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Family Walks from JFK to Crown Heights Friday Night

What began as a routine trip to New York for a family on Shlichus in Central America, quickly turned into an Orthodox Jewish traveler’s nightmare.

On Thursday morning, the family – including six children – departed on their way to Mexico City, from where they were to continue on to JFK airport in New York City. The Shlucha’s brother is getting married this week, and they planned on spending Shabbos with the family in Crown Heights and celebrating with the Chosson at his Aufrouf and Kiddush.

The first leg of their journey was uneventful. Their AeroMexico flight landed on time in Mexico City for what was supposed to be a quick stopover. However, a delay caused their connection flight to be rescheduled to Friday morning. Though this was an inconvenient change of plans, it still left ample time for the Pelmans to arrive at JFK and get to Crown Heights before Shabbos.

Early Friday morning, the airplane took off from Mexico on its way to New York. During the flight, the pilots were informed that they would not be able to land in New York City due to foggy weather conditions. They were instructed to land instead in Washington, DC.

In DC, the airplane sat on the tarmac as the pilots waited for clearance to continue on to New York. No one was allowed to exit the plane, as they had not yet gone through customs, and the Pelman family’s pleas to be allowed off the plane fell on deaf ears.

After five hours, the plane was allowed to continue on to New York; but by the time the Pelmans arrived at the JFK terminal, the sun had already set and Shabbos had begun.

Meanwhile, in Crown Heights, preparations were being made for the Pelmans’ arrival. Nick, a non-Jewish employee of Mr. Green’s fruit and vegetable store on Albany Ave., drove to the airport in a minivan stocked with kosher food and warm coats for the family of eight.

After finding them in the terminal, Nick gave the hungry and cold family members the food and coats he had brought. As if he were well versed in Hilchos Shabbos, Nick did not wait to be asked, but did everything that needed to be done on his own initiative, such as carrying everyone’s bags and personal items to the vehicle.

He then guided the four youngest children to the minivan, but no matter how much he implored, the father, mother and two oldest children, ages 12 and 13, would not enter the vehicle.

Instead, they walked over 11 miles from JFK airport to Crown Heights.

After over five hours of walking, they arrived late Friday night at the home of their hosts, who were relieved to see that they had finally arrived safe and sound.

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46 Comments

  • chayaf

    I understand how they felt, but why didnt they go to the ohel, which is much closer?
    It was also so beautiful and nice of Nick to help them

  • they could of walked to the ohel

    I underatan it was the ufruf but common sense in any event at least the weather was beautiful

  • # 1

    Shaya Gordon u r the best man on earth. U literally will make anything to help.
    Watch and learn ppl

  • Wow

    These Shluchim are really amazing, must have been so hard on them.
    So nice to have people like the Gordon’s and their worker Nick, to help a Shliach in a time of need. HaShem should bench all of them!!

  • bary

    its about time that we frum yiden give these shaboss goyim the thanks they deserve being knocked on all hours of the day and bothered!

  • Thanks Shaya

    I heard shaya gorden didn’t want to take money for the driver, a real baal tzedaka.

  • yosef

    Wonderful to see parents not just looking for the easy way out. They made the ufruf and more importantly showed the children that uncomfortable inconvenience is just fine, in a life devoted to Hashem. By extension, children of such parents grow up with a similar view on life, not ‘expecting’ everything to go so smoothly their way all the time, & complaining when it doesn’t.

  • Milhouse

    I was wondering that too, so I did a few minutes’ research and found the answer was as I had suspected. AeroMexico flight 400, which was scheduled to arrive at JFK at 7:20am, 10 hours before lichtbenchen, landed at 5:34pm — four minutes before sunset. Thus they were koneh shvisa in NYC, and were allowed to leave the airport. Had the plane landed five minutes later they could still have relied on shkiah amitis, but if it had landed ten minutes later they would have been in trouble.

    • Ezra

      No, even if they had landed after sunset, they weren’t koneh shvisah until the plane had (almost) landed – אין תחומין למעלה מעשרה.

  • Simcha

    The real miracle is nothing happened to them from JFK to crown heights. Its a jungle in between. Like walking through the Congo!

    • Anonymous

      What a lovely comment from a human being no doubt created at the highest level of the divine image.

    • Milhouse

      Do you disagree that there are neighborhoods which are dangerous to walk through? Maybe not quite as dangerous as the Congo, but there are relatively safe areas in the Congo too — safer than some parts of NY!

    • streetbum

      Especially beneath the train tracks over Jamaica avenue

      When a train passes it thunders louder than an African tropical storm

  • Hetter?

    If am not mistaken there is a Hetter for all of them to have gone in to the minivan on Shabbas as it was a סכנה נפשות for any of them to stay in and around the JFK, they should not have walked

    • Milhouse

      In what way is it a sakanah to stay at the airport?

