Israel's flying rabbis pray away the Swine Flu

Rabbis and kabbalists boarded an Arkia Airlines plane from Israel's Ben Gurion Airport Monday morning on a holy mission: to protect the country from the danger of Swine Flu through the power of prayer. The plane flew over the country while its passengers prayed or blew on the shofar (a ram's horn). “The purpose of the flight was to stop the epidemic, thus preventing further deaths,” explained Rabbi Yitzhak Batzri.  “We are certain that because of our prayers (the) danger is already behind us."

 

Here's a link to a video (a must see!).

 

This is not the first time the rabbis have taken to the air to protect Israel. Rabbi Batzri's great-grandfather, Rabbi Yehudah Pattaya, conceived the idea during WWII as a means of keeping the Nazis from invading Israel through Egypt. It is, however, only the third time the prayer flight has taken off since 1948. The first time was during the first Gulf War in 1991, while the second was in 1996 following a wave of terror attacks. Since Israel is still around, it can't be proved that the prayer flights are not responsible.

 

About 2,000 people have been infected in Israel so far and five deaths have been recorded. Since pigs are considered "unclean" by observing Jews, the disease is sometimes referred to as (A) H1N1 virus instead of "Swine Flu." Efforts by ultra-orthodox deputy health minister Yakov Litzman to get Israeli authorities to change the name to "Mexican Flu" however, have not succeeded.

 

Photo credit:

1) Flying rabbis and kabbalists (Israel News)

 

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