A Delta Air Lines employee has initiated legal proceedings against the airline, alleging discrimination based on religious identity. The plaintiff, Sasi Sheva, a resident of California, and an Israeli, has been employed by Delta for two years. According to the lawsuit filed in August and accessed by Fox News Digital, the airline is accused of intentionally discriminating and retaliating against employees who are ethnically Jewish, Hebrew, and/or Israeli.
The legal document highlights an incident where Sheva was rushing to a runway due to a last-minute schedule change. Sheva’s request for a safety break to obtain a meal that met his vegetarian dietary restrictions was reportedly ignored by Delta. He was subsequently denied a chance to purchase a vegetarian snack and instead was provided with pork, which is prohibited in Judaism.
The lawsuit indicates that despite Sheva’s employee profile clearly stating his Hebrew-speaking ability, Jewish faith, and vegetarian dietary needs, he was given a ham sandwich. The document also notes that while Delta provides cultural sensitivity training for various passenger profiles, it does not include training on the cultural and religious needs of Jewish employees.
Further allegations in the lawsuit reveal that Sheva faced additional challenges when requesting time off for Yom Kippur. According to the court filings, an accommodation review required Sheva to provide a written statement detailing his religious beliefs and practices and documentation from a religious leader verifying his religious status and explaining the necessity of the accommodation. The lawsuit claims that Sheva had never previously been subjected to such an intrusive examination of his private beliefs, nor was any other Delta employee to his knowledge.
After providing the required documentation and scheduling a time for the accommodation review, Sheva was informed that accommodating his request would interfere with Delta’s seniority system, leaving him to manage the situation independently. The lawsuit argues that Delta’s response was non-accommodating and failed to offer any attempt at finding a mutually acceptable solution.
When contacted by FOX Business, a Delta spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit but affirmed the airline’s zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind, stating it is part of Delta’s deeply-held values as a global airline.