Your Own, Personal, Mechitzah
[I have Personal Jesus stuck in my head now. Why did I think that was a good subject line?]
From Failed Messiah comes today’s favourite “those crazy hareidim” story:
Haredi airline passengers are being advised to hang a new type of mehitza – a halachic barrier to separate the sexes – around the top of their airplane seats, to shield their eyes from immodest neighbors and in-flight movies.
The Rabbinical Council for Public Transportation, which is also representing the haredi community on the issue of gender-segregated “mehadrin” buses, is now placing advertisements in haredi newspapers encouraging the community to purchase the traveler mehitzas.
The new mehitzas, made of white nylon, stick onto the fabric of the airplane chair using Velcro and can be arranged to make a protective “shield.” The mehitza goes around the head and is mostly in front of the passenger’s face, protruding only a little to the sides. Its designer, who asked that his name not be published, declined to share pictures and his design details, but said the mehitzas were “airy” and did not bother anybody.
This is ridiculous. I’ve been on El Al flights where flight attendants have asked women to change seats so that haredi men don’t have to, gasp!, sit next to them. Are they really going to sit with their heads in boxes for a full flight? No, they’re going to continue insisting that the women be moved away from them.
On the other hand, I’ve definitely been on flights where I’ve wished I could just block out everyone around me… Hmm… Maybe there is a market for such an item!
