LY Security questions - having some fun
 

Everyone has read about the famous EL AL security, and all the questions they ask. Well, after being peppered with conversational questions, the LY security was perplexed that someone like me (non-Orthodox) knew so much about 'typical' things. I won't mention these things in the interest of security.

I did ask/suggest that the security guard go to a xxx shul on Shabbat. That met with a big smile. Next.

At a European station, it was interesting to observe gate security. Young, old. Male, female. Single or couple. There was no rhyme or reason to how long security questioned you. ^

Interesting thing about EL AL security. They NEVER asked me too many questions and always let me through pretty quickly. I even got to go inside the cockpit on the B744 a few times while the plane was in the air between NYC and TLV when I was a gold with Matmid back during the late 1990s when gold was the highest status you could get.

With that said, I've also seen EL AL security take people out of line and to a back room somewhere. Always wondered what went on in those back rooms.

I think it is safe to say that the length of your questions depend upon the type of answers you give.

On trip advisor I've seen a handful complaining that they are taken to a back room for additional questions ( no whips, chains or truncheons) Interestingly these are sometimes people who have visited not so friendly countries, sometimes Muslims and sometimes people with attitude--since they write on TA how upset they are at the young girl (or boy) who questioned them and then didn't believe them and what could a "kid" know about security anyway!

Or who you are. Just ask Maestro Gustavo Dudamel or former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala.

Like US' border control (DHS/customs) never really got the hang of treating Israeli's citizens born in Iran, including ex-minister of Defense, Mofaz, or very famous singer Rita.

Got asked last time in TLV, the source of my family name (a distinctive Ashkenazi name). I guess it's because it was empty (just before midnight), and the trainer was trying to show something to the trainee.

Try being a born in New Zealand, blond blue eyed man, who lives in Australia but speaks fleunt Hebrew and looks totally unlike the traditional view of a person who is no stranger to an Orthodox Shul.

Its always fun to watch the look on their face as I answer there questions in Hebrew.

Don't advertise that too much, they might try and recruit you in the mossad.

They get perplexed when I tell them I spent a year at a yeshiva but I'm clean shaven and don't have a kippa.

Inasmuch as I know plenty of people who have learned --who have smicha etc. etc. and are clean shaven--I do not know why this perplexes them--unless you are reading them incorrectly!

I get "you don't look like you went to a yeshiva" all the time so I don't think I'm reading them incorrectly, since I'm not reading anything.

It's fun to get the trainees. Their line of question is for the most part so robotic on El Al. When you get the trainee, you can say, "Now ask me xxx" or "you forgot to ask yyy" :)

I had a trainee this week whose supervisor interviewed me first and then came and told the trainee what she should have asked but didn't (that he already knew from his interview of me). The funny part was that he asked me questions I didn't know the answer to. When I told him what school my kids went to he asked me what the school name was an acronym for and I didn't know!

I had a trainee once. I think i was his first person ever. He asked one or two questions, tags my bags and tells me to have a good trip. ( I could have told him all the questions he forgot to ask :rolleyes: ) Anyway, the person doing the training interrupts and tells me, "one moment please ma'am" and takes the guy aside and they have this back and forth conversation for a few minutes. He comes back and the trainee says to me, "you don't mind if I ask a few more questions" Tempted to say, I do -- I said, of course not! He then asked me all the questions that he forgot to ask. They both thanked me for my patience at which point I replied, "no problem, everyone has to start someplace" It was actually all very funny!

Hey Everyone,

Perhaps we should be mindful not to get too specific pertaining to our run ins with EL AL and Ben Gurion Airport security for obvious reasons.