Woman Sues Airline After Being Asked to Move Seats for Man
Man said the Torah wouldn't allow him to sit next to a woman.
A Times report from last year found incidences of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men refusing to sit next to women on flights are on the rise, with the paper highlighting a number of such instances. The Israel Religious Action Center, a liberal advocacy group, has been waiting for the right case to come along in order to sue El Al for discrimination. They found that case with Rabinowitz. When a flight attendant offered her a new seat, she briefly argued with the other passenger before giving in and moving. The lawsuit claims she felt pressured by the flight attendant. Upon hearing about the lawsuit, El Al offered Rabinowitz a $200 discount on her next flight. They're going to court instead. “The idea of having a [ultra-Orthodox] population is wonderful, as long as they don’t tell me what to do,” Rabinowitz says.
http://www.newser.com/story/221225/woman-sues-airline-after-being-asked-to-move-seats-for-man.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=earthlink&utm_campaign=rss_topnews
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Perhaps El Al should just section off their airplanes into seating areas for only Orthodox, ultra-Orthodox, Reform, etc, like airlines used to for smoking and non-smoking? Either way, I think she will win her lawsuit and should.
I hope she wins too. This has gone on long enough.
Wow. Talk about discrimination!
I hope she wins!!!
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Hello, my sweet friend PJ!!! I am alive and well! Hope that you are the same!!! Love you!!!
Agreed insofar as the Orthodox goes, but in case you didn't know, Randy, Reform Jews are not pushy about their belief.
Good for her. Your sure that he wasn't a religious/right wing/zealot/tea party member?
Pathetic. Really pathetic.
I agree, good for her! Besides HE was the one who had the problem with the seating arrangement, so why did SHE have to be the one to move? She didn't have any problem sitting next to him, so if he didn't like her sitting next to him then he should have been the one made to move!
I totally agree Randy, and I hope she wins.
And this is another example of what's wrong with religion and the stupid people that accommodate them.
Not really. It's what's wrong with extremists and those that enable them. Religion is not required.
I stand corrected sir Cerenkov. :o)
Hah! Well said Pat.
Since I despise ALL forms of fanatical extremism I hope this woman wins her case. She should have resisted having to move and made the asshole stand the whole way (about 13 hours). I have flown El Al myself, and resented the manner in which the Orthodox Jews allowed their children to run up and down the aisle, screaming and physically bothering the other passengers. Their superiority complex is unwarranted.
Unfortunately I now see America pandering on many levels to extremists.
Ya know,...
..., if there was ever a call for a knee to the groin.....
..., if there was ever a call for a knee to the groin.....
Ya, but that involves violence and probably litigation. Better to go the Rosa Parks route and basically say "fuck you" I'm not moving !!!"
Ya, right on.
I hope she wins and wins big!
Maybe the guy doesn't get out often and was surprised woman were allowed on airplanes./s
Considering my former occupation, I almost always side with the airlines in regard to passenger complaints. In this case, however, I'm on the side of Ms. Rabinowitz. On an American carrier, Mr. Ultra Orthodox would need to buy out an entire row of seats if he wanted to control his own Private Idahoenstein.
I remember the first time I encountered a rather devout young man on one of my LA - NY flights. I bet he jumped up into the aisle and prayed every 10 minutes. Thank goodness we were on a wide-body with double aisle forward-aft access, because that guy wasn't letting anyone step around him until he finished his last bow. What bothered me more, was that he flat-out refused to interact with the female f/a's. I'm not talking about 'Hey handsome man, I really like that hat and those curls, so let's meet for a drink when I'm back in town.' I mean: Sir, would you care for a beverage? Complete silence. Sir? Silence. Excuse me, sir? Dirty look followed by more silence. Lucky for him, he managed to find his manners and his voice when we skipped over him during the meal service. He was helft a fartsn away from losing his Kosher vetshere to one of the pilots.
Hah! Great story, Sister Mary.
Why did she agree to move? She should have said no and then vigorously ignored the man and the flight attendant. The lawsuit would have been a slam dunk in her favor if they removed her from the plane for it.
"Why did she agree to move?"
Because she's a better person than he is.