A group of Orthodox Jewish men caused 'absolute bedlam' on an easyJet flight by refusing to sit next to women and plugging a phone into the plane's control panel.

Stressed staff were forced to call police from 30,000ft during the 'nightmare flight' from Tel Aviv to Luton Airport, which one steward described as the 'worst in 11 years' of making the trip.

According to witnesses the Haredim men stood in the aisles and refused to move until they had been accommodated.

A group of Orthodox Jewish men caused 'absolute bedlam' on an easyJet flight by refusing to sit next to women and plugging a phone into the plane's control panel

According to witnesses the men stood in the aisles and refused to move until they had been accommodated

Others also persistently rang the service button, disrupting other passengers and infuriating staff, while another man tried to charge his phone in a special panel - which could have led to dangerous circumstances.

A passenger told the Jewish News: 'A group of around 10 ultra-Orthodox men caused absolute bedlam on the flight.

'It was infuriating to witness both for passengers and for the stewards, who tried but failed to control them.

'It was impossible for the stewards to get these people to listen to them.'

They added: 'The men were blocking the aisle, making it really difficult for other passengers to get past and take their seat.

'I was next to quite an elderly gentleman and he did not sit down the entire time. Everybody had to walk round him, he was just oblivious, because he was trying to swap his seat, so he wouldn't be sitting next to a woman.'

Eventually a 'bemused' female passenger offered to swap her seat.

A group of around 10 ultra-Orthodox men caused absolute bedlam on the flight. It was infuriating to witness Passenger on easyJet flight

The witness said: 'I chatted to her later on. She just couldn't believe the whole thing and they didn't even say thank you.

'That was something the staff mentioned as well, that they did not say please or thank you.'

The perplexed passenger also noted the group – a wedding party, which made up more than 50 percent of the flight – kept using the call button, causing disruption to the other passengers.

She said: 'They were constantly ringing the bell for the steward. I've never heard it go off so many times. It was dinging constantly and to the point it was really intrusive if you are trying to read or something.

'I overheard the steward say, 'I've only got one pair of hands'. They were just really stressing the staff out.

'One steward said he'd been doing the route for 11 years and it was the worst flight he had ever experienced.'

Stressed staff were forced to call police from 30,000ft during the 'nightmare flight' from Tel Aviv to Luton Airport, which one steward described as the 'worst in 11 years' of making the trip

Officers from Bedfordshire Police were waiting on the tarmac when the plane finally touched down at London Luton Airport.

The passenger said: 'When we arrived, the captain said: 'Please stay in your seats. We are waiting for the police'. It went deadly quiet and I think people were shocked.

'One policeman then came on the plane, stood by the door and oversaw everybody leaving – and there were two more officers standing on the tarmac.'

A statement from easyJet said: 'easyJet can confirm that flight EZY2084 from Tel Aviv to Luton on 13 February 2017 was met by police on arrival at London Luton.

WHO ARE THE HAREDIM? Haredi Jews are a stream of Orthodox Jews characterized by their rejection of mainstream secular culture.

Haredim regard themselves as the most religiously authentic group of Jews and although this claim is contested by other streams of Judaism, it is a perception which is often held in wider Jewish and non-Jewish society. Advertisement

'This was due to a small group of passengers behaving disruptively, by not complying with the captain and cabin crew's request to take their seats, both prior to departure from Tel Aviv and during the flight.

'For the safety of all passengers easyJet's crew must ensure that whenever the seat belt signs are illuminated all passengers are in their seats with their seatbelts fastened.

'easyJet's cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time.

'Separately during the flight a passenger plugged a mobile device into a USB port on the crew control panel in the forward galley in a foolish attempt to charge it.

'This led to the exit light above the panel being illuminated but did not in any way comprise the safety or security of the aircraft.'

In a statement, Bedfordshire Police said: 'We were called at around 5.55pm on Monday to reports of a group of disruptive men on a flight landing at London Luton Airport.

'Officers attended and escorted the men off the flight preventing a breach of the peace. No offences were found to have been committed.'

In April 2013, one passenger took his beliefs a step further by covering himself in a plastic bag for the whole of his journey because his religion forbids him to fly over cemeteries

Way around it? Israel's Ben Gurion airport is surrounded by small regional cemeteries, dotted in red, creating long concern for Orthodox Jews trying to fly into the airport

Haredi Jews are a stream of Orthodox Jews characterized by their rejection of mainstream secular culture.



Haredim regard themselves as the most religiously authentic group of Jews and although this claim is contested by other streams of Judaism, it is a perception which is often held in wider Jewish and non-Jewish society.

In February last year, a n 81-year-old woman launched legal action against El Al for discrimination after she was allegedly forced to move seats because an ultra-Orthodox man refused to sit next to her.

PLASTIC PROVIDES BARRIER FROM 'IMPURITIES' Kohanim (plural of Kohein) are the male-line descendants of the priests of ancient Israel. Descendants are shunned from flying over cemeteries and being in contact with the dead. Contact with the dead is believed to inflict him with impurity. Why a plastic bag? Some consider that the bag provides a potential barrier from the impurities/dead

How can they breathe? Pre-punched holes invalidate the barrier If the kohein is putting on the bag and it accidentally rips some leniency to breathe is provided Contact with the dead would consequently inflict him with impurity. Problems: Flights have been delayed or turned around because of the ensuing safety hazards The passengers would not be able to reach an oxygen mask or quickly escape the plane in the event of an emergency Advertisement

Renee Rabinowitz, a retired lawyer who lives in Jerusalem, was settled in her aisle seat in the business class section of Flight 028 from Newark to Tel Aviv in December 2015.

However, when a man assigned the window seat on her row showed up and did not want to sit next to a woman, a flight attendant offered Rabinowitz, who walks with a cane, a 'better' seat to accommodate the man's religious beliefs.

In December 2014, a Delta Airlines flight from New York's JFK Airport to Israel was delayed by half an hour when a group of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men refused to sit next to female passengers.

Delta Flight 468, bound for Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, was reportedly held up due to several Haredi passengers refusing to to sit in their assigned seats, which were in between two women.

The delay was prolonged when the two female passengers involved reportedly refused to move to accommodate the men's request, claiming discrimination.

In April 2013, one passenger took his beliefs a step further by covering himself in a plastic bag for the whole of his journey because his religion forbids him to fly over cemeteries.

It was believed the man was a Kohein, a religious descendant of the priests of ancient Israel, who are banned from flying over cemeteries.

The startling photograph went viral after being posted on Reddit and it showed fellow passengers straining over their seats to get a look.

Beneath his plastic wrapping, the man was dressed entirely in black, and appeared to be wearing a Jewish skullcap or 'kippah'.

As a controversial solution - not entirely allowed by those in the Jewish Orthodox - the plastic bag creates a kind of barrier between the Kohein and the surrounding tumah, or impurity.