1 min read
There’s something about the story of easyJet selling bacon sandwiches on its Tel Aviv flights which really rubs me up the wrong way.
Passenger Victor Kaufman believes easyJet were “insensitive” and need “a lesson or two on cultural awareness”.
Get a grip.
The affair reminds me of the totally unnecessary complaints made to Marks and Spencer last year over a lingerie advert .
Let’s get the facts straight - easyJet is a non-Jewish airline running a business for profit. It has made the step to offer Hermolis’ meals on its Tel Aviv flights so that kosher-keeping Jewish customers don’t have to go more than five hours without something to eat.
For crying out loud they have even adopted a policy of not offering pork products on flights to Israel.
They have made an unfortunate one-off mistake in selling a few bacon baguettes and ham melts on a flight, and promptly apologised for it.
If El Al were dishing up milk-braised pork with crackling and roast potatoes for dinner I could understand there would be some rather unhappy punters.
Why shouldn’t non-Jewish passengers on a non-Jewish airline be able to eat what they want?
Are we really so sensitive that if someone else is eating a ham sandwich we have to rise up in anger and damn a company which is doing a pretty decent job of offering British Jews an alternative to extortionately-priced flights to the Holy Land?
There are pressing issues that need to be taken seriously, dealt with in a substantial and proper fashion – the rise of antisemitism in Britain, extremism on campuses, revolution across the Arab world.
Moaning about a few sarnies does the British Jewish community no favours.