Jewish man removed from airplane for praying
Pastor Dale Morgan
Jewish man removed from airplane for praying*
Last Updated: Tuesday, September 6, 2006 | 11:12 PM ET
CBC News
Some fellow passengers are questioning why an Orthodox Jewish man was
removed from an Air Canada Jazz flight in Montreal last week for praying.
The man was a passenger on a Sept. 1 flight from Montreal to New York
City when the incident happened.
The airplane was heading toward the runway at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau
International Airport when eyewitnesses said the Orthodox man began to
pray.
"He was clearly a Hasidic Jew," said Yves Faguy, a passenger seated
nearby. "He had some sort of cover over his head. He was reading from a
book.
"He wasn't exactly praying out loud but he was lurching back and forth,"
Faguy added.
The action didn't seem to bother anyone, Faguy said, but a flight
attendant approached the man and told him his praying was making other
passengers nervous.
"The attendant actually recognized out loud that he wasn't a Muslim and
that she was sorry for the situation but they had to ask him to leave,"
Faguy said.
The man, who spoke neither English nor French, was escorted off the
airplane.
Air Canada Jazz termed the situation "delicate," but says it received
more than one complaint about the man's behaviour.
The crew had to act in the interest of the majority of passengers, said
Jazz spokeswoman Manon Stewart.
"The passenger did not speak English or French, so we really had no
choice but to return to the gate to secure a translator," she said.
The airline is not saying if the man was told he was not allowed to
pray, but a spokesperson said the man was back on board the next flight
to New York.
Jewish leaders in Montreal criticized the move as insensitive, saying
the flight attendants should have explained to the other passengers that
the man was simply praying and doing no harm.
Hasidic Rabbi Ronny Fine said he often prays on airplanes, but typically
only gets curious stares.
"If it's something that you're praying in your own seat and not taking
over the whole plane, I don't think it should be a problem," said Fine.
The Jewish group B'nai Brith Canada has offered to help give Air Canada
crews sensitivity training.