New York – A New York Conservative rabbi and lawyer is asking customers to put pressure on airlines to protect female passengers from harassment, following the delay and disruption on a Sept. 28 El Al flight leaving New York City where women were asked to change seats by ultra-Orthodox men.
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Rabbi Iris Richman is cited a federal law on a Facebook post stating that the law prohibits discrimination on flights to and from the United States, reports Haaretz (http://bit.ly/ZrOe5V).
“49 U.S. Code § 40127 – Prohibitions on discrimination a) Persons in Air Transportation.” According to this law, she continued, “An air carrier or foreign air carrier may not subject a person in air transportation to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex or ancestry.”
A petition was put forth by Change.org stating that the Israeli airline allows, “female passengers to be bullied, harassed and intimidated into switching seats which they rightfully paid for and were assigned to.” Approximately 1,200 people have signed the petition.
Richman stated to Haaretz that she spoke to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Aviation Consumer Protection Division, and that, “There are no private damages, but if the Aviation Consumer Protection Division finds that airline personnel were involved in any act of gender (or other impermissible) discrimination against a passenger – they will take action and levy a sanction against a carrier. This applies to any carrier flying to or from the U.S.”
The Department of Transportation confirmed the U.S. Code posted on Richman’s Facebook post.
There is no equivalent law in Israel, but Israel does have an anti-discrimination law.
El Al stated that they deal with complaints individually on a case-by-case basis.
Information taken from Haaretz
Would be a big Kiddush hashem if the ou and the agudah would join the lawsuit.
The good “Rabbi” should also protest , those female passengers who don’t allow the person in front of them to recline their seat ,on an 11hr flight !!! And please no “bleeding heart liberal ” comments .You try sitting straight for so long ,& pay $1600.00 for such behavior !!!
This is a very weak argument.
Ashkanazim always causing problems.
Kol Hakavod to this woman, may she be matzliach in her efforts!
Asking a women to change seats because the the passenger nearby is a man and does not want to sit near a women could be understandably offensive to the women and can possibly be considered discrimination.
Instead, the MAN NEEDS TO BE THE ONE SWITCHING PLACES with a different passenger that agrees to sit near the women. In this case, even tough it could still be insulting to the women passenger it can not be considered discriminating because the man is the one changing seats.
People have to behave on a plane. Period.
Good
It’s truly amazing that I have never seen a frum passenger requesting a change of seat on a domestic flight because of this issue. Also, when planes take off from JFK, one of the flight paths goes directly over Elmont Cemetery, which is not only Jewish but contains the kevorim of many Admorim. I have yet to see anyone refusing to fly because of this issue, nor have I see anyone wearing a plastic bag to protect himself from the tumah arising from the cemetery
waste of time, this has nothing to do with el al. the people who do it on a elal do it on delta, united and aa
they just don’t want to sit next to women period…no matter how many laws you pass they’ll still continue to offer money or ask nicely or simply be obnoxious
Seems to me that the people on this flight forgot what “kiddush hashem” and “derech eretz kadmah latorah” actaually mean. Who cares what type of jew or rabbi brought up this debate. Someone has to stand up for human decency and rabbi richman did just that.
theres no way she can prove it discrimination, because those who know even ezr will prove otherwise. we just as good lawyers. this maysis n madiach
I have no issue with someone not wanting to sit next to a woman or anyone else but if you don’t want to sit next to someone then YOU can move, there’s no excuse for inconveniencing someone else for something you want. That being said, this lawsuit is a worthless waste of time but not because women shouldn’t be nagged into switching seats.
Also, does no one else see a tremendous issue with A) Someone blowing shofar on an airplane and B) the number of shofros being blown simultaneously?
Do those blowing the shofar not recognize the cost and effect of the minhag of blowing a shofar during elul vs. the massive chilul hashem of waking up a sleeping passenger with the blast of a rams horn? PLEASE THINK ABOUT YOUR ACTIONS!!!
I fly a lot w ElAl they never tell anyone to move from 1 seat to another, they might ask if someone wants to change voluntary which is no problem, never is anyone being bullied around
How is it discrimination to ask people to change seats? If my daughters were on a flight and a male were seated next to them, I would ask them to change flights too. Some people observe more chumras when it comes to tznius. It may not be someone else’s chumra, but why not accomodate their beliefs and change seats if they are uncomfortable with their seating arrangement? When I went on a plane, two heavy set people were seated next to each other and I was in a third seat and I offered to change seats with one of them when they started up with each other because their seating was uncomfortable for them.
BS”D
I travel with my wife and when we don’t travel Business, we sit on the two end seats of the middle section of 4. If a woman sits on the 3rd seat over, my wife sits next to her and I sit on the aisle seat; if a man sits on the 3rd seat, I sit next to him and my wife sits on the aisle seat.
Shalom Al Yisroel
I am delighted by this lawsuit !!! & hope the the USA enforces it, so that finally the thousands of chasidim flying the mechalel Shabbos ELAL , come to their collective senses & Boycott this charedi hating airline.
I have flown to Eretz Yisroel a few dozen times with United, a couple of times with Delta & only once with ElAL.
The only instance I observed this as being a issue was the “Jewish” ElAL, even when the request was done curteously & with respect, wheras on the other airlines it was never a problem.
I flew to EY this winter with United & my potential seatmate was an elderly secular lady who is a professor at Princton University, I politley asked her if she would mind to switch her seat, after questioning me as to why I would want switch, she patiently listened to my reason, then commented,
I usually fly with ELAL & when once had this requested from me the stewerdess told me NOT to oblige…..
Forget The Plastic Bags. Just Put Them Into Tupperware, And Enjoy The Flight.
Derech eretz kodmus letorah. kavod ha brios is also a mitzvah . Putting oneself in a plastic bag is absurd . as the airplane is a sealed place.therefore tumah does not come into the picture. These frum people keep on standing to pray on a plane when it has been paskined over and over that you must sit while dovening in a moving plane
Was blowing the shofar a problem in an enclosed space? Must have been very loud. I noticed that many people were blowing. Could one person blowing have been enough??? We should all have safe and happy travels this coming year.
I looked up this rabbit and i was right. She is the leading ANTI SHOMER TORAH UMITZVOS RABBIT out there. Her name is on everything. That being said, after seeing a picture of her then excusing myself to vomit for 15 minutes, I would guarantee that no one would change their seat when sitting next to her because she is sooooo menuvel it cant be described.
The ones who would move away would be the women v’hamayvin yovin!
Rabbi? What Rabbi?