That all might change very soon and it might sometimes become easier to get that bracha.
Ben Gurion Airport has a little known administrative order known as "Nohal Ha'Admorim" - the Admor rules. These rules are applied to a list of rebbes, hassidic rebbes and mekubalim. When anybody on this list arrives on the airport, he can let the authorities know and he will be given special treatment. The Admor treatment is similar to the treatment given to anybody holding a VIP passport, but they still get one additional benefit. The Admor listed will be able to drive right up to the airplane and not have to wait in the terminal with everybody else. When he arrives at the airplane, a clerk will be present to perform the security checks, customs, and passport control. Also upon entry, he does not need to go through the airport, but will have everything taken care of in his private car right next to the airplane.
According to Bechadrei, the list includes 45 rabbis.
The "Admor treatment" was appealed to the courts on the basis of it treating a small select group of rabbis with special treatment. To be included in this list, there is no clear criteria and breaches all rules of order and equality.
The Supreme Court heard the arguments and yesterday the Customs authorities decided to cancel the Admor Treatment without even hearing a decision yet from the court.
An exception was granted for special situations in which a great rabbi comes from abroad and a large group is expected to greet him at the airport. They would be able to coordinate with police and possibly apply the special treatment and also allow the crowds to greet him.
source: Ladaat
So, with the rebbes and mekubals having to stand in line with everybody else,your best bet for getting a quick bracha might be in fiding out their travel schedule and getting one while waiting in line with the rebbe at check-in.
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One could appeal to the Torah and its advice not to give preferential treatment to certain people.
ReplyDeleteThe issue, as I see it, is not the relative importance of any person, but that certain people would attract a large crowd, which could lead to all kinds of security and safety issues. Dealing with an expected large crowd of people greeting or saying goodbye to someone seems a legitimate reason for special treatment.
ReplyDeleteThis is another dumb meddling of the Supreme Court. The airport should be allowed to provide a premium service that does not interfere with the regular operations. Instead of the Supreme Court requiring the airport to arrange non-discriminatory standards, it cancels the service for everyone?
ReplyDeleteto be fair, the Supreme Court never got a chance to rule. we dont [really] know what they would have decided. the authorities chose to not wait for a ruling and cancel the arrangement on their own.
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Deleteif they want to provide a premium service, fine. let them advertise the service openly and let people, everyone, apply. ben gurion isn't a private club that allows in just those people that they want.
Could be the airport was finding the whole business cumbersome, and appreciated the excuse to drop it in favor of something easier to implement.
DeleteBen, yes it is. There are many levels of service that already exist like this. This is just the first one I found:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.israelwelcome.com/airportvipservice.htm
If you have money, I say spend it and provide people with jobs.
I have a big issue with corruption like at the hospitals where rich people can get better slots for surgeries, where student dorms are turned in to hotels, and where the hospital builds a heliport for medical tourists and other rick people in the area.
the solution to disparities in service given to the rich isn't "let's create a new class of privileged" people.
Deletethat point was addressed. there is vip service, but the admor service is still different in that they get to drive right up to the plane and do their paperwork in the car at the plane. the vip service still has them going through the airport - they just get an assistant to do all the shlepping.
ReplyDelete