A cancellation "to avoid desecrating Shabbat" only exempts the airline from the fixed cash compensation. Your refund, the assistance and your expenses remain.
What the law says
Israel’s Aviation Services Law lists three cases in which an airline doesn’t have to pay the fixed compensation for a cancelled flight. One of them: the flight was cancelled to avoid desecrating Shabbat or a Jewish holiday. That happens, for example, when a Friday flight from New York runs late and can no longer land before candle-lighting.
What you keep, even then
- Your choice of a full refund or an alternative ticket. The airline must offer you that choice.
- Assistance: food and drink, a hotel if you’re stuck abroad for Shabbat, transfers and phone calls.
- Your out-of-pocket expenses when the airline didn’t provide assistance – keep every receipt.
Turned down a replacement that lands on Shabbat?
The law protects a passenger who declined an alternative flight because religious, security or medical reasons prevented accepting it. In a 2026 case against KLM, two Shabbat-observant passengers refused a replacement that would have landed in Israel on Shabbat. The court held that refusing didn’t cost them their rights, and each received ILS 3,580 plus expenses.
What if a technical fault caused the delay?
Sometimes a flight is delayed by a technical or crew problem, and only because of that delay can it no longer make it before Shabbat. Passengers argue the exemption shouldn’t apply then, because the real cause was within the airline’s control. A case on exactly this question – El Al LY48 from JFK – is pending, so the point isn’t settled yet.
What to do
- Ask the airline in writing for the reason for the cancellation.
- Ask for a refund or an alternative ticket – your choice.
- Keep receipts for hotels, kosher food and taxis, and claim them.
- If the delay started with a technical fault, keep every message and consider claiming compensation too.
General information, not legal advice. EinTisa is not a law firm.