Orthodox Jew Flies In Plane Covered In Huge Plastic Bag, Possibly To Avoid Cemetery Flyover (PHOTO)

[Paul E Ester]

A picture of an Orthodox Jew encased in a giant plastic bag is causing some debate on the Internet this week, as commenters attempt to explain the man's unusual traveling garb.

Redditor "FinalSay" posted the picture of the man early Thursday morning to the r/atheism subreddit, with the caption, "An Orthodox Jew in an airplane with women - so he covers himself with a plastic bag..."

Ultra-Orthodox Jews adhere to a strict set of guidelines that include gender segregation in public. In fact, Haaretz reports that Israeli airline El Al has noticed an increase in the number of ultra-Orthodox men asking to switch seats to avoid sitting next to women. (One woman even sued the airlines for allegedly moving her to the back of a plane after ultra-Orthodox men refused to sit next to her.)

However, netizens were quick to point out that the "flying with women" explanation may not be entirely accurate.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/11/orthodox-jew-flies-plane-huge-plastic-bag-photo_n_3064473.html

[Meshuga]

1. Oh my fucking word!

Bring a body sized condom next time, buddy! Latex will protect you better! It's 95% effective against cemetery impurities.

[Scuba]

2. Misleading headline (not Paul's) indicates plane, not man, was covered in the plastic bag.

Huffpo should be ashamed. But they wont be.

[SpartanDem]

3. It just reminded me of this

[edhopper]

4. What this highlights to me

is the regressive, misogynistic attitude of the Ultra Orthodox toward women.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Can anyone find an argument that a plastic bag insulates him better

from the unholy rays that apparently emanate vertically, but not horizontally, from a cemetery, and which a few km of air, and the metal fuselage of the plane, cannot stop? It should be funnier to read than The Onion. It astounds me that the followers of this sect have not laughed themselves to death when they've realised what they are doing.

(edit: 'insulates', not 'insults'. But I have to say that whoever came up with the idea of certain people having to climb inside a plastic bag when they might fly over a cemetery may well have had the idea of insulting the gullible in mind ...)

[gcomeau]

6. Does it *really* astound you?

I mean, is it really more ridiculous than believing that the all powerful magical ruler of the universe really really needs you to believe his virginly conceived human offspring got nailed to a cross for your sins in order to make it possible for it to forgive you for being imperfect like it made you in the first place, otherwise it has no choice but to condemn you to oblivion/eternal torment?

You know, just for example? The irrationalities of the religious stopped astounding me a long time ago. I'm just depressingly resigned to them at this point.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. It does - it's not often they invent brand new rules to humiliate the followers

especially in public, like this. This is reminiscent of a Monty Python sketch:

"If you say 'mattress' to him, he puts a bag over his head... now I've got to stand in the tea-chest" ... (starts singing 'Jerusalem')

[lindysalsagal]

17. What gcomeau said. n/t.

[Paul E Ester]

7. Little info on the background.

This is not the first time that El Al is faced with problems with ultra-Orthodox people on board flights to religious sites. In 2002, a flight crew had to prevent an ultra-Orthodox passenger, flying from Israel to Britain, from wrapping himself in plastic bags. The pilot was forced to return to Ben Gurion International airport in order to remove the passenger from the plane. The passenger, a Cohen, wrapped himself in plastic bags for fear that the plane's route would pass through the air above the Holon cemetery and he would consequently become impure.

Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, the leader of the Lithuanian Haredi community in Israel, published a halakhic ruling in the past stipulating that Cohens mustn't fly in this plane because they are prohibited from flying over a cemetery. Later, Rabbi Eliashiv found a solution to this issue, ruling that wrapping oneself in thick plastic bags while the plane crossed over the cemetery is permissible.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/ultra-orthodox-passengers-riot-aboard-el-al-plane-over-screening-of-film-1.243447

First, an introduction. Some members of the Jewish Faith can trace their ancestral roots back to Ahron, brother of Moses, the first Kohen (as in Cohen) or Biblical Priest.

As the Torah-Bible clearly states in Leviticus Chapter 21, a Kohen can not come into contact with a dead person except for an immediate relative.

In any case...................It seems that flights leaving Tel Aviv, fly over a cemetery in Holon, creating a problem for any Kohen in flight.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/other-middle-east-africa-frequent-flyer-programs/61923-flying-over-holon-cemetery.html

Place is huge


I have to wonder if Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv does not realize the plane itself is sealed.

[MellowDem]

8. The insane things religious beliefs make people do...

I remember being invited to a snack with a Jewish friend who was just getting into the whole Orthodoxy thing (his parents already were). They laid out plastic on the table we ate at, then rolled it up and threw it away afterwards. Apparently the crumbs from our non-Jew mouths might scum the place up. What a disgusting, horrible religion. Course, the same can be said of most religions, especially when followed consistently.

[LuvNewcastle]

10. That is racism.

That reminds me of an old racist who used to come into a restaurant I worked at once. He would request that a white person make his sandwich for him. I don't see how the two stories are any different, really. Either way, you're talking about people who are afraid of being contaminated by people who are different from them, whether it's color or religion.

[Mosby]

18. did you ask them about it?

Sounds to me like it was a kashruth thing, nothing to do with you or anyone else. Growing up we would bring non kosher food into the house (like pizza or fried chicken) but we would use paper plates, plastic silverware and a plastic tablecloth and throw it all away after.

"What a disgusting, horrible religion" is kind a horrible thing to say, especially since you're assuming that their concern was about you being a non Jew.

[mr blur]

11. Religion can make people do really, really stupid things.

But of course we have to respect the stupidity because, you know, it's faith.

Humanity is doomed.

[hrmjustin]

12. Well to be fair not all believers are like this guy.

I say religion in moderation.

[2ndAmForComputers]

20. No, they're not. But all (or nearly all) guys like this guy are believers.

(A ⇒ B) ≠ (B ⇒ A)

[dimbear]

13. You guys! So critical. In the rabbi's defense, he looks to me like a chap who recycles. n/t

[goldent]

14. Looks like performance art to me.

[backscatter712]

15. The ultra-orthodox flavor of Judaism is full of this kind of nuttery.

More examples: On the Sabbath, you can't set fires, you can't tie or untie knots, you can't build, you have zillions of other silly restrictions, that get interpreted in even more insanely restrictive ways. For example, pushing a button is considered "lighting a fire", so you'll get zotted by God if you ride an elevator on the Sabbath, unless it's a Shabbatovator, or you can get a gentile to push the button for you.

[backscatter712]

16. Flavor-sealed for Freshness!

Before long, they're going to be flying in human-sized Tupperware!

[deutsey]

19. I think he's just into bagism