Market Orthodoxy and El Al

Brian Doherty | December 11, 2006

A possible boycott is brewing from haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews over El Al, the Israeli airline's, policy that it, and not a rabbi, can decide when it's OK for them to fly on shabbat. The Jersualem Post report.

To their credit, "haredi businessmen in the U.S. have expressed interest in setting up a haredi-owned airline, said Monday Rabbi Yitzhak Goldknoph, secretary of the Rabbinic Council for the Holiness of Shabbat" to compete with El Al. Unnamed Israeli businessmen, however, say that Goldknoph is talking through his yarmulke and could never get a competitive airline off the ground. Still, nice to see boycott and competition offered as a solution to conflicts with a dominant market player.

Comments

|12.11.06 @ 1:00PM|#

How about El Al just rejiggers its schedule so that there are only Muslims working on sabbat?

I can't imagine anyone would have a problem with that.

As a bonus, the number of Israeli Jews who see the wisdom of not flying on that day would skyrocket.

This is what we call a win-win.

|12.11.06 @ 1:11PM|#

Would an orthodox-run airline require that the first two feet of the plane's nose be snipped off?

Sam Franklin|12.11.06 @ 1:23PM|#

Still, nice to see boycott and competition offered as a solution to conflicts with a dominant market player.

Here, here. The more that supposed efficiency concerns result in highly consolidated business structures, the less feasible true capitalism becomes. Kind of understandable, I suppose, when it comes to something like natural monopolyish, like commercial aviation. Less so when it comes to other things.

Pedant|12.11.06 @ 1:47PM|#

Here, here.

That's "Hear, hear."

|12.11.06 @ 2:08PM|#

Perhaps proof of being circumcised should be shown before boarding is allowed?

|12.11.06 @ 2:09PM|#

You could stach some liquids in there.