With Skies Quiet Over Europe, Chabad Houses Take in Stranded Passengers

As an Icelandic volcano continued to spew super-heated rock, ash, and fine particulates from deep below the Earth to tens of thousands of feet into the air, Jewish centers across Europe welcomed stranded passengers in need of a meal and a bed.

Israel’s flagship carrier El Al arranged Sunday for a handful of flights to depart airports that miraculously remained open in the south of the continent, but it came as little relief to those stuck in London and other northern locations. Rabbi Mendy Loewenthal, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of South Kensington in the central part of the British capital, reported that his synagogue and community center was bursting at the seams Friday night from an onslaught of Jewish travelers with nowhere to go.

Among those stranded was a New York-bound rabbi, who decided to give an impromptu class on Jewish ethics. Loewenthal noted that the class, as well as the Shabbat dinner preceding it, was among the Chabad House’s best-attended programs.

“This has obviously come as a very negative thing to so many people,” said Loewenthal. “But on the other hand, Rabbi Mendel Blecher’s class extracted something positive from all of the hardship. Many people said later how beautiful it was.”

Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH’-play-yer-kuh-duhl) volcano began its second eruption in the past month on Wednesday, hurtling ash several miles into the air. High-altitude winds took over from there, sending a cloud of ash east and south across Europe. As the week ended, a slew of airports closed and aviation authorities grounded commercial traffic, citing concerns that the volcanic particles could damage engines, thereby posing a grave safety risk. Throughout the weekend, hundreds of thousands of stranded air passengers struggled by car and train to make their way out of Europe.

Casualties of the closures and flight cancellations included the funeral of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria, whose guest list was drastically reduced after U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders decided not to fly. A conference of European rabbis scheduled to take place at the Jewish Community Center in Moscow was postponed indefinitely.

Article continued at Chabad.org