A curious thing happened at Ben-Gurion International Airport
a few weeks ago. Rabbi Yaakov Ifergan, also known as the “X-ray rabbi,” was
driven straight home from the tarmac after landing, bypassing the usual customs
inspection. According to the daily Maariv, this was made possible thanks to a
special procedure that applies to admorim (an honorific given to highly
esteemed rabbis). It allows such personages to be picked up in their own
vehicles as they step off the plane. However, the precise details of this
procedure are unclear: Who exactly is entitled to this privilege and why?
An investigation conducted by Haaretz has determined that,
actually, anyone can pay either of two private companies approximately $260 and
receive VIP treatment at the airport, including bypassing the lineup at
passport control. A company vehicle will pick you up at the plane and take you
inside to the Masada Lounge, where a representative of the company will take
care of getting your passport stamped, dealing with customs, bringing the
luggage and driving you home. This system has been in effect, we were told,
since 2004, when the new international Terminal 3 was completed at the airport.
Apparently, however, there are 47 rabbis who are entitled to
even better preferential treatment: They can arrive with their private car and
driver right up to the plane, and all the border inspection procedures are done
right there, in the vehicle. On the list of these privileged ones are the admor
of the Gur community, Rabbi Aharon Steinman, Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto and Rabbi
Amnon Yitzhak, as well as lesser-known rabbis.
A spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority, who gave us
the names of the 47 sages, said that the list was closed in 2008, but he didn’t
know when it was compiled or what the criteria for inclusion had been. A source
at the IAA told us that since 2008, heavy pressure has been exerted on them by
different people wanting to be added to the list.
According to the IAA, the kid-glove procedure was
implemented only after it received the approval of the attorney general. The
office of the AG, however, denied any knowledge of such goings-on, even after
we showed them the list and the response of the IAA.
“A preliminary investigation has found no authorization of
such a procedure by us, nor have we found a request for such authorization. We
would be glad to pursue investigating this issue after obtaining further
documentation,” the Ministry of Justice told Haaretz.
It’s not by chance that it’s difficult to explain who is
included and who is excluded from this list. “There are no objective criteria,”
says a former senior IAA official. “It all boils down to relations between the
authority and the United Torah Judaism and Shas religious parties. The
duty-free shops are open on the Sabbath and hametz [leavened goods] is sold
there over Passover. There are additional reasons why the authority wants to
remain in good standing with ultra-Orthodox politicians.”
Private investigator and attorney Ilanit Mendelson recently
contacted the company that offers VIP services at the airport. She claimed to
represent a rock star about to visit Israel, in an attempt to learn more about
the special perks. The conversation also turned to the so-called admor
procedures, and who is eligible for them. “You have to really be familiar with
the IAA,” said the company’s representative. “It is a list that’s really hard
to get onto. It’s a tight-knit group and decisions are made at the highest
levels.”
Dr. Aviad Hacohen, dean of Sha’arei Mishpat Law College,
also recently tried to find out from the IAA about the special privileges
accorded to certain religious figures. He is considering turning to the courts
to outlaw these procedures.
“There is a serious issue here,” he says. “Why grant these
privileges only to rabbis and not to priests or Muslim clerics? What’s special
about a rabbinical sage? This is discriminatory and high-handed. I wouldn’t be
surprised if there were shady considerations at play here.”
For its part, the IAA responded by saying that, “there are a
variety of groups requiring special treatment [at the airport], including
cabinet ministers, official guests, unaccompanied children, sports teams,
rabbis and artists. To facilitate the handling of these groups, special
procedures were drawn up at Ben-Gurion International Airport, with the approval
of the attorney general’s office and without contravening any laws.
They were
created in coordination with other agencies such as Customs, the Interior
Ministry, its Population and Immigration Authority and Border Authority and the
police. All these groups pay for the extra privileges, but are still subject to
the same treatment as all other passengers in terms of security checks, customs
and passport control, upon arrival and departure.
“The only [additional] privilege that the rabbis alone get
is that they don’t transfer to ground transportation vehicles, and can bring a
driver and one attendant with them. The other [special] procedures are
available to any passenger who wishes to use VIP services and go through the
Masada Lounge.
As far as the handling of Rabbi Ifergan goes, any company that
does not follow correct procedures could lose its license.”
The Ministry of Transportation, and its minister himself,
would not respond to Haaretz’s requests for a response to this article.
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