A frum couple has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines after they were kicked off a flight for standing up for their Jewish beliefs and refusing to place a tallis bag on the floor.
Roberto and Elana Birman were returning to New York from Florida in August when the incident occurred.
According to the couple, they had placed the tallis bag in the overhead bin when a flight attendant took it out, handed it to them, and demanded they place it on the floor beneath their seats to clear up overhead bin space.
When Roberto explained that he couldn’t because it was a religious item, the flight attendant allegedly told them, “it doesn’t matter.”
The couple adds that the flight attendant yelled and pointed her finger at them during the exchange.
“I couldn’t believe this was happening to me in America,” Roberto, who immigrated to the US from Argentina in 1985, told the NY Post. “We use these items every single day to pray.”
“Nobody said a word. Nobody defended us. It was embarrassing,” Elana said.
The couple was subsequently escorted off the plane and forced to miss their flight. They are now suing American Airlines for unspecified damages.
“My clients were ejected from the flight based on the prejudices and complete lack of sensitivity of American Airlines employees for reasons wholly unrelated to security,” their lawyer, Brad Gerstman, said. “The flight attendant and pilot’s conduct was as offensive as it was illogical.”
American Airlines said it is reviewing the lawsuit.
Source: (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
