A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
El Al's Cynicism

Today's Haaretz reports that thousands of tourists from the U.S. are unable to come to Israel for Passover because El Al has artificially raised prices without adding sufficient flights to its schedule. Worse, the Transportation Ministry refuses to increase flight allotments to El Al's competitors, even though El Al is being privatized.

El Al acts in the same manner during the summer and the Succos holiday. Indeed, I went to Israel for Succos each of the last two years, and both times, after struggling to find seats, paid a ridiculously high amount for the flight, since El Al has a virtual monopoly on the NY-Tel Aviv route (though I believe that in recent months Continental has resumed daily flights).

Why not moderate the price increases and increase the number of flights? There's really no good reason. When tourism was at its peak in the late 90's, El Al had several flights a day, so it has available aircraft. It's just typical stubbornness and callousness, nothing else.

The truth is that the average observant family, already burdened by massive housing and tuition expenses, cannot afford to go to Israel more than once every few years.

In this regard, two years ago, speaking on Passover at the Eden Roc in Miami Beach, Rabbi Binny Friedman strongly criticized American Jews who failed to go to Israel. I challenged Rabbi Friedman, explaining that while those who choose to vacation in Miami rather than Jerusalem were fair game, and that the failure of most Jews to visit Israel during the Palestinian terror war was indeed an embarrassment, the reality is that most observant Jewish families can't afford to spend Passover or Succos in either of those places. Rabbi Friedman completely dismissed my argument, laughing that he would buy a plane ticket for anyone who couldn't afford one, apparently operating on the assumption that those spending Passover at the Eden Roc are not far more wealthy than the typical observant Jew.

(Incidentally, I was not staying at the Eden Roc; when in Miami Beach we usually stay at a modest hotel like the Best Western or Days Inn.)
posted on 2/23/2005