      And which neighborhood in NY is it so dangerous to walk through that a person walking through, minding his own business, is likely to be killed? Let alone a couple with some kids? What’s the murder rate in NY these days?

    • K

      Exactly what is the issur of being driven in a car on shabbos???

      At its “highest” there MIGHT be a few drabonons. but l’tzorech mitzvah of tefilah b’tzibur, oneg shabbos etc. especially when there are children who might have a din choleh sh’ain bo sakana (when facing clod weather walking for a long distance) 0 clearly these is great room to be mattir.

      Kocha d’hettera adif! It is no chochma to assur everything, show the power to be mattir!

    • K

      A Rov should be consulted because there are situations when it is muttar to accept a ride from a goy on shabbos.

      There are teshuvos allowing using a bus or subway in Amsterdam (and other Europe countries) – Sridei Aish.

      However there is also a tshuva from R’ Moshe where he assurs a bus on shabbos – but in certain cases it would be muttar.

      The issur is possibly m’drabonon and l’tzorech mitzvah or a choleh (even if NO sakana – such as a child in the cold) would be allowed – if it is a “double” d’rabbonon.

      A Rov needs to be asked, not Mr. Milhouse.

  • akiva#6

    Answer to your question. NYC including jfk airport is within the city limits. Technically one can walk all the way from Brooklyn to the Bronx without leaving the tchum Shabbos. Had this been in the Catskills it would have been a problem.

  • pelmans you rock

    I spent a summer by these shluchim and they are the most amazing shluchim, we admire you!!!!

  • DA

    Wow walking from JFK to Crown Heights!!! I know they went for a special ocassion but i am sure the family would have understood. There arent even sidewalks in some areas. They should have gone to 5 towns instead for shabbos.

  • Ezra

    See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch 405:3 (from Rema there 405:1), that if one was traveling “above ten tefachim” from the ground – which of course is true of an airplane – then the techum is measured from where he reaches the ground. In this case, that’s on the airport runway, which is in the city – so he’s been “koneh shevisah” in the city, and can walk through all of it, same as any resident.

  • The Techum shabbos only applies outside the city

    To #6 They were & are allowed to leave the terminal 7 travel without a problem. JFK airport while technically a possible suburb is still within the official boundaries of NYC hence within the city they are allowed to go where ever they choose without worry of the Techum. It might have been wiser & definitely much closer to the Ohel but there were small children involved. for starters On the second part I don’t think that they are prepared to host families by The Ohel & the parents chose to be with their children despite the long walk etc.

  • To post #6

    They write that the sun set, meaning bein hashmoshos which would still allow them to leave the airport.

  • Mazal Tov!!

    Baruch Hashem all are safe and well. May the Chasuna be BeSha’ah Tovah uMutzlachas leBinyan Adei Ad in Simcha for all the families.

  • V0s?

    why not walk to kew gardens hills or the 5 towns. both are much closer. makes no sense to me, to make your children walk through those rough areas at night.

  • Carlebach Shabbat Walk in the Rain

    The Shabbat Walk of Reb Shlomo Carlebach and his entourage from the new biography by Rabbi Dr. Natan Ophir: One of the most memorable episodes in the life and legacy of Reb Shlomo Carlebach took place toward the end of October 1968. Shlomo was invited by Allen Secher, rabbi of Congregation Ahavat Shalom in Northridge, North Los Angeles, for Shabbat in a program co-sponsored with students at California State University of Northridge. Rabbi Secher recalls:

    I had been innovating musical services and using multimedia techniques to inspire my congregation. We thought that to have an Orthodox rabbi lead us in singing Kabbalat Shabbat would be a startling revelation for my congregants. But little did we envision how dramatic it would be.

    Shlomo phoned from New York to tell his chevra at the HLP that he would be arriving on Friday in Los Angeles. A dozen chevra piled into two vehicles, Aryae Coopersmith’s Volkswagen Beetle, and a Volkswagen van driven by Alex Scott (later Elyah Succot):

    It was a VW van, the type typically used by hippies in those days, and it looked it. With some blankets and cushions at the back of the van, it could comfortably hold ten or more people. We nicknamed it the Shabbos Express because we would all pile in to go to the mikveh before Shabbos. Or, when we traveled throughout California to be with Shlomo for Shabbos, that was our main vehicle.

    The chevra drove some seven hours from San Francisco and picked up Shlomo at the airport. The trip to Northridge would normally take only half an hour, but a truck jackknifed on the freeway and traffic was blocked up for miles. It was already 5:00 PM. The sun was setting and Shabbat was beginning. Shlomo announced that it was necessary to park, leave all their stuff in the cars and walk the rest of the way.

