By: Meyer Wolfsheim

A Brooklyn woman has filed a federal lawsuit against the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles after she says employees forced her to remove her religious head covering for a driver’s license photo — an incident she describes as humiliating and a violation of her faith, according to the New York Post.

As the New York Post reported, Sara Fellig, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish mother, alleges she was coerced into taking off her head covering during a visit to a DMV office on Atlantic Avenue, despite state rules allowing religious exemptions.

The New York Post reported that Fellig was wearing a sheitel — a partial wig commonly worn by married Orthodox Jewish women — along with a small hat when she arrived for her appointment. She maintains that her attire did not obscure her face or interfere with identification requirements.

Under New York regulations, individuals are generally prohibited from wearing items that obscure their face in identification photos. However, the New York Post reported that exemptions are explicitly permitted for those with sincerely held religious beliefs — a provision Fellig claims DMV employees ignored.

According to the New York Post, one DMV worker insisted she remove the head covering even after she explained it was worn for religious reasons. A second employee allegedly failed to intervene or clarify the policy, leaving her with little choice but to comply.

Fellig described the experience in court filings as deeply distressing. The New York Post reported that she likened being forced to remove her head covering in public to a profound violation of modesty, comparing it to being stripped in front of strangers.

The incident unfolded in a crowded DMV office, with dozens of people present, adding to her discomfort. As the New York Post reported, Fellig said she felt intense pressure to comply, particularly as she was accompanied by her young children, including one who was ill at the time.

The New York Post further reported that Fellig’s distress was compounded by previous experiences with antisemitic harassment, which made her reluctant to challenge the employees more forcefully in a public setting.

In the lawsuit, Fellig is seeking damages as well as the destruction of the photograph taken without her head covering and the issuance of a new license. According to the New York Post, she argues that each time the photo is viewed, it causes renewed emotional harm and violates her religious beliefs.

Her attorney criticized the DMV for failing to follow its own policies. The New York Post reported that the lawyer argued the agency already has appropriate rules in place to accommodate religious practices but did not apply them in this case.

The case has drawn attention to broader concerns about religious accommodations in government procedures.