Ultra-Orthodox Jews pray, sing as plane sends out mayday call, makes emergency landing
Passengers en route from London to Poland for pilgrimage put on oxygen masks, sing ‘Ani Ma’amin’; flight lands safely in Amsterdam
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A London flight to Poland carrying mainly ultra-Orthodox Jewish passengers said to be on a pilgrimage to the grave of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk had to make an emergency landing in Amsterdam on Sunday.
The Titan Airways flight was en route from Stansted London to Rzeszow in Poland when the cabin lost pressure and the plane sent out a mayday call, landing safely Sunday morning at Schipol Airport in the Dutch capital, according to British media.
The passengers were seen in pictures and videos from aboard the flight wearing oxygen masks, praying and singing singing Ani Ma’amin, or “I believe” in Hebrew.
None of the 272 passengers and crew was injured in the incident.
Singing ???? #AniManmim
A plane on the way back from Poland full of yiden Lost oxygen 38,000 feet above water plane landed safety in Amsterdam pic.twitter.com/p6VMUEi0em— @Hiemishe (@hiemishe) March 19, 2017
A spokesman for the airline said “there were no injuries amongst the passengers and crew but on arrival the aircraft was met by emergency service personnel as a precaution to ensure the welfare of the passengers.”
The passengers were believed to have chartered the flight to make the pilgrimage to the tombstone of Rabbi Elimelech, one of the founding rabbis of the Hassidic movement, who died in 1787.
Lizhensk is some 50 kilometers from Rzeszow.
The Times of Israel Community.