    Meanwhile some 300 congregants waited anxiously. Someone heard that a truck had overturned and the Synagogue secretary was dispatched to find Shlomo, only to discover to her astonishment that Shlomo was prohibited from riding in a car on Shabbat. She tells the chevra that the Synagogue is a long distance away. Shlomo with his natural charm asks to have her congregants invite all their friends and prepare a great celebration for when he arrives. Meanwhile, it began raining. Aryae reconstructs what happened next:

    It was after midnight and we had been walking for a few hours. Suddenly a car pulls up. It was Ron McCoy, host of the Night Owl, a live call-in show on LA radio station KFI. He had been alerted that the Singing Rabbi and his followers were walking in the rain. He asks Shlomo to explain the meaning of Shabbat. Soon thousands hear his radio broadcast of Shlomo’s soliloquy about the joys of Shabbat. Some listeners drive out to see this unusual event. The rain turns into a torrential storm, yet even more visitors join to accompany the courageous Shabbat observers. Eventually there were about 200 people walking to honor the Shabbat devotion of the Carlebach group, all energetically singing Shabbat songs.

    The group stretched out the length of a block and became a “veritable parade for Shabbat.” The weary voyagers arrived at 2:20 AM and were greeted by a capacity crowd of some 400 or 500 people in the social hall. There was a standing ovation, dry clothing and a kosher Friday night vegetarian meal. Then Shlomo led an ecstatic Friday night singing and dancing. Before walking back to the motel, Shlomo announced that Shabbat services would be held the next morning at 10:00 AM.

    This Shabbat walk in the rain was recorded in Carlebach lore and legend as an exemplary devotion to Shabbat. One of the participants was later quoted as stating:

    I will never forget that Shabbos walk with Shlomo Carlebach. Everyone who did that walk was transformed. We were a bunch of kids who didn’t know anything about Shabbos until we took that walk, and this is how he taught us. After witnessing Shlomo Carlebach keeping Shabbos with such passion, devotion, and fervor… how could you not keep Shabbos after that?

    O

  • HaDavar Samaritan

    Go back 2000 years ago l tell you no one would dare walk 11 miles on Shabbos! They would take shelter where they could.

  • I am "educated"

    Pikuach Nefesh Doyche Kol HaToyrah Kula.

    Its very dangerous out there at night.

    And besides, Dina DImalCHusa Dina.

    And you could Always ask a goy if you need to.

    And besides, what kind of g-

    nevermind i spoke too much

  • They may have violated shabbos anyway...

    http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/484235/jewish/How-far-am-I-allowed-to-walk-on-Shabbat.htm

    I doubt, if they walked on a highway, that would be considered continuously populated. They may have violated shabbos by doing this long walk. If a Rav gave permission for that gentleman to pick up this entire family they would not have been violating Shabbos….but by walking this distance they may have.

    My girls were given Rav permission (after calling him in a panic) to continue on a very delayed bus to their destination when Shabbos was about to come in. The Rav stated that their lives would have been in danger if they had gotten out in those neighborhoods. So it was okay to do because a Rav said so.

    My husband, who has health issues Gd forbid, had our non-Jewish neighbor rush him to the hospital, by car, with our grandson who needed stitches on a yom tov. Because the Rav said he could do so it was not violating yom tov. My husband was ready to walk back with our grandson in a stroller when they were done, but the Rav said, because he had health issues, he was “absolutely NOT allowed” to walk back and the neighbor picked them up.

    So ask a Rav…. don’t be a hero… because you may be violating a mitzvah while doing so.

  • Reuven Daitch

    The famous Shlomo Carlebach walk in the rain actually took place on late Friday night January 17, and early Saturday morning January 18, 1969;. I was a student, then, at San Fernando Valley State College (now Cal State Northridge). A few weeks earlier, Shlomo first became acquainted with the Jewish students of “Valley State” at a Friday night service in the Hillel House located on Nordhoff Avenue, across the street from the campus. He was accompanied by his “holy hippelach” from the House of Love and Prayer in San Francisco. I remember that Shlomo’s appearance, on January 18, 1969, at a Reform synagogue to the north and east of “Valley State” was greatly delayed and it wasn’t until just before 2:00 a.m. in the morning that we got word that he had arrived. I recall driving and walking in the rain during those early morning hours (I was not Shomer Shabbos at the time) and, by the time I arrived, Shlomo was in the midst of one of his famous “hugathons.” Below is a link showing that the walk in the rain took place in January.

    http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2005/california-storms2005.html

    ” [Los Angeles] had its wettest 15-day period on record as a result of the storms…The previous 15-day record was set in January 1969 when 14.63 inches fell between the 13th and 27th.”

    Next is a link showing that a destructive deluge fell on Los Angeles on January 18, 1969.

    http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/heavy-rain-leads-to-landslides-in-southern-california

    Finally, the calendar link below shows that in the year 1969, January 18 fell on Shabbos

    http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/?year=1969