Jewish flight attendant sues Delta over ham sandwich, Yom Kippur exchange

Sheva, a California resident, worked for Delta for two and a half years, performing her duties “satisfactorily,” the complaint said.

But then claims that on July 12, 2022, while on a business trip, Sheva’s schedule was changed with late notice and she didn’t get a chance to eat.

It is said that despite his multiple requests, he was denied a “safety break” to obtain food to meet his kosher, vegetarian diet.

He also asked the managers to stop in the hall “for a few minutes” so he could have a snack, it said.

But despite Sheva’s employee profile “clearly stating that he is Hebrew-speaking, Jewish and vegetarian, he was offered a ham sandwich,” the complaint continues.

The lawsuit adds that Sheva complained to a manager about the incident, but “no action was taken to ensure that such an event would not occur again.”

Sheva also says in the lawsuit that a request for a day off on Yom Kippur — the holiest day of the Jewish year — in October 2022 was denied by the company despite giving them two and a half months’ notice.

He claimed the refusal was “in bad faith” and “had no justification”.

A Delta spokesperson told Business Insider that the company had no comment on the litigation, but that “Delta has zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind as part of our deep values ​​as a global airline that connects the world.”

The complaint also says Sheva suffered a number of work-related injuries.

In an alleged incident on July 5, 2022, Sheva is said to have been injured after a vehicle in which he was traveling to work hit a parked car. In another incident on September 17, 2023, Sheva is said to have tripped over his suitcase after it became entangled in a seat belt aboard a Delta flight.

Sheva took time off work to recover from both incidents, but the complaint says Delta “engaged in conduct to minimize” her injuries.

The suit says Sheva is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.