Its a good question. Unlike the Amish, who are an individual sect with no 'supporters' on the outside, Orthodox Judaism is a spectrum of observancy from those who just about go to the synagogue once a year, to those who try to perform or observe every ordinance in the good book (and a few more besides) in the belief that doing so brings them closer to God.
We also practice the religion under the gaze of rabbis. Each rabbi has his own take on the rules and regulations of the religion and the Torah commands us to 'find yourself a rabbi'. So some rabbis are more lenient on particular issues than others, and some are significantly stricter. Various ultra orthodox Hasidic Jews belong to sects where the rabbinical leader of the sect has far more sway with his followers than the Pope does over the Catholics.
Judaism, also does not shun the modern world, it simply accepts it, but limits the interaction and those limits are determined by the sect leaders or the community rabbis. Hence, some communities will have no internet in the home, no TV, only basic cellphones (so no smart phones). However they are happy for other people to use them and to use them for their benefit. So a travel agent can use all the technology necessary to book a ticket for an non-internet using Jew. These Jews will frequently work within the community as teachers or even in regular jobs but within Jewish owned businesses. They will have bank accounts and own investments. In fact many orthodox Jews are big property investors mainly because it does not take all day to manage your property and the time saved is spent on charitable work or in the pursuit of further religious study.
The ultimate goal of ultra orthodox Jews is to spend as much time as possible in the study of religious texts. The morning prayers say that a person will get a great reward in the next world for things like supporting widows and orphans, helping a bride get married, encouraging attendance at synagogues three times a day, making peace between neighbours etc etc, but the greatest reward is simply for the study of the Torah and its commentaries.
With this concept in mind you can see how their personal religious requirements are paramount and nothing will get in their way of observing all the minutiae of the religion even if it means upsetting other people. They have lost sight of the bigger picture to be a Jew - We are meant to be a Light unto the Nations, and few of us achieve that, although I try to be the person 'who does the right thing'.
You will frequently find that the people who caused the fuss on the El Al flight would rarely do it so vigorously if there were more non-Jews present. They do have this tendency to assume that because you don't wear their garb you are obviously a non-believer, even if you have your head covered (like me). I wear jeans, T-shirt and yarmulke. When these people want something doing in my line of business I get the call, even if the Sabbath is about to start. They don't care that I also want to stop work and celebrate - as long as they have it off their desk.
At the end of the day, my circle call them the Fundamentalists and the Taliban, because although they are not blood thirsty murderers, their basic worldview is little different to those who are currently causing mayhem in the Middle and Near East. All I can do is behave in such a way so as to present a far better view of Jews to non-Jews than the Ultra-Orthodox and hope that because of me, people like Cabin Crew etc don't think that the EasyJet MAN- TLV flight is not the worst flight to work on.
PS - if you are cabin crew on the flight on Monday - come and find me!