Jewish Man Wears Plastic Bag on Flight, Photo Goes Viral

Some people practice their religious traditions on flights but a recent incident caught some passengers off guard. An Orthodox Jewish man was photographed completely covered in a plastic bag for the duration of the flight because his religion prevents him from flying over cemeteries.

Passengers were a bit confused when they saw the man covered from head to toe in plastic. It is believed that the man is a Kohein, a religious descendant of the priests of ancient Israel, who are banned from flying over cemeteries, the Daily Mail reports.

As a way to make a compromise with the restriction, many Kohen's wrap themselves in plastic.

However, being that it's not a normal thing to see, a photo of the man, which shows passengers staring at him, has made its way on to the Internet and has gone viral.

The man in the photo is wearing all black and has on a religious cap underneath the plastic covering.

Not everyone agrees with wearing plastic as a compromise for the rule, but some believe that the plastic bag creates a barrier between the person and the surrounding tumah, or impurity.

"In orthodox and Conservative communities, Kohanim are expected to abstain from coming in contact with the dead, which includes a prohibition on visiting cemeteries except for the funerals of close relatives," Rabbi Jeffrey W. Goldwasser explained to the Daily Mail.

However the plastic covering also presents some concerns. For instance, the passenger wouldn't be able to reach an oxygen mask or quickly escape the plane in the event of an emergency. Also, the plastic sheet may make breathing difficult.

According to Jewish newspaper YatedNe'eman, holes in the plastic defeat the purpose of wearing it.

"Only if when the kohein is putting on this bag it accidentally rips can there be some leniency," the article claims. 'Kohanim have a duty to protect their taharah, purity."

For these travelers, flight sometimes go to great lengths to avoid flying over cemeteries by taking specific paths. Airlines may also let passengers know if there is a body on board the plane.

The photo of the man made it on to Reddit, with the caption "An Orthodox Jew in an airplane with women - so he covers himself with a plastic bag..."

In Orthodox Jewish religion, a strict code prevents men and women from mixing in public. On Israeli airline El Al, men have specifically requested to move their seats away from women.

However some users said that wasn't what was going on in the photo of the man in the plastic.

"This has nothing to do with women," a Reddit user wrote. "He is a cohen, descendant from the high holy priests of the temple and they are not allowed to walk into or fly over a cemetery, which would render them impure."

It is not clear what airline the man was on but some believe he was on an El Al aircraft flying out of Tel Aviv, which is surrounded by a number of cemeteries

El Al stopped allowing Orthodox Jews to cover themselves in plastic in 2001 "flight safety considerations do not allow for passengers to board while covered in sealed plastic bags."

In an incident a year later, flight crew got into an argument with a passenger who tried flying while wearing the plastic. The argument got so heated that the plane had to turn around.