I just got back from a short trip to Ukraine. Short in time, not in distance. Ukraine is 7 hours east of my time zone!
We flew Orlando - Detroit (where we joined our group) - Frankfurt - Kiev - Sevastopol on our outward flight. In Kiev we missed our connection to Sevastopol in the Crimea.
We missed the connection because of the misbehavior of some Hasidic Jews.
The flight from Frankfurt-Kiev was full - with more than half (maybe more than three quaters) of the passengers being Hasidic Jews on a pilgrimage. Most were from Israel, but some were from the USA.
Most of them were as well behaved as any airline passengers. There were some, however, who made us late.
First, as we boarded the plane, we were taken by buses from the terminal to the plane where we boarded by both the front and rear doors. Naturally, some of the Jewish passengers whose seats were near the rear of the plane boarded from the front - and vice versa. That created a jam in the aisle as some pushed to the rear from the front and some pushed to the front from the rear. Everyone seemingly had to get past several other people to reach the assigned seats - with everyone carrying cabin baggage as well. NOT the most efficient boarding I've ever seen! (The airline was Lufthansa, a very good airline. I do not blame them. It was the utter disregard for other passengers shown by the majority group on the plane.)
That could have been the result of ignorance of how seating on a plane is arranged. What happened after we were on board was something else!
While some of the group went to the seats in a normal fashion, others felt they needed to "swap" seats with someone else. I had hardly gotten settled into my center seat with one of the majority group by the window beside me when he decided to swap with someone else. Of course, My wife and I had to get up to let him out and the other gentleman in. We were not the only ones who had to accommodate "swaps."
While all of this was going on, the aisle was in utter confusion. When the plane would, under normal conditions, have been ready to taxi there were still many people in the aisle. Of course, the captain could not move until everyone was seated and seat belts were buckled.
In spite of numerous calls for people to be seated, several were still wandering the aisle visiting with their friends.
Others were in the aisle preparing to pray. Those with prayer shawls had to twirl them around just so. One was doing this as he stood near my wife's aisle seat and hit her with a long tassle. She cried, "Ouch!" He kept on twirling his shawl. He also had a thong from his phillactory that he wrapped around his arm in a special way. When everything was set to his satisfaction, he sat down in his seat, leaned forward (as in the emergency preparing to crash position), pulled the shawl over his head and proceded to pray. Anyway, I think that's what he was doing. At least he was silent in this prayer.
After a long delay, the pilot was finally able to take off - several minutes late. Since I knew we had only a short time between flights in Kiev and that we would have to clear immigration/customs there, I began to be concerned that we might not make that next flight.
Enroute, the plane was not delayed - but the cabin crew could not serve the passengers in a normal way because the aisle was blocked. When they needed to move a service cart down the aisle, someone would be standing in the aisle talking with a friend. They were a very sociable group - among themselves, but not with anyone else! (In this, they reminded me of some church members who brag about how friendly their church is - while visitors are ignored as the members talk with one another!)
This became so annoying to the crew that they were really getting frustrated. The captain (a lady pilot) repeatedly tried to get them to sit down and fasten their seat belts - to no avail.
As we approached the airport in Kiev, the pilot again requested that all passengers be seated and fasten their safety belts. She was ignored. Could they not understand her because of language barrier? Maybe for some - but they were also ignoring their traveling companions who were trying to get them to be seated! It was taking so long to get them seated that I really thought we would miss our place in the landing pattern and have to "go around" again!
By now I was really getting concerned about catching that next flight!
Finally, the male members of the cabin crew were able to get everyone seated - but I am not sure that everyone fastened the seat belts! The plane landed, but as soon as speed was reduced to a normal taxi level, up they popped again. We were still far from where we needed to be to get to the terminal, but the captain stopped the plane until they were seated. It took several instructions from her before they would sit. Were they just not willing to listen to a woman, even one in command?
Finally the men in the cabin crew were able to get them seated - but not belted - and we continued to the terminal.
This group drew attention to themselves, not only by their behavior, but also by their dress. They were all "men in black" with black pants and long black coats down to mid-thigh or lower. They wore either a black skull cap or a wide brim black hat. Some wore both. Several had phillactories tied by bands to their foreheads. One very distinctive feature was two ringlets hanging from their sideburns. Nearly all of these were at least six inches long with some reaching to at least sixteen or eighteen inches. These were as beautiful as the ringlets on any little girl who was fully decked out in her Easter finery.
