A Bochur on a flight from Amsterdam to Israel last Tuesday, emulating many Chabad Chassidim before him, was offering other Yidden onboard the chance to put on Tefillin. To his surprise and without prior notice, the stewardess confiscated his passport.
By Anash.org Reporter
With just a mere couple of days since Arabs coordinated a “Jew Hunt” attack against Israeli soccer fans attending a Maccabi Tel Aviv game, and with Amsterdam Shluchim rushing to the rescue of the attacked Israelis, a Bochur traveling on a flight from Amsterdam to Israel decided to bring Jewish pride to his flight and offer other Yidden an opportunity to put on tefillin.
The Bochur, identifying only as Yosef Yitzchok M., said that while he was doing Mivtzoyim onboard the El Al flight, a flight attendant, who seemed quite disturbed at his Mivtzoim activity, approached him and confiscated his passport, claiming he was “not following instructions.”
Yosef Yitzchok was quite shocked and did not see it coming. “It wasn’t sleeping time, there was no requirement to wear seat belts, and I certainly didn’t bother anyone who wasn’t interested. I gently offered it only to those who wished” he explained.
He said that with barely a few days passing since the horrific attacks in Amsterdam, he was quite shocked that other Yidden would still feel ashamed of their Judaism, to the extent of stopping another Yid from helping others put on Tefillin.
Can someone explain the story?
They took away his passport and did what?
Did they give the passport back?
What did they want to do with his passport?