CHICAGO, IL — A Jewish passenger on a South Shore commuter train prompted a bomb scare on Wednesday when the traditional prayer box worn on his forehead was mistaken for an explosive device.
Tefillin Prompts Bomb Scare in Chicago
CHICAGO, IL — A Jewish passenger on a South Shore commuter train prompted a bomb scare on Wednesday when the traditional prayer box worn on his forehead was mistaken for an explosive device.
Bob Byrd, chief of the Northwest Indiana Commuter Transportation District’s Transit Police, told the Chesterton Tribune today that the incident began as Train 108 left the East Chicago station en route for Chicago. Several passengers sitting near the man became suspicious after observing what looked to them like a miner’s hat with a box in place of a lamp and wires sticking out of it.
Those passengers alerted a collector, Byrd said, who checked out the passenger.
The collector then alerted the conductor, who made contact with the man. The man advised the conductor that he was praying and then declined to answer any more questions.
Possibly contributing to the confusion, Byrd said, was another passenger, apparently of Middle Eastern descent and wearing a turban, sitting in the next row. “For the people in that car the totality of this was too much for them to handle.”
The conductor—who noted that the wires were really a strip of cloth-like material which wound down the man’s arm and around his hand—was not satisfied with the passenger’s response and contacted the METRA Police, who boarded the train at the 57th Street station in Chicago. There the man advised officers that he is Jewish, lives in New York City, and was conducting his normal morning prayers and wearing traditional religious garb.
The officers thanked the man for his cooperation and apologized for inconveniencing him, Byrd said, and Train 108 completed its run to the Randolph Street station.
Byrd did note that South Shore passengers are encouraged, under the “See Something, Say Some-thing” initiative, to report any unusual behavior or activity on the trains. “The passengers did an excellent job of seeing something that didn’t look right,” he said. “The train crew did an excellent job of following up on their concerns.”
“In New York City,” Byrd added, “nobody would have looked twice at the gentleman. Here we appreciate the passengers’ response.”
moshe
our stupid and ignorant goyishe brethryn from the windy city!
SKE ;) - true story
I was on the LLRR with Tefilin, the train conducter didnt say anything, but he had 15 police officers, equipped with machine guns waiting at a stop for me. They wanted me to crack my Tefilin open. . funny story. . . it all worked out.. they actually told me ‘we know ur jewish . . . u wont do anything, but its just… we cant discriminate’
:) it was a great feeling. the entire LIRR was looking to see why the train was stopped, and they saw a jew showing the cops tefilin. big mivtzoim baby!
chrup!
“In New York City,” Byrd added, “nobody would have looked twice at the gentleman… because its a normal thing, STUPID!
12345
cute story SKE;)
John
SKE ;),
Funny story haha!!
EMS
Imagine what would have happend if he was wearing a tallis also and didn’t respond at all since he was in shemoneh esrei…it could have been gory scene rl"l
shmaryahu
very cute! i bet it was a BIG kiddish hashem!!!!!!
Boruch ben Tzvi(A H)haKohaine Hoffinger
B"H
I heard they took it to the FBI, scanned it, and said:
"It’s Kosher!"
Brothers
One time, at LaGaurdia airport, I needed to know which way was
east for davening. So, I asked a
black porter, and he thought about it
for a moment. He then said, "it must
be that way because, sometimes, I see your brothers shaking back and forth, looking in that direction."
Scare in the sky - true story
I was recently on a plane, and a man grabbed the tefilen out of my hand as i was wrapping them, I promise, no exaggeratoin, he was soooo scared of me, i took it back calmly, and explained that i was praying, he then asked me to take them off, i declined of course noting that i had every right to pray, to which a muslim flight attendant came to the rescue calming the passengers telling them that i was "ok" and no harm would be done by my prayer…. in as much as people should be sensitive to others religious belief, we also have to mindful and explain ourselves properly to those very fearful…..
many passengers came to me after the flight and apologized profusely, noting that after september 11th they are very fearful!
david
i went to salt lake city for a convention. i was wearing a kippah and a woman at the security scrren at the airport asked if it was ok for me to remove "my turban". she would have let me keep it one. i said of course, i have no problem. but it was funny how little some part of the country know about religious jews.
Menachem Shaul
Similar story happend to me, I had to daven Shacharit in the Airport of Calgary, Alberta, Canada (which has a very. very small community [and an even smaller observant community (three shuls)]), I had finnished daveinig (I am sephardic so thus I do wear a Tallit while davening even though I am not married), Wraped up my Teffilin, and then Proceded to fold My Tallit, put everything except my Teffilin bag in my Carry on Backpack (did not have enough time as we were boarding), a Muslim man (Muhammed is now fired from customs canada) Told me to open the bag so I did, He asked me to explain what the Boxes were, I told him, he then started to Pry te Shel Rosh Open untill I pryed the device out of his hands and I took My Teffilin back and he wanaged to pry up some of the Leather. So I can Sympathize with the fellow from Chicago!