Los Angeles Parents Sue Over Sand Flies on Israel Trip
The parents of four Los Angeles County high school students who participated in a summer youth trip to Israel have sued the sponsoring organizations over a sand fly infestation.
The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday against the Union for Reform Judaism and the North American Federation of Temple Youth, the Los Angeles Times reported.
According to the lawsuit the teens were bitten by sand flies and contracted Leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease which manifests itself as skin ulcers.
The lawsuit alleges that the families were not warned about sand flies and that the sponsoring groups did not provide insecticides and insect netting to protect the teens, and that the tour gave the students bug-infested bedding.
Attorney John C. Taylor, who represents the parents, said the students have required continued medical treatment, which has not been successful.
The students have been left with unhealed sores or scars, with new outbreaks.
The complaint alleges negligence, breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation and willful misconduct, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Union for Reform Judaism and the North American Federation of Temple Youth did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
