I just learned that a flight out of New York was diverted because a flight attendant saw a passenger putting on tefilin and freaked out, thinking that he was strapping on bombs.
So, do you have any best practices to share for dealing with this sort of situation? Let's assume that for whatever reason, you can't avoid the issue entirely by praying before or after the flight, as some suggested in the comments on the news story. How do you put on talit and tefilin in public (especially in confined travel situations) and minimize the potential for freakouts by the people around you?
Answer
Don't pray audibly. Do as Chana did: Lips moving, no one hearing.
Alert an authority: "Hi, flight attendant. I'm Jewish. Our men (and perhaps some of our women?) pray with little black boxes on our heads, straps on our arms, and a big striped shawl. I'm going to pray now. We try our best not to interrupt our prayers for talking or anything in the middle. I know it might look a little crazy, and just wanted to let you know."
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