Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Lufthansa Fined $4 Million Over Alleged Discrimination of Jewish Passengers
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced a $4 million penalty on Tuesday against Lufthansa for discriminating against Jewish passengers who were traveling from New York City through Frankfurt to Budapest in May 2022.
The penalty is the largest ever issued by the DOT against an airline for civil rights violations.
A news release from the DOT stated that Lufthansa prohibited 128 Jewish passengers from boarding their connecting flight in Germany after alleged misconduct of some passengers. The release stated that most of the Jewish passengers were wearing distinctive garb typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men, and many of the passengers did not know each other nor were traveling together.
These passengers stated that Lufthansa treated them all as if they were a single group and denied them boarding for the alleged misbehavior of a few. The DOT received over 40 discrimination complaints from the Jewish passengers.
"No one should face discrimination when they travel, and today's action sends a clear message to the airline industry that we are prepared to investigate and take action whenever passengers' civil rights are violated," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in the release. "From cracking down on long tarmac delays to ensuring passengers are properly refunded, our department has strengthened our enforcement efforts to hold airlines accountable for their treatment of passengers, and we will continue to push the industry to serve passengers with the fairness and dignity they deserve."
Investigations by the DOT found that during the first flight, the captain alerted Lufthansa security that some passengers were not following crew instructions and were connecting to another flight in Budapest. The release stated that the carrier later failed to identify any one passenger who failed to follow crewmember instructions.
The alert to security resulted in a hold being placed on over 100 passengers' tickets – all of which were Jewish. These passengers then couldn't board their next scheduled flight from Frankfurt to Budapest.
According to the DOT's consent order, Lufthansa stated that a large number of the passengers aboard the flight arriving at Frankfurt repeatedly disregarded crew instructions to wear face masks, which at the time was mandated under German law due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Additionally, Lufthansa stated that passengers were requested to avoid gathering in the aisles, galleys, and near emergency exit doors, as is required under U.S. and German law.
"Lufthansa steadfastly maintains that the actions of the crew of LH 401 were taken in the interest of safety and security," the consent order stated. "Lufthansa states that the crew of LH 401 did not discriminate against any passenger on the basis of perceived religion or ethnicity or manifest any intentional malice or ill intent toward any passenger. Lufthansa notes that certain flight attendants on LH401 permitted and facilitated praying by small gatherings of passengers during the flight, which the carrier asserts underscores the Lufthansa crew's lack of any discriminatory feelings or actions toward any of the passengers."
According to the consent order, $2 million of the $4 million penalty will be due within 30 days of the order. The remaining $2 million is being credited for compensation Lufthansa paid to the affected passengers.
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Monday, October 14, 2024
Anti-Israel protesters arrested after storming New York Stock Exchange
Dozens of Jewish anti-Israel protesters were arrested Monday after hundreds of rowdy demonstrators rushed the New York Stock Exchange and staged a sit-in outside the historic Manhattan building.
Scores of pro-Palestinian protesters wearing red shirts stormed toward the building on Broad Street in Lower Manhattan — then chained themselves to the doors just before the stock market's opening bell at 9:30 a.m., footage shows.
A handful of demonstrators, who hail from the Jewish Voices for Peace group, could be seen removing their jackets as they set up shop outside the building — jackets they wore in a possible bid to conceal their anti-Israel attire and thwart any attempt to stop them ahead of time.
The group immediately started screaming "Free Palestine" and quickly brandished signs reading "Jews for Palestine's freedom" as they blocked off the building and demanded the US government "fund FEMA, not genocide."
At one point, they dressed the iconic bronze Fearless Girl statue in one of their shirts emblazoned with the phrase "Stop arming Israel."
Roughly 200 protesters were nabbed by cops, the group's political director, Beth Miller, told The Post.
The NYPD confirmed that arrests were made amid the chaos, but the exact number wasn't immediately available.
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Friday, October 11, 2024
Armed guards at synagogues, security forces on high alert on Yom Kippur
Synagogues in major cities and susceptible areas will be under armed guard on Yom Kippur amid concerns that terrorists will try to launch attacks on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Police deployment was already spread to major highways and city centers with special attention placed on mixed Jewish and Arab cities where tensions have traditionally been high during the holiday.
Synagogues were asked to place an armed guard outside their door and leave a phone available to call for help if the need arises.
