‘Humiliation’: Woman ‘yelled’ at by airline for refusing to change seat for ultra-Orthodox man
'A United crew member yelled at me that the flight to NYC won’t take off because of me after I refused to move,' Neria Kraus said.
A female passenger on a United Airlines flight from Israel to New York said she was yelled at by a flight attendant after she refused to accommodate an ultra-orthodox passengers’ request for her to change seats because he didn’t want to sit next to a woman.
Neria Kraus, who works as a reporter for Channel 13, said she was “humiliated” and felt discriminated against by the airline and the ultra-orthodox passengers.
“A United crew member yelled at me that the flight to NYC won’t take off because of me – after I refused to Ultra Orthodox passengers’ request to change my seat. I was told the flight might touch down in Egypt and it would be my fault. What a humiliating event for me as a woman,” Kraus tweeted.
United Airlines responded to her tweet, saying: “Hi there, Neria. We deeply apologise for this interaction and would like to look into this further. When you have a moment, please DM your confirmation number and further information about this situation.”
The man who Kraus claimed asked her to move seats told a different version of the story after they landed, saying he only asked her to move seats so that his son could sit next to his friend.
A @united crew member yelled at me that the flight to NYC won’t take off because of me – after I refused to Ultra Orthodox passengers’ request to change my seat. I was told the flight might touch down in Egypt and it would be my fault. What a humiliating event for me as a woman.
— נריה קראוס Neria Kraus (@NeriaKraus) August 15, 2023
“First she was friendly, but I had a cap on and when I took it off she saw my yarmulka she started asking if I wanted her to move because she was a woman. She started screaming ‘discrimination’,” the man said afterwards.
טוב גבירותיי ורבותיי כתבת חדשות 13 נריה קראוס סיפרה אתמול ש״חרדים רצו שהיא תעבור מקום בטיסה בגלל שהיא אישה״, היא צילמה את האדם הזה שהוא בעל משפחה ואדם מאד מוכר בברוקלין, הציוץ שלה הגיע למעל מליון צפיות וגם להחברים שלו שנדהמו ופנו אליי במשך כל היום, ״אין סיכוי, הבן אדם הזה מארח… pic.twitter.com/KkC4M1aYKP
— daniel amram – דניאל עמרם (@danielamram3) August 16, 2023
Kraus refuted the man’s claim, calling it a “lie” and that they “explicitly stated that they did not want to sit next to me.”
“Every time a woman complains about exclusion, she is attacked as being against Judaism. Gross lie There is no connection between the humiliation of women and Judaism. Who saw a hat or no hat on the man’s head. Gross lie, slander and complete fake,” she added.
The issue of ultra-orthodox men not wanting to sit next to women on flights to and from Israel has become an increasingly frequent phenomenon.
The incident on United Airlines came a day after a group of teenage girls were asked to sit in the back of a bus in Israel in order not to offend ultra-orthodox passengers with their clothes.
Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned the incident after the video of the bus driver’s offensive behaviour went viral in Israeli media.
“Israel is a free country in which no one will restrict who can use public transportation, and no one will dictate where she or he will sit,” Netanyahu said.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
