Israel’s airports authority has refused to display adverts informing female passengers that it is illegal for airline staff to ask them to move seats at the behest of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men.

The Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) had planned to display the billboard ads at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, during Passover, the Jewish holiday that ends on Saturday. IRAC’s ad campaign follows a court ruling in June in favour of an 82-year-old Holocaust survivor, Renee Rabinowitz, who sued Israel’s national airline, El Al, for gender discrimination. Cabin crew had asked her to move when an ultra-Orthodox man refused to take his seat next to her. In a case supported by IRAC, the judge ruled that “under absolutely no circumstances can a crew member ask a passenger to move from their designated seat because the adjacent passenger doesn’t want to sit next to them due to their gender”. El Al was given 45 days to amend its policies and was ordered to pay compensation to Rabinowitz. Women travelling on the airline have been frequently asked to move seats in recent years.(theguardian)…[+]