Jerusalem police will be on high alert around the city and at the Western Wall, to bolster the sense of security for Jewish worshipers. Checkpoints will also be set up leading to the holy site for increased security and to prevent overcrowding.
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Tuesday, October 08, 2024
Interior Minister responds to Breslov hasidim stranded abroad
Due to the chaos at the borders of Ukraine and Romania, which has caused thousands of Breslov hasidim to be unable to return home to Israel, representatives for the Breslov community have turned to Interior Minister Moshe Arbel (Shas) for assistance.
In their request, the hasidim noted the chaos and the overcrowding which travelers faced in their attempts to return to Israel following their Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) pilgrimage to Uman, Ukraine.
Responding to one of the requests, Arbel answered that he has no way to help them, since, "Israel is at war."
"We are at war right now, and there was a travel warning," he wrote. "Whoever decided to travel anyway should take into account the risks which come with it."
"I am sorry. I do not have any way to help," he apologized. The government issued clear warnings to Israeli citizens not to travel to Uman for the holidays this year.
According to sources in the community, many people are forced to wait in inclement weather, without proper shelter.
A senior source in United Breslov said, "The Ukrainians have created an electronic line and they only accept those who booked an appointment ahead of time. And sometimes there are no open appointments for the border for many hours ahead. It creates insane chaos."
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Wednesday, October 02, 2024
Gerrer hasidim to hold Rosh Hashanah events as usual after Home Front restrictions removed
The Gur hasidic sect on Wednesday morning announced that the traditional "travel" for the Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) holiday will take place as usual this year, in light of the Home Front Command's new guidelines.
Just after midnight Wednesday morning, the IDF's Home Front Command announced that restrictions imposed on Jerusalem and central Israel on Tuesday afternoon at 2:00p.m. would be removed. The restrictions, which led to the cancellation of the central Selichot prayer gathering at the Western Wall, included a limit on gatherings of more than 30 people outdoors and more than 300 people indoors.
The limits forced Jews around Israel to rethink their plans for Rosh Hashanah, especially if the plans included large gatherings, as is customary in many hasidic courts.
"Upon removal of the Home Front Command restrictions, an announcement was made this morning by the Gerrer hasidic court to hold the events as usual," a Gur statement read.
Rabbi Yosef Schiff, aide to the Gerrer Rebbe, who on Tuesday night ordered hasidim to return home due to the security threats, on Wednesday morning reported that the decision had changed in light of recent developments.
Alongside the Gerrer hasidim, thousands of families from other hasidic courts around Israel are expected to travel to Jerusalem and Bnei Brak on Wednesday, in order to celebrate the holiday with their rebbe (hasidic leader) and fellow hasidim.
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Tuesday, October 01, 2024
President cancels Rosh Hashanah call with US Jewish community
U.S. President Joe Biden canceled a planned Rosh Hashanah call with the Jewish community that had been scheduled for 1:15 pm Eastern Standard Time. Earlier in the day, the U.S. administration had previously warned its employees in Israel to return to their homes and warned of an imminent attack on the Jewish state.
Posting on X at 12:40 this afternoon, the president wrote, "This morning, @VP and I convened our national security team to discuss Iranian plans to launch an imminent missile attack against Israel. We discussed how the United States is prepared to help Israel defend against these attacks, and protect American personnel in the region."
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on X that he had spoken with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant about the then-pending Iranian attack and "the severe consequences for Iran in the event Iran chooses to launch a direct military attack against Israel."
U.S. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) posted on X, "Iran is launching missiles against Israel. Israel has an unquestionable right to defend itself against all forms of Iranian aggression. The United States should, must and will stand with the Jewish State as it defends itself from the root of all evil in the Middle East—the Islamic Republic of Iran. I stand with Israel. Always have and always will. #AmYisraslChai."
"This is a moment of choosing for the free world regarding Iran, said U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on X. "The Ayatollah [Ali Khamenei] and Iranian regime are religious Nazis who want to destroy the State of Israel—their words, not mine. They want to purify Islam and attack the United States—again, their words, not mine.
"This missile attack against Israel should be the breaking point, and I would urge the Biden administration to coordinate an overwhelming response with Israel, starting with Iran's ability to refine oil," Graham said. "These oil refineries need to be hit and hit hard because that is the source of cash for the regime to perpetrate their terror. My prayers are with the people of Israel, and may God continue to bless Israel."
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