Chief Rabbi of Russia Meets With CEO of Aeroflot to Discuss Needs of Religious Jews While Flying
As Russia’s capital city, Moscow is home to four airports which operate thousands of flights daily, including many stopover flights. Naturally, this means dealing with stranded passengers for a variety of reasons, many of them due to delays or missed connecting flights. Beyond the nerves and monetary loss this may cause for the average traveler, for Jewish travelers – especially those who are meticulous with kosher food and davening in a minyan, – flight disruptions can bring a whole new level of unnecessary misery, especially flights before Shabbos or Jewish holidays.
Moscow’s central Chabad House and the gabbais of the Marina Roscha Shul, along with Rabbi Elimelech Weisberg, are constantly in touch with the Russian airline Aeroflot’s offices in the United States. They devotedly answer all calls that come in to the hotline at the Shaarey Tzedek Chesed Center, reassuring and calming the passengers and their families. When necessary, arrangements are made for them to be hosted for all Shabbos and Yom Tov meals with the Chabad Shluchim’s families. The warm hospitality of these uplifting Shabbosim has become world famous, thanks to the hundreds of Jews who have enjoyed it when passing through Moscow.
But not every situation allows for the stranded passengers to leave the airport and arrive in Marina Roscha before Shabbos. For example, if someone becomes stranded during the very short winter Fridays when Shabbos comes in very early. Also, American citizens without a valid Russian visa, cannot exit the airport. For such situations, an important meeting took place this week between the CEO of Russia’s largest airline, Mr. Villin Halichenko, and the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar. Aeroflot’s Executive Director heard from Rabbi Lazar about the special needs of religious Jews, and the challenges they face when stranded in Moscow.
On his part, Mr. Halichenko promised to be alert and attentive to any calls for assistance from the Jewish community, and to do all that he can to assist them and increase cooperation with the Jewish community. This is in addition to approximately thirty thousand kosher meals that the company supplies to passengers requesting kosher food under the strict supervision of Russia’s Chief Rabbinate.
For any Jewish people flying through Moscow, it is urged to fly between Sundays and Thursday mornings, in order to avoid cases of delay that may cause unnecessary grief and monetary loss.
