Rabbi and wife sue JetBlue after they were removed from Palm Springs to New York flight by ‘antisemitic’ plane crew who ‘refused to allow him to switch seats for religious reasons’

A rabbi and his wife have sued JetBlue over claims they were kicked off a flight from Palm Springs to New York by “anti-Semitic” staff after requesting a seat change for religious purposes.

Abraham Lunger and his wife, Miriam Lunger, were removed from the plane after the rabbi informed the flight crew that as an Orthodox Jew, he “cannot sit next to a woman unless she is a blood relative or his wife,” according to the lawsuits. states.

Mr. Lunger had been assigned a seat next to a female passenger and was asked to sit next to his wife or another man.

But instead of allowing the transfer, a confrontation ensued between the Lungers and the flight crew, who were accused of rejecting the request outright and then removing the couple from the plane.

During the incident, a male passenger offered to sit next to Mr Lunger to resolve the problem, but the plane’s captain said this would cause a ‘weight imbalance’, it is claimed.

Abraham Lunger and his wife, Miriam Lunger, were removed from the plane after the rabbi informed the flight crew that as an Orthodox Jew, he “cannot sit next to a woman unless she is a blood relative or his wife.” The staff refused to comply with the request and instead removed them from the plane, a lawsuit alleges. Stock photo

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

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

The airline, which has been accused of “malicious (and) intentional” religious and racial discrimination, told DailyMail.com that it is “proud to serve millions of customers from many different backgrounds every year.”

“We do our best to meet the various requests from our customers while ensuring that all customers receive the experience they expect from JetBlue. Due to ongoing litigation, we will have no further comment,” a statement from JetBlue said.

According to the complaint, filed in New York on Feb. 27, the Lungers and Ms. Ungar were scheduled to travel on JetBlue Flight 2050 from Palm Springs International Airport to JFK on Dec. 31, 2023.

They are described in the lawsuit as Orthodox Jews who observe the traditions of the faith, including through their clothing and appearance.

Mr. Lunger, described by his attorney as a “respected rabbi,” and Ms. Lunger, who works with girls with special needs and serves lunch at a school, had tickets for one reservation. Ms. Ungar, a childcare provider, had a ticket on a separate reservation.

“Due to his religious beliefs, Mr. Lunger cannot sit next to a woman unless she is a blood relative or his wife,” the complaint said.

‘Mr Lunger had no relatives on the run, so the only woman his religious beliefs allowed him to sit next to was his wife.

“Upon arriving at the gate before boarding the flight, Ms. Lunger asked the JetBlue ticket agent if Mr. Lunger could sit next to her, or at least not next to another woman, due to his religious modesty.”

The agent said they “attempted to change their seats on the plane and make arrangements with other passengers” if the seats did not meet those needs, according to the lawsuit.

The couple sat apart, with Mr Lunger in 18A and his wife in 21B.

“Mr. Lunger waited patiently in his seat to see if the seat next to him would be occupied by a man or a woman,” the complaint said.

“When a woman sat down in seat 18B, Mr. Lunger quietly rose from his seat and stood in the aisle 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.”

“While Mr. Lunger attempted to adhere to his religious beliefs, at no time did he force himself, become loud, or use a stern voice to intimidate other passengers into switching seats with him,” the complaint said, that passengers ‘often’ change seats on airplanes.

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 would cause a weight imbalance.”

“The seat change that Mr. Lunger attempted to perform occurred on the same side of the aircraft, just a few rows in front of his original seat,” the complaint adds. It is further alleged that the ‘man who offered to change seats was very similar in weight to Mr Lunger’.

“The pilot came out to talk to Mr. Lunger, who had switched seats, and to Ms. Lunger and Ms. Ungar, who had merely tried to explain that Mr. Lunger needed to switch seats to Defendant Doe.

“The pilot said to the three plaintiffs, ‘Sorry, you have to get off the plane. The crew members do not feel safe flying with you. The flight does not leave with you on the plane.’

“The only people kicked off the flight were the accusers, all of whom were dressed in clothing that made them easily identified as Orthodox Jews.

“Although 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 ejected from the plane.

“Even though Ms. Lunger and Ms. Ungar were not falsely accused of causing a weight imbalance by switching seats, as Mr. Lunger had, JetBlue and the pilot still kicked them off the plane.

“Another passenger, who was not dressed in Orthodox Jewish attire, also objected to Mr. Lunger being denied the opportunity to observe his religion, but she was not kicked off the flight like Ms. Lunger and Ms. Ungar.”

Another passenger recorded audio of the confrontation in which the flight’s captain was heard saying, “(If you don’t) get off the plane, we’re going to let the rest of the plane off the plane and leave you three here.”

He later adds, “At this point, the flight (crew) is not comfortable with you on the plane, which means I have to take you off the plane.”

The passengers protest and at one point you hear one of the women say, ‘We didn’t do anything, we asked for a favor for religious purposes and please all respect our religion. What have we done? Did we shoot, did we do something, did we touch anyone? Nothing.’

The person recording the incident then insists that “people seem fine (and) happy to help” by switching seats to accommodate them, but the crew continues to remove the passengers.

The lawsuit adds: “Hurt and embarrassed, the plaintiffs left the plane.

‘The claimants asked for their bags but were told they could not. Once disembarked, the plaintiffs spoke to the JetBlue ticket agent at the gate, who told them that JetBlue would not provide overnight accommodations, food or transportation.

“The plaintiffs had to call JetBlue to arrange tickets for a return flight the next day, charging both the price change and the same-day change ticket fee, and JetBlue claimed that the plaintiffs never boarded their flight, but had missed the flight.’

The case concerns violation of civil rights, discrimination and harassment.

Evan Brustein, a New York-based attorney at Brustein Law PLLC who represents the three plaintiffs, told DailyMail.com: “Everyone deserves to travel safely without fear of prejudice.

“Our clients boarded a plane expecting nothing more than to be taken home safely to their families. Instead, they faced discrimination that marked their experience because of their identity as Jews.

“Our clients seek justice in the courtroom and the reaffirmation that every individual, regardless of his or her religious beliefs, has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.”