In the civil suit filed Tuesday, Hadas Goldfarb says she was offered a job as a paramedic at the New York Presbyterian Hospital in 2015, but was terminated amid orientation after refusing to comply with the dress code, which stipulates that paramedics wear pants.
The 26-year-old Brooklyn resident alleges in a complaint that her “termination was unlawful retaliation for her refusing to compromise her religious principles.”
Goldfarb only wears skirts, a practice common among Orthodox Jewish women who follow strict rules dictating personal dress. She says she has done so while working as a paramedic for other employers.
Following her termination, Goldfarb filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and in February, she received a notice of right to sue.
The lawsuit, which was filed with Kings County Supreme Court, alleges that the hospital failed to provide her with reasonable accommodation for her religious observance and that doing so is discriminatory and illegal.
She has since found a job as a paramedic for an emergency telemedicine company, which does not take issue with her style of dress.
How embarrassing. She knew coming in, the hospital policy. There is no ambulance service in NY that allows skirts. Outs just not feasible. To walk up 6 flights of stairs, carry down heavy patients, so CPR on the floor in a mess of bodily fluids…all in a skirt? If she is so frum, she should be in a different profession.
The Equality Act 2010 prevents discrimination and protects discrimination of the nine protected characteristics, on of the characteristics being religion. Therefore you will see in many hospirals, Muslim nurses wearino long fitted tshirts under the short sleeved nurses scrubs, nuroses can wear a tunic or a dress if they would like and head coverings are allowed.
tops over pants plus scarf covered heads and they have no trouble with it.
because skirts in the secular world do not have reasonable standards. Lengths vary from short to shorter. They became a distraction. Secular society also liked the idea of women taking on clothing similar to their male counterparts. But a skirt worn over pants should be acceptable.
Halachah dictates the allowance to do so strictly when 1)it’s a JEWISH PATIENT in need of help.2)when the life of the victim is dependent upon an individual.
Both of these aren’t concerns while working for a secular ambulance company. ( going with your logic she’d be able to work on shobbos)
I’m so curious, why do paramedics have to wear pants?
I’m actually in the hospital now, and yes, all the nurses wear
Pants. Any clue why?
… would be to simply wear a skirt over the required pants. Or a top long enough to end below the knees, and call it a “blouse”.
This is for the “safety” of patients!
She should’ve worn the required uniform & worn a loose skirt over the pants.
I’m speaking from experience as being a Retired RN.
Why didn’t she get a job at the other place that does not have issue with her dress code in the first place I would’ve saved her all this headache