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Opinion L.A.

Opinion: Prayers and panic in the air

By Michael McGough
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Even given post-9/11 edginess, the crew of an Alaska Airlines flight from Mexico City to L.A. shouldn’t have been spooked by the sight of three Orthodox Jews praying wearing tefillin, or phylacteries. Concerned by an unfamiliar sight, the crew notified the tower at LAX and the three passengers were greeted when they landed by police and agents of the FBI and Customs and Border Protection.

Irish Catholic that I am, I still would have recognized what the Jewish passengers were doing. I’m surprised that flight attendants would be so clueless.

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I have some problems with diversity training, but the airlines clearly need to acquaint their staff with the customs of various faiths. Next time, it could be an elderly woman praying the rosary who causes a panic.

--Michael McGough

Opinion L.A.
Michael McGough

Michael McGough is the Los Angeles Times’ former senior editorial writer, based in Washington, D.C. He wrote editorials for The Times from 2006 to 2021. Before that, McGough worked for 30 years for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as a reporter, editorial writer, editorial page editor and Washington correspondent. He wrote about law, national security, politics, foreign policy and religion. McGough is a graduate of Allegheny College and also attended the University of Kent at Canterbury in England and Yale Law School, where he received a master of studies in law degree.

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