El Al: We are not surrendering to ultra-Orthodox pressure

Haaretz 19:25 06/01/2007

By Yair Ettinger, Haaretz Correspondent
In an interviewed with Haaretz on Saturday, an El Al excecutive said the company is not 'surrendering to the Haredim' and will maintain its current policy barring flights on Shabbat and holidays except in emergency situations. The statement came a day after El Al CEO Haim Romano and attorney Yaakov Weinrot, representing the ultra-Orthodox rabbinical committee for Shabbat, signed a deal to end a dispute over Shabbat flights. The agreement signals an end to an unofficial boycott of El Al, which has led to losses of about NIS 1 million a day, according to an official at Israel's national carrier.

The agreement stipulates that El Al will appoint a rabbi to rule on instances of a perceived need for flights on Shabbat. El Al has also committed to adhere to its general policy of not flying on Shabbat. The rabbi, Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, is described in the agreement as an "adviser," and El Al noted that he will not have veto power. However, if the airline does not heed his ruling, it will be considered in violation of the agreement itself. According to the agreement, if El Al decides there is a need for flights on Shabbat - as happened nearly a month ago, in the incident that spurred the dispute - the issue will be referred to Amar. He will approve a flight only if he determines that doing so would be a life-saving measure, thereby overriding Shabbat. El Al rejected the ultra-Orthodox demand that the airline pay the cancellation fee of Shabbat-observant passengers if El Al decided to fly despite Amar's ruling to the contrary. The parties agreed that in such a case, the cancellation fee would go to the Health Ministry's budget for its health basket of medications and medical treatments.

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger praised the deal and said, "I am very pleased with the company's understanding of the ultra-Orthodox public's sensitivity [to the issue] and that they agreed to keep the Shabbat." Metzger called for all businesses that do not keep Shabbat to follow El-Al's lead. A source at El Al stated on Saturday, 'both sides bit off more than they could chew, but have now come to an agreement that is comfortable for both sides. The religious will not initiate a boycott on El Al." In light of the role of Rabbi Amar, the source at El Al added 'the rabbi will serve only as an advisor, not a decision-maker. He won't be part of El Al management.