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Airline Ejects Praying Man from Plane Before Take Off
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 17, 2008
Modified Apr 21, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 17, 2008
Modified Apr 21, 2008
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An unidentified man was forcibly removed from a United Airlines at JFK before it took off last night because he wouldn’t sit down and stop praying. A San Francisco author named Ori Brafman, who was on the flight, told WNBC the Orthodox Jewish man ignored instructions from flight attendants to remain in his seat. During the minutes before take off, he walked to the back of the plane to pray, and when he continued to defy attendants' orders, they summoned airport security.
Brafman described the scene: "He doesn't respond to them, but his friends explain that once you start praying you can't stop." Kids, this is why you ‘Just Say No’ to prayer. Once the man stopped praying a few minutes later, he explained that he “couldn't interrupt his religious ritual and wasn't trying to be rude.” But he got the boot anyway, and the flight proceeded to San Francisco. A spokesman for United Airlines confirmed that he was removed and put on another flight this morning.
Photo: editrrix
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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