Debra Ryder of Florida boarded an El Al flight recently from New York to Israel, only to find that a haredi man was sitting in her designated seat. Ryder was told by El Al employees that she could not sit there because other haredi men sitting in the same row did not want to sit next to her.
Israel Hayom reports:
…Debra Ryder of Florida boarded an El Al flight recently from New York to Israel, only to find that a haredi man was sitting in her designated seat, Army Radio reported Thursday. Ryder was told that she could not sit there because other haredi men sitting in the same row did not want to sit next to her.
A flight attendant directed Ryder to another seat on the plane, even though she requested the original seat for medical reasons. She was forced to sit in the other seat for the entire duration of the flight, Army Radio said.
"In a subtle way, the flight attendant hinted that the men were religious, that they saw me and refused to get up from the seat," Ryder said. "It was clear that the flight attendant did not know how to deal with the situation.
"They didn't even ask me [if they could sit there] and I felt humiliated. If they would have asked me first, it would have been different. I never imagined I would have to experience something like this."…
Ryder contacted El Al and demanded $12,000 for the gender segregation she suffered. Through her attorney, she also demanded that El Al issue clear guidelines to all employees teaching them how to correctly act in similar situations.