This was an interesting experience for me, but what did it mean other than than we missed our connecting flight and had to find seats on later planes? (We were able to do this - and were only about four or five hours late reaching our final destination.)
This particular sect of the Jews bears some striking similarities to the Pharisees of Jesus' day. In fact, they are spiritual descendants of the sect of the Pharisees who made a lot of outward show, but whose "religion" did not touch their hearts. These were on a religious pilgrimage to find a spiritual blessing. Yet, they showed extreme selfishness in their behavior.
I could see more clearly than ever why Jesus had so much trouble with the spiritual ancesters of this group. I understand more what he was talking about when he said they love to pray on the street corners to be seen by men to be praying.
This behavior tended to put people off. It certainly did not draw anyone to them! One of my traveling companions observed, "Now I can see why some people hate them."
Yet, as I think about this experience, I have come to wonder about myself as well. I have been in some groups that, while not being quite as obnoxious as that group, have acted in pretty self-centered ways. Have I affected others the way those affected me? This leads me to want to be more careful in my behavior. Maybe we all should, especially when traveling together in large groups. I must be more careful of how my behavior and attitude affects those around me.
I certainly do not want behavior like theirs to lead someone observing me to observe, "Now I can see why some people hate Christians."
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8 comments:
Jerry,
I myself an orthodox and hassidic Jew read your post. I must say I am repulsed by the behavior portrayed by my fellow people. I don't think though it is fair to stereotype an entire sect of people based on the wrong deeds of a few. I myself educate my family to have self respect and to respect all people. I am happy I was not on that flight, I would be as frustrated as you were.
Anonymous,
I appreciate your comment. You may remember that I closed by wondering if some groups I have traveled with in the past may have left similar bad tastes in people's mouths. I also recognized that it is possible that some of the behavior was simply not understanding the language of those who were trying to get these people to sit. Nor was the behavior universal. There were some individuals who were very well behaved. In fact, the miscreants were a minority of the group - yet the few colored the perception of all. These are observations that help me to make application of lessons to myself and to my Christian friends as well. I certainly have no desire to stereotype all orthodox, hassidic Jews. The experience was frustrating - but it was also instructive.
Anonymous,
I know your post is from 3 years ago, but give me a fucking break. I have been exposed to more Hasidic Jews than I ever hoped to, and the vast majority of them are detestable human beings whose worst quality is how disgustingly intolerant of non-hasids they are.
I love meeting people with different lifestyles/beliefs and when I moved to the area I at first saw it as an opportunity to learn about a new culture, maybe I might even make friends with a couple of them. But they are just baby pumping, condescending freaks with no sense of humanity UNFAILINGLY. Even the ones who are respectful of all people and are rationally minded are still blind to the fact that most of their people are disgusting pigs.
I hope instead of the messiah coming back you get another Hitler.
I'm not hoping for another hitler but living in Brooklyn and having to deal with the Hasids, I agree with the last post. Hasids think they're the chosen, decide to not interact with others and are completely ignorant and rude. Wish I could be there to see their faces when they die and realize their lives dedicated to a book are for naught.
Can't help but laugh to myself when i see them.
Funny how they think they're better than all but eyesight seems to have slipped them as well as Head and Shoulders....go to B&H photo, glasses and dandruff permeate
They are all arrogant and intollerant of any one other than themselves.
I believe you have mis-read what I wrote. I did not indicate that ALL of these were rude and totally self-centered, only that some of them behaved this way. You should also note that I also wondered if Christians traveling in a group might also often come off this way to others who, through no fault of their own, are traveling along with them.
Please, keep things courteous - or you are guilty of the same behavior that I observed in SOME of my Jewish traveling companions.
A lot of us who've had the displeasure of bumping into a Hsidic Jew know exactly what you're talking about.
They come off as arrogant, condescending, unappreciative, and remind me of similar radical types in Christianity and Islam.
They're Jewish radicals.
Apparently we have many people who read this blog whose name is "Anonymous." Moreover, all of those who have commented here about my remarks have been rude and boorish - the very qualities in my traveling companions that I depreciated, but which led me to examine myself lest I be like them.
The nature of these remarks almost cause me to regret having written this article. Yet, at the same time, they reinforce the need for articles that can draw us away from bigoted criticism to self-examination.
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