A religious Jew employed by British Airways at Heathrow Airport as a customer service agent is being disciplined by the company for wanting to observe Shabbos.
Daniel Rosenthal, from north London, began working for BA in May 2005 as a “Ramp Agent” processing baggage. His initial wishes not to work on Shabbos were granted.
But in December 2006 Mr Rosenthal was transferred to the Passenger Services Unit at Terminal 4. British Airways then demanded that he start working on Shabbos.
Mr Rosenthal refused – failing to turn up on the first Shabbos he was rostered to work.
Mr Rosenthal was immediately disciplined in a heavy handed way for a “flagrant disregard” of a management order.
In a letter of support, the London Beth Din wrote to Mr Rosenthal, saying: “We find it extraordinary that your employers are not prepared to respect your genuine and conscientious wish to continue observing our religion. For an employer of the size and standing of BA, we cannot see how they could justify not accommodating your religious needs.”
It is interesting to note that just weeks ago a tribunal heard claims by Nadia Eweida, 55, of Twickenham, south-west London, who claimed that she was subjected to religious discrimination for being banned from wearing a cross.
(Source: Daily Mail / This Is London)
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12 Responses
Well said London Beth Din…I think it is absoloute racisim & anti- semitism to complain about not working on Shabbos…If B.A can start disciplining him in a heavy way, this might even be a matter of sueing them…
Don’t you agree???
I wonder if they would force a Muslim to desecrate his holiday?
Is it possible that this anti-Jewish and anti Crtshan behavior is due to the fear they have of moslem-arab-terrorists at the airport??
Don’t they have similar anti discriminatory laws in England??
Can’t they get a protest group to demonstrate?
KAJ it’s a little different shabbos happens every week muslim holidays dont
“is due to the fear they have of moslem-arab-terrorists at the airport??”
I dont think its necessarily arabs behind this…it could be normal British Anti-Semites…
How was he disciplined in a heavy handed way-what did they do? Did he lose his job?
we should protest this by boycotting British Airways
It’s probably some anti-semite manager. What’s the law there about discrimination? I don’t know if it’s the same as here, maybe not.
frum jews should not fly BA until this matter is satisfactorilly resolved.
This is nothing new. British Airways has a reputation for being anti semitic. See the story pasted below and the letter from the New York State Attorney General.
Orthodox Jew says airline discriminated against him
DANIEL KURTZMAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON — British Airways has denied that it discriminated against an Orthodox Jew who said he was booted out of an airline lounge for praying.
Aaron Tyk, an assistant attorney general for the state of New York, went to the lounge last week to quietly recite his morning prayers during a layover at London’s Heathrow Airport.
When he concluded, a British Airways employee approached him and asked him to leave.
“I was told that as a Jew I cannot be there, it was only for Muslims,” said Tyk. “I was made to feel like someone in Nazi Europe.”
The airline denied that its employee made any reference to Tyk’s religion or that its lounge was reserved for Muslims.
“Ethnicity and religious background has nothing to do with entitlement to a particular lounge,” said John Lampl, a British Airways spokesman in New York.
Lampl said Tyk was not authorized to be in the lounge because it is reserved for executive club members and for passengers traveling from North America, India and the Middle East. Tyk was en route from Tel Aviv to New York.
Lampl said the airline considers Israel part of Europe for operational purposes because it is a “short-haul flight.”
But flights from Cairo and Persian Gulf states are considered part of their long-haul operations, Lampl said.
Tyk was astounded. “They’ve attempted to accomplish what the Arab states have not been able to accomplish, and that is to eradicate Israel from the Middle East,” he said.
The airline said Tyk was asked to leave only after it was determined he was not authorized to be there. But Tyk said the employee, a senior customer service agent, never asked about his itinerary or his ticket.
“I was evicted from the lounge only because I was Jewish,” said Tyk.
In a letter to the chairman of British Airways, New York Attorney General Dennis Vacco wrote: “That a person should be so treated for the quiet observation of their most sacred religious beliefs is especially outrageous.”
Lampl said British Airways would send an apology to Tyk through Vacco
I am going to fire off an angry letter to BA today. What they have done to Mr. Rosenthal is very wrong and all G-d fearing people should see to it that these kind of policies aren’t allowed to become the norm.
#9 – Great story, as they messed with the wrong guy! I doubt they imagined that they were discriminating against an assistant attorney general with US gov’t officials backing him!
He should quit his job & make a big fuss about it!