Flight Scare Caused by Tefillin

A flight attendant became suspicious on a teenager boy wearing a tefillin. This caused a scare on the US Airways flight. The flight, bound for Louisville, was diverted from New York to Philadelphia after when

Caleb Leibowitz , 17 years-old, from White Plains, NY is also travelling with his sister.  The siblings did not know they are the reason the plane landed but the crew argued they “did not receive a clear response” which prompted their decision to have a detour.

Tefillin is also called phylacteries. It is a small, black leather cubes containing passages from the Torah which includes the first five books of the Old Testament. It is attached to the arm and head with leather straps and is common among Orthodox Jewish men for prayer on weekday mornings.

From a distance, one can easily be mistaken that the leather straps as wires. This caused some alarm to the flight attendant according to Lt. Frank Vanore of Philadelphia Police Department. The police responded for a possible terrorist threat.

The police immediately discovered the misunderstanding and the passengers were transferred on other flights.

The spokesman of Chautauqua Airlines said “while we always regret any inconvenience to our passengers, safety and security must remain our top priority.”

Tefillin is not a typical household object. It looks unusual if you are unfamiliar about it. America is a melting pot of different cultures and religion. The incident teaches us to learn more about each other and respect other people’s tradition.

Source: Tefillin Caused Flight Scare