Big Ultra-Orthodox Family Wreaks Havoc On Flight From Israel To U.K.

Image by Getty Images

By Daniel J. Solomon February 15, 2017

It was a nightmare at 20,000 feet Monday, as an ultra-Orthodox Jewish clan traveling to a wedding in Britain disrupted a flight. The Hasidic men refused to sit next to women, stood up in the aisles while the plane was in the air and disturbed passengers during the five-hour flight.

“They were blocking the aisle, making it really difficult for other passengers to get past and take their seat,” said one passenger, recounting the experience to The Times of Israel. “They were constantly ringing the bell for the steward. I’ve never heard it go off so many times. It was dinging constantly and to the point it was really intrusive if you are trying to read or something.”’

And that wasn’t all, as one of the unruly passengers tried to plug in his phone charger to an unauthorized outlet in the stewards’ galley, leading the plane’s exit light to flash.

Passengers heard fuming from the crew, who called the police when the flight landed in the United Kingdom’s Luton Airport. The police made sure all passengers got off the plane without incident.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at solomon@forward.com or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO