El Al to implement set times for in-flight communal prayer - Israel News - Haaretz.com
I definitely recall this on my 10 hour nonstop New York - Tel Aviv flight. The minute the seat belt signs go off, the aisles get crowded. It's not only a problem for the flight attendants trying to do meal service, it's a hassle if one is trying to get to the restroom. Sometimes the crowds stay standing even when the fasten seat belt sign is on. I personally find people wandering around the aisles when the seat belt sign is on to be very anxiety-provoking. And this is despite the fact that some leading rabbis in Israel have ruled that, under the circumstances, it's permissible to say prayers while seated.
The article also mentions issues caused by some ultra-orthodox men who refuse to be seated next to women passengers and demand that the women be moved to accommodate their beliefs. The Israeli Supreme Court ruled in 2017 that flight attendants were forbidden from asking women to switch seats for this reason. A year later El Al stated that they would remove any passenger who refuses to sit next to another passenger for any reason. These issues have sometimes caused significant delays of flights until things are sorted out.
I definitely recall this on my 10 hour nonstop New York - Tel Aviv flight. The minute the seat belt signs go off, the aisles get crowded. It's not only a problem for the flight attendants trying to do meal service, it's a hassle if one is trying to get to the restroom. Sometimes the crowds stay standing even when the fasten seat belt sign is on. I personally find people wandering around the aisles when the seat belt sign is on to be very anxiety-provoking. And this is despite the fact that some leading rabbis in Israel have ruled that, under the circumstances, it's permissible to say prayers while seated.
The article also mentions issues caused by some ultra-orthodox men who refuse to be seated next to women passengers and demand that the women be moved to accommodate their beliefs. The Israeli Supreme Court ruled in 2017 that flight attendants were forbidden from asking women to switch seats for this reason. A year later El Al stated that they would remove any passenger who refuses to sit next to another passenger for any reason. These issues have sometimes caused significant delays of flights until things are sorted out.
