Orthodox Jewish Couple Sues Jetblue Airlines for ‘Antisemitism’ After Being Kicked Off Flight – VINnews

Rabbi Avraham Lunger and his wife, Miriam Lunger, were removed from the flight after the rabbi informed flight crew that, as an Orthodox Jew, he is ‘unable to sit next to a woman unless she is a blood relative or his wife’, according to a report quoting the lawsuit filing.

The incident took place on a December 31st red eye from Palm Springs to New York’s JFK Airport, when the elderly Orthodox Jewish man tried to take an apparently vacant seat in order to avoid sitting next to an unrelated female passenger in his assigned spot. After being told by a flight attendant that he couldn’t stay in the seat, the Jewish man tried sitting in a different spot, only to be rebuffed a second time. Attempts by his traveling companions, two Orthodox women, to explain the man’s religious concerns fell on deaf ears, prompting passenger Ron Passaro to voluntarily trade seats to accommodate the Jewish man’s request.

During the incident, the plane’s captain is allegedly heard on a recording saying it would create a ‘weight imbalance’ for the man to switch seats.

According to the complaint, ‘Mr Lunger waited patiently in his seat to see if the seat next to him would be taken by a man or a woman.’

‘When a woman went to sit in seat 18B, Mr Lunger quietly got up from his seat and stood in the aisle in order to adhere to his religious beliefs and not sit next to a female passenger.’

The complaint alleges that ‘before Mr Lunger could ask someone to switch seats with him’ the flight attendant identified as Jane Doe ‘yelled at Mr Lunger to go back to his seat’.

He informed her of his religious beliefs but the attendant ‘refused to accept that explanation and attempted to prevent Mr Lunger from switching seats with another passenger who had agreed to switch seats’.

The complaint says:

‘At no time while Mr Lunger was trying to observe his religious beliefs, did he force, become loud, or use a stern voice to intimidate any other passengers into changing seats with him,’ according to the complaint. The pilot was called to the incident and then ‘falsely told the plaintiffs that they could not change seats because it was a violation and it would cause a weight imbalance.’

‘The seat change that Mr Lunger attempted to do was on the same side of the aircraft, just a few rows in front of his original seat,’ the suit adds. It further claims that the ‘man who offered to change seats was physically very similar in weight to Mr Lunger’.

‘The pilot came out to speak to Mr Lunger, who had changed seats, and to Mrs Lunger and Mrs Ungar who had only tried to explain Mr Lunger’s need to switch seats to Defendant Doe. The pilot told the three Plaintiffs, “Sorry, you have to get off the plane. The crew members don’t feel safe flying with you. The flight will not leave with you on the plane”. The only individuals kicked off of the flight were the plaintiffs who were each dressed in clothing, which readily identified them as Orthodox Jews.

‘Even though other passengers, who were not dressed in Orthodox Jewish Attire, had switched seats on the plane, either with Mr Lunger or someone else, only the plaintiffs were kicked off the plane. Even though Mrs Lunger and Mrs Ungar had not been falsely accused of causing a weight imbalance by switching seats, like Mr Lunger had been, JetBlue and the pilot still kicked them off the plane. Another passenger, who was not dressed in Orthodox Jewish Attire, had also objected to Mr Lunger being denied the ability to observe his religion, but she was not kicked off the flight like Mrs Lunger and Mrs Ungar.’

The Lungers are named as plaintiffs in the case along with Brucha Ungar, who was traveling with them and was also removed from the flight following the incident.

JetBlue is named as the defendant along with a female flight attendant, who is referred to as Jane Doe because her identity remains unknown.