El Al To Install Mechitza In Airplane Cabins

In addition to the physical mechitza, El Al will ensure that only male flight attendants serve the men’s section.

Tel Aviv, November 18 – Israel’s national airline announced today that in deference to growing demand from Haredi passengers, certain international flights would soon feature separation of travelers by sex, with a ceiling-high divider running the length of the aircraft’s cabin.

El Al Israel Israel Airlines said today that starting January 1, one flight per day from Tel Aviv to New York, and one flight in the other direction, would have a mechitza, or divider, separating the men’s section from the women’s section. A Boeing 777 aircraft is currently undergoing internal modifications to adapt to the mechitza, which is a common feature of Orthodox synagogues, and of catering halls that serve the Haredi population.

Tensions over male-female interactions and contact on international flights have occasionally flared in recent years when some Haredi passengers refuse to sit next to a woman. While the phenomenon has not by any means been restricted to El Al’s flights, the company decided that as the official airline of the world’s only Jewish State, it is in a unique position of being able to cater to a population that adheres more broadly and stringently to Jewish practice than do other travelers.

“Few, if any, other airlines can do this, and it’s something that will give El Al a definite advantage in the competitive international airfare market,” said company executive Moran Fakhnyuckt. “No one else has enough of a customer base that will find this feature attractive – I’m actually kind of surprised we didn’t think of this years ago.” She added that if there was enough customer response, other Tel-Aviv-New-York flights, and other routes, would also be converted to an all-mechitza format.

In addition to the physical mechitza, El Al will ensure that only male flight attendants serve the men’s section, and that two of the bulkheads that normally have a screen for films and announcements would each be transformed into an Aron Kodesh, the cabinet where Torah scrolls are stored when not in use. At prayer times, the men’s section will serve as a synagogue: El Al has commissioned several Torah scrolls, which will be taken out and read when the liturgy calls for it. Two reading tables will be installed, one in the front of Economy Class and one toward the rear, so that such readings may take place: during morning services every Monday and Thursday, at each New Moon, during festivals, and at afternoon services of fast days.

According to Fakhnyuckt, a focus group of Haredi men had touted the benefits of shelves of holy books lining the walls instead of some windows, but safety requirements made that untenable. “We’re considering replacing some of the overhead bins with shelves for volumes of the Talmud and other books, since they never have enough room in them for carry-ons anyway, especially with all the hats and hat boxes our customers will bring on board.”