[img]96|left|||no_popup[/img]Dateline Jerusalem – I am home in Israel at last, having traveled more than 8,000 miles over the Polar Route from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv. Much to my surprise, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) did not perform its usual invasive physical search of my body this time. Still, I was pulled out of line, unlike other passengers, to stand in front of what appeared to be an x-ray machine, but what was in fact a full body scanner using allegedly low levels of either radiation or x-rays. The result is a picture that looks like a nude image of me. My shoeless feet were placed on painted feet on the floor, my arms held high above my head with hands clasped together, as the machine and all those viewing it got a close up of my body. That, in itself , is pretty invasive. If I were a young woman with a decent figure, I would have been outraged at the audacity of it. I rationalized that those in TSA who get their kicks from viewing fat old women on their screens deserve the view of me, pounds heavier than when I left Israel. However, I much preferred this method of search to that of TSA employees pawing my body as they have done in the past. Modesty and privacy no longer exist when I travel. I resent being pulled out of line every time I fly. No alarms ever go off on the metal detectors, but I still get singled out.
Once again TSA decided to search my checked baggage. Supposedly all baggage is inspected but only random ones are actually opened and physically inspected, according to the notice of baggage inspection left inside my luggage. Since both of my checked bags were opened, I wonder about the randomness of this process. I must be on someone’s list. It seems unusual that my baggage and body get searched every time I fly when it does not happen to my friends or relatives. TSA is known for its inability to catch terrorists, probably because they search innocent people like me instead of profiling those known to do harm. I never have problems with El Al, Israel's national airline. They are known for ferreting out terrorists and for being the most security conscious airline in the world. But El Al and Israel do not care about being politically correct or offending those they know are likely to cause problems. However, I am willing to undergo TSA's special treatement to have a safe flight. I just wish they would be as conscientious with other passengers.
That Was Strange
This flight home was different in that passengers on my flight were sent to a gate with no jet in sight. We boarded tram-like buses that took us to what appeared to be a miniature satellite airport ‘way on the outskirts of LAX where a solo jet stood like an island in a sea of concrete runways. Needless to say, the transport of passengers by bus delayed the flight by 45 minutes. My friend who took me to the airport told me she never had seen so many police cars, checkpoints and armed airport police. Something must have been up to cause such security measures.
Other than that, I had a wonderful, uneventful flight to Israel, thank G-d. Although over 15 hours non-stop, time seemed to pass quickly, and all of a sudden we were ready to land. But the 10-hour time difference between California and Israel and the length of the flight have made me tired.
L'hitraot. Shachar