Uber Driver Suspended After Accusation of Ejecting Passenger for Speaking Hebrew

Uber Hebrew
The car from which Israeli diplomat Itay Milner says he was ejected Thursday night. (Itay Milner)

An Israeli diplomat in Chicago says he was ejected from an Uber ride by a driver irate that he was speaking in Hebrew, and the driver has been suspended as Uber investigates the matter.

“I just had one of the worst [experiences] in my life,” Itay Milner, Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Midwest, wrote on social media Thursday night.

Uber Hebrew
Itay Milner (Itay Milner)

I was just thrown out of an #uber in the middle of the highway only because I answered my phone in my mother [tongue].

10 minutes into my ride and with no prior interaction between the driver and myself, it took only two words in Hebrew to get my driver start yelling at me “get the $#@* out of my car.”

It did not help when I told him that I can’t go out in the middle of the highway. It was like I wasn’t a person for him anymore. When I asked him if it’s because I’m speaking Hebrew he said yes and kept yelling at me to get out.

I am not easily intimidated, but that scared me, and I ran out of there, walking in the middle of the road.

I never thought something like this could happen in America, such awful racism.

This cannot be tolerated!

Uber Hebrew
A screenshot of the driver’s Uber profile. (Itay Milner)

According to photos posted on social media by Milner, the driver’s name is Yuva and he drives a white Toyota Camry. He has been driving for Uber for one year, and has a 4.89-out-of-5 rating.

A spokeswoman for Uber released a statement to multiple media outlets, saying, “Uber does not tolerate any form of discrimination. We are reaching out to the rider to extend our support for the experience he described here. As soon as we were made aware of this, we removed the driver’s access from the app as we look further into this.”

Several hours after his initial post, Milner tweeted, “Thank you everyone for your support, it means a lot to me. This should have never happened, but as it has, we should make an example out if it so it won’t happen to others.”

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