Offended ‘Palestinian’ On Plane Turns Out To Be A Jewish South Slope Resident

You may have heard a story that came out earlier this month, where a woman was removed from a JetBlue plane before takeoff after she got into a heated argument with another passenger, who said she was insulted by the woman’s phone conversation about the conflict in Israel because she was herself Palestinian. Well it turns out the “Palestinian” passenger is actually a Jewish special education teacher from South Slope.

Dr. Lisa Rosenberg was removed from the flight before it left Palm Beach International Airport after she reportedly argued with the woman who identified herself as a Palestinian. Rosenberg told news outlets that the Palestinian woman insulted her using anti-Semitic language, though representatives from JetBlue have said that did not happen.

And now The Observer has found the woman who asked Rosenberg to stop her airplane rant. Though at first neighbor Jani Kipness was not so forthcoming about it, she did finally admit that it had been her.

“I’m proud of myself that I stood up,” she told The Observer. “I’m just not proud that I lied.”

Before her identity was revealed, she spoke with the Post, saying that Rosenberg’s language on the plane was so derogatory that she “just couldn’t take it anymore.”

“Like most people, I wish Israel and Palestine could find a way to coexist peacefully,” she told the paper.

Photo by Stephen Wedgwood