said there were other jewish people on the plane. It sounded like others may have had to wear their taffylin, too.

Thats why I asked. if it was required for jews to wear it. It would be a huge incovenience if I had too. Glasd to hear not all do. But what about on holidays? Do they wear it only on holidays then?

Just curious.

they are only suppose to be worn for weekday prayer. on saturday and most holidays they are not used.

It's retarded that a plane can leave New York City and not one person on it has seen this before. That poor kid. He's only 17 for chissakes. This is hysteria at its worst.

That wasn't meant as a response to procedure..

Only the orthodox.

Who could tell under all those little boxes?

And that's why there's El Al, the most secure airline on the planet, where you can pray as much as you want, or watch a movie.

However, El Al is not presently flying to Louisville.

I believe the anniversary of The Wannsee Conference was yesterday, not today.

The flight was actually US Airways operated by Chautauqua - they do feeder services for American, Delta, Midwest and US Airways.

this happened last year. the praying guy should have informed the airplane staff what he was going to do. it amazes me that this guy is so stupid to think that nobody would become alarmed.

On the other hand, people have been doing this for almost 6000 years. It's amazing that they would divert an airplane because of it.

I thought it was silly until I actually saw this tefillin. It was definitely the kids fault. And since when should the rest of world be aware of the religious practices of 0.01% of the world's population?

It's the kid's fault?! Oh puleeeeeeze! He was sitting quietly in his seat PRAYING for heaven's sake, no doubt performing one of the thrice-daily required prayers.

Yeah...uh...I hate minorities. The majority should definitely be allowed to tyrannize them.

wtf.

What the heck does this have to do with tyranny? Jen's Bra is the one demanding everyone know about Jewish rituals. Do Jews rules the world now so everyone needs to know their rituals?

It's not about demanding that everyone know about Jewish rituals, it is about using common sense when you see something unusual or unfamiliar instead of reacting hysterically.