The Airport Authority announced this past Monday that upgrading the main central runways at the Ben Gurion airport will take about two weeks. As a result of this, changes of departure routes brought to the attention of HaRav Nissim Karelitz and the Taharas Kohanim Beis Din have determined that all outgoing flights from Ben Gurion Airport will necessarily be flying over the Holon cemetery. Therefore kohanim traveling abroad in this period should leave for their destination from the Haifa airport and travel via Cyprus or from the Ovda airport in the Negev.
The Main Terminal at Ben Gurion Airport
In response to the many appeals from rabbonim and kohanim, MK Rabbi Uri Maklev met with the director general of the Airport Authority Yaakov Ganot to discuss the problem of kohanim exposed to the violation of their sanctity. This meeting was attended by rabbonim of various organizations representing kohanim, as well as top officials of the Airport Authority's department for civilian flights from the Transportation Ministry and also by with chareidi flight experts.
Rabbi Maklev presented several suggestions and possible solutions to this problem, namely organizing several daily flights with alternate air routes, among other practical ideas.
Director Yaakov Ganot exhibited considerable empathy and understanding of the kohanim's distress and announced that any solution that will solve the dilemma and not present any security threat will be acceptable to him. The various represented groups, under the joint guidance of Ganot and Rabbi Maklev, discussed the problem of finding alternate solutions but did not arrive at any positive decision of rerouting flights so as not to fly over the Holon cemetery.
Thus the Beis Din's directive to kohanim is still binding. It was decided, however, to complete the upgrading work as hastily as possible so that flights can once again resume their regular routes.
These temporary routes also cause more noise among communities in the area.
