Flying to Spain might yet get safer for Jews

Less than two weeks later, another Spanish airline, Iberia made its own headlines. JNS reported “Jewish passengers aboard a flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid” found their kosher meals defaced. One man’s said “Free Palestine” in “black ink on the label of his kosher meal, whereas others had only the initials ‘FP’ written on their meals.” Unlike Vueling, Iberia hasn’t challenged these facts and is reportedly investigating. Agence France-Presse further reported Iberia’s crew helped the passengers involved, recorded details of the vandalism and the captain apologised to these passengers.

What do these two incidents have in common, beyond involving Jewish passengers and Spanish airlines? Both airlines are subsidiaries of International Airlines Group (IAG), whose biggest shareholder is Qatar Airways. The National Jewish Advocacy Centre (NJAC), an American civil rights and legal advocacy organisation, is also taking action in response to these two incidents.

NJAC’s two-pronged approach applies British and American “corporate governance and anti-discrimination principles”, NJAC CEO Mark Goldfeder told me. “IAG is headquartered in the UK, but many of its shareholders and [much of its] market activity are in the US.”

NJAC therefore filed a formal complaint with the US Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration, requesting it investigate both airlines, their parent company and Qatar Airlines’ role, along with audits of airline catering and staff training. NJAC contacted sizeable shareholders, such as BlackRock, encouraging dialogue with the parent company about governance oversight and civil rights. Building on the UK Companies Act of 2006, it also encouraged shareholders to pursue reforms.

These actions “address conduct that happened outside either country’s borders, showing that antisemitism and passenger safety are transnational issues”, Goldfeder explained. This is “one of the first coordinated efforts to mobilise airline shareholders specifically to address antisemitism as a corporate governance and passenger safety issue, which shifts the fight into the boardroom. Instead of relying only on public pressure or government regulators, we’re going directly to the people who can demand change from the top: the company’s owners. We’re reframing antisemitism not only as a moral crisis but as a reputational, legal and financial risk.”

As for larger lessons, Goldfeder advised, “Even if an antisemitic incident happens abroad, if the company is publicly traded on US markets, has major US shareholders, or does substantial business here, US laws and investor rights can be leveraged to demand change… This is a step forward for civil rights, not just for protection of Jews.”

University Professor of Law David E Bernstein, of Virginia’s Antonin Scalia Law School, told me, “Complaints to the FAA about discrimination” and “alerting shareholders to complaints about discrimination” are known methods, and “the former can be very effective”. Bernstein is sceptical that writing to BlackRock will work but added, “it can’t hurt”.

With the Observatory Against Antisemitism finding antisemitic incidents in Spain soared 321 per cent in 2024 from 2023’s elevated baseline, and the Spanish government displaying overt animosity toward Israel, the time is definitely ripe for creative solutions to anti-Jewish discrimination. Goldfeder said this shareholder strategy needs four to six weeks to test whether it succeeds or requires adjustments over “the next three to six month”.

So for now, the Jewish world watches and waits.