A Lufthansa airplane at Frankfurt Airport in Germany on March 25, 2022. Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images

By Jacob Kornbluh July 27, 2022

Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, said Wednesday she is going to meet soon with Lufthansa’s chief executive in North America, Norbert Mueller, to discuss allegations of antisemitism against the German airline.

In May, a Lufthansa ground crew prevented all identifiably Jewish passengers from boarding a flight from New York City because some of them were not complying with mask regulations. The airline expressed regret for the incident, in which an estimated 100 people were barred from boarding “rather than limiting it to the non-compliant guests.” It also apologized “for the offense caused and personal impact,” but didn’t mention the fact that the group was Jewish.

During Wednesday’s webinar, hosted by the Anti-Defamation League, Lipstadt said that while it remains unclear why airline staff prevented the group from boarding a connecting flight in Frankfurt, Germany, they were targeted for being Jews.

Antisemitism Notebook

Your weekly guide through the news and the noise of how rising antisemitism and disputes over how to address it are shaping American Jewish life.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“It’s hard to believe but often it’s ignorance rooted in certain perceptions and ignorance that stems from an antisemitic nature,” she said.

Lipstadt said she will also be meeting with Carsten Spohr, the CEO of Lufthansa in Germany, when she visits the country.

She noted that Germany has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism as a teaching tool.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount