New York (CNN) -- A Hasidic NYPD recruit is planning a lawsuit after being dismissed for refusing to trim his beard for religious reasons, his attorney said Sunday. Fishel Litzman, 38, was asked to leave the police academy on Friday, his attorney, Nathan Lewin, told CNN. He began the police academy in January, he said, was in the top 1% of his classes and is "highly regarded" by his peers. The dismissal, Lewin said, is a clear example of "religious discrimination." "We are planning to bring a lawsuit," the attorney said. "This should not be a practice of the NYPD."
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Fishel Litzman was asked to leave the police academy Friday, his attorney says
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Litzman is an Orthodox Hasidic Jew
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The NYPD says it makes reasonable accommodations for beards
"One of the points that has been drilled home during my short time at the academy is the need to represent the NYPD with integrity," @placeholder wrote to police officials.