London – A Liverpool Universities Chabad Rabbi is demanding an apology after he was told to remove his shoes upon entering a multi-faith prayer room at Heathrow Airport in London.
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THEJC.com (http://bit.ly/1kN8ZTD) reports that Rabbi Shmuli Brown said he sought out the airport’s multi-faith prayer facility to say his morning prayers while waiting for his connecting flight to Manchester when he was accosted by a “uniformed” person who demanded that he remove his shoes, a practice typically followed when entering a mosque.
Brown said he questioned the authoritative figure—reminding him of the “multi-faith” nature of the facility, but was again told to remove his shoes.
“He gave me an uncomfortable feeling and made me feel very unwelcome, so I left the room,” Brown said.
Brown said he reported the incident to Heathrow’s Jewish chaplain, Rabbi Hershi Vogel, who told him this wasn’t the first time such an incident had occurred.
In demanding an apology, Brown said, “I want Heathrow to issue a public statement and make it very clear that this is a multi-faith room that caters for all religions, and is not just a mosque.”
What is it with Chabad where ever they are they must show that they are not like a typical Golus Yid?
And lets not forget that if not for Lubavitch the concept the idea of Misnachlim wouldn’t probably exist.Supporting and fighting with Arabs day in and day out.Living in the most dangerous territory on planet earth.
Chabad does so much good and its too bad they like to show “im not a Golus Yid”
At their Ohel these rabbis also remove their shoes
…but they do take off their shoes at “his” Ohel; guess a preferred different faith from ours.
I’m sure that if and when Rabbi Brown visits the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s kever, he would remove his shoes, and expect others to do the same.
Take off your shoes. What’s the big deal. And yea it’s a multi faith room, so have some respect for the other faiths that use it and take off your shoes.
If this has been a Shull i would Daven as it suppose to be in a Shull.
This is not a Shull. Its a place where everyone can pray. If i dont like what somebody tells me how to pray in a “multi-faith prayer facility” I would of gone in a corner somewhere and Daven.
A proud Jew doesn’t mean to make noise wherever you go. A proud Jew needs to be modest and not to make noise.
Idiots missed the point of this article, the multi-faith room is being high jacked and taken over by Muslims as is the whole world including the whitehouse.
A frum yid shouldn’t be danvening in such a place, it’s like davening in a church, challiah
I can imagine that any self respecting Christian would have made the same complaint that since this is an interfaith place of worship it does not allow for pubic accommodation to any particular faith, whether a cross, a Aron Hakodesh or the practice of removing shoes. Has got nothing to do with Lubavitch, except they are
never shy of speaking up.
I agree with #18 . The Lubavitch individual should not be davening in a place, where other faiths are praying, as it is tantamount to praying in a church.
Is it allowed to pray in such a room? Avdei avodah zarah use that same room to worship their gods, I think that pasuls the room as much as a church
I happened to daven in this room at Heathrow a couple of years ago waiting for an early morning flight. There was an ante room there with what looked like a very low shower (to wash feet?) and a shelf with a number of mats rolled up.
Inside was a larger room with benches around the walls but no decorations or symbols. Nobody entered while I was there, but I did not feel comfortable.
Coming back home I asked a shailah if I should have davened there. I was told that it was OK according to halachah, but according to kabbalah it would be better not to daven there.
I remember learning as a young child just the opposite. U are not allowed to daven shmoina esrei without shoes on.
You are getting confused. It is an empty room where people can pray so you don’t have the situation of people doing “strange” things all over the airport. Would you doven there if there was a big cross on the front wall? Would you demand others to wear a yarmulke? No religion should be enforcing a custom on others. If not acceptable then go and make your own room to pray in. Taking shoes off at the Rebbe’s grave is totally irrelevant. L’havdil I take off my shoes to have a shower, what does that prove?
There is no minhag to remove shoes at a kever. This is a pagan custom that is not known amongst Jews. Nobody removes their shoes in Meron, Lizhensk, Tzefas, Vilednik, Kever Rochel or any other of the kevorim revered by Jews. They never have. I don’t believe that Chabad people do it at any other kever other than their leader.
And the existence of Chabad houses or Chabad kiruv does not make their customs any better. It is not all or nothing.
Does anyone remember several years ago when the old Pope was visiting EY and planned to got to the kosel and some lunatic Rav in charge of the Kosel area initially requested that the “groise galach not show up wearing a tzelem” o ut of respect for the kadushah of the plaza in front of the Kosel? Well, the kosel area is also important to the Muslims and Christians. Just take your shoes off and shut up….
I was at LHR (Heathrow) a couple of years ago catching an early flight and also walked into this multi-faith prayer room to daven. At first it was empty but then some muslims streamed in whilst I was wearing my taalis and tefillin, I’m not sure whether they identified me as a Jew or not but I felt extremely uncomfortable by their occasional stares.
On another note, I was once on a stopover in Frankfurt, Germany and there wasn’t a multi-faith prayer room, so during the waiting period for my connecting flight to (Lezansk) Poland, in the terminal, I’m standing there in my taalis and tefillin with gazillions of people streaming by, imagine, if you will, a yid clad in taalis and tefillin in the heart of a busy German airport. REVENGE IS SWEET!
This Brown guy is just looking for attention; he should be ignored.
This has nothing to do with Chabad in general, still less the burial site of the last Lubavitcher Rebbe z”l.
The question here is really very simple. The nine multi-faith prayer rooms at Heathrow Airport [for locations see: http://www.heathrow.com/airport-guide/terminal-facilities-and-services/prayer-rooms-and-chapel#%5D – are under the jurisdiction of the airport owner and operator Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited. If that company requires visitors to the rooms – where I have been many times and never seen any notices with any such requirement – then visitors have to take their shoes off or not use the room. If there is no such rule made by the only authority who can make it, you can keep your shoes on. Hopefully the official Heathrow Chaplain, Rabbi Hershi Vogel, can ensure there is a prominent notice on Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited letter head paper put up saying either “Please remove your shoes when entering this room ” or “There is no requirement to remove your shoes when entering this room “. If you are not required to remove your shoes and anyone asks you to do so, just politely decline.
Most of these comments lose sight of the simple issue here. It is up to each individual to decide whether they want to use the multi-faith room, after consulting with his or her Rov if he or she wishes so to do. The issue here is whether one faith, Islam, where they pray without their shoes on, and its adherents set the ground rules and whether the room owner agrees that people of all faiths should be asked to remove their shoes. The only connection Chabad has this is that the Heathrow Jewish Chaplain is a member of Chabad and he should be pursuing this so that this situation does not arise again.