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Ooops. Who Told The Kushners They Could Fly?

Ivanka’s rabbi: I didn’t permit them to fly on Shabbat; The rabbi who granted the permission did not feel comfortable with the couple publicizing his name.

Kehilat Yeshurun Rabbi Haskel Lookstein said on Sunday that he was not the rabbi who gave Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner permission to fly on Air Force One on Shabbat (Sabbath), calling the rumors “fake news”.

This may not be an issue as long as the Kushners borded the plane before sundown and left after sundown. In Halacha a plane is similar to a boat and there are special laws on both.  As long as neither Kushner flipped a light switch on Air Force 1, they are OK.  Since the amount of additional gas Jared and Ivanka’s weight would cause the plane to use is minimal, the main issue with the couple’s flight is how they would get off the plane and get around after landing. In addition, since both are close advisers of President Trump’s, and cannot safely fly to Saudi Arabia any other way, the halakhic (Jewish legal) discussion and decision is relatively simple for a practicing rabbi.

 


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  1. Bernie #
    1

    You are so far from truth that your article is total fantasy. Jared and Ivanka could have received all the necessary security and protection and flown to Saudi Arabia (as if SA really needs them!)prior to Shabbat. They did not need to fly on AF One. Having said that, Jared and Ivanka are clearly not Orthodox practicing Jews and they make a mockery of the holiest day of the week and consequently demean those of us in the Orthodox wing of Judaism. I would appreciate if Jared and Ivanka would publicly disavow their affiliation with the Orthodox branch.

  2. theaveeditor #
    2

    Well, there was some humor here. As for whether they are OJ or not, I suspect they are as observant as many others who belong to OJ congregations.

  3. Bernie #
    3

    Wrong. they are less observant than others who belong to OJ congregations. This power couple does not understand nor appreciate the proper observance of Shabbat. In their high siciety, their concept of Shabbat is limited to not answering telephones for 24 hours or so.

  4. theaveeditor #
    4

    I am hardly one to defend the Kushners, but I do not understand how you know what they do or do not do on Shabbat. Is it just mistrust?
    If I were to take your tack, I would focus on their (his too) lack of knowledge about Judaism. In my experience, most OJ know more than most non OJ

  5. Bernie #
    5

    What i do know is that they are not Orthodox, unless they can release the name of the rabbi that gave this leniency. Their reluctance to divulge the name of the rabbi puts this couple in a very suspect position. The mere fact that a rabbi does not go on open record on his rulings is proof positive that his rulings are wrong and subject to ridicule. It is a no brainer. It is possible that this couple lies when the say that they obtained rabbinical dispensation.

  6. theaveeditor #
    6

    I would go one step further. Rabbis have no magical authority, They are more like lawyers than priests. Buying a lawyer to rule for you or buying a rabbi to rule for you are both wrong.

    Given Mr. Trump’s behavior, eg the way he treats Mrs. Kushner’s mother, her acceptance of that behavior is a shanda.

  7. Bernie #
    7

    Excellent point on the unfortunate practice of buying off rabbis to provide accomodating rulings.

  8. theaveeditor #
    8

    Worse, the Trumps behavior vis a vis OJ, present our scholars as if they had the magical powers of the papacy.

    BTW, are you here in Seattle?

  9. Bernie #
    9

    I am not in Seattle. I am in NYC.

  10. theaveeditor #
    10

    Glad to see you on TA. You might try the tags for Israel/Palestine or Jews.