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NY Attorney General Halts Car Wash’s ‘Discriminatory’ Passover Cleaning Scam Targeting Jews
A man prays alone as Orthodox Jews gather for “Hoshanot prayers” as part of their Sukkot observance on a neighborhood lawn to avoid over-crowding at an indoor synagogue in the New York City suburb of Monsey, New York, US, Oct/ 5, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar
The New York State Attorney General’s office announced on Monday that it has stopped a car wash’s “discriminatory scam” that has for years targeted Jewish customers needing to clean their cars in preparation for Passover, which begins next week.
Super 4 Seasons, a car wash company located in Rockland County, offered an inflated price for Jews who were cleaning out the unleavened products, known in Hebrew as “chametz,” from their vehicles before the start of the Jewish holiday. An investigation conducted by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) revealed that in the weeks leading up to Passover, Super 4 Seasons advertised a “Passover Special” cleaning promotion that cost more than triple their standard price for the same service. The OAG launched its investigation after receiving several complaints claiming that Super 4 Seasons knowingly charged Jewish customers the significant price increase – $169 for a cleaning service that year-round cost only $47.
The OAG investigation discovered that Super 4 Seasons has promoted similar discriminatory car wash specials since at least 2018 in the weeks leading up to Passover. Jewish customers had been regularly denied access to standard pricing ahead of Passover and were also falsely told that only the over-priced “Passover Packages” were available.
Super 4 Seasons is located in Spring Valley, which is near Monsey and New Square, both of which have large Orthodox Jewish communities.
“Targeting Jewish New Yorkers with deceptive pricing around Passover is a clear act of religious discrimination and will not be tolerated,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “Every New Yorker, regardless of their faith, deserves to be treated fairly and equally. My office will not hesitate to hold businesses accountable when they exploit families’ religious observance.”
James is requiring Super 4 Seasons to immediately stop promoting or offering any discriminatory car wash services that refer to special pricing for religious holidays. The company is forbidden from charging Jewish customers more than other customers for the same services and is not allowed to change its pricing or limit services in the two months leading up to and during Passover. If the company fails to comply with the OAG’s requirements, it must pay a penalty of up to $75,000.
The OAG investigation into Super 4 Seasons began in April 2024 and it included an undercover operation, interviews with complainants, and the review of thousands of the company’s sales entries.
An OAG investigator who went undercover dressed as a traditional Orthodox Jewish and asked Super 4 Seasons about standard pricing. He was told by the company that the car wash is “not doing anything except shampoos and Passover cleanings right now.” The car wash employee also told the investigator, “We are doing this just for you guys.” When a second OAG investigator, who was not wearing traditional Orthodox Jewish clothing, asked Super 4 Seasons for the standard services, he was given the regular, lower price. When he inquired about the promotion, an employee responded that it was just “for Jews” who needed to pay more “because their cars are so dirty.”
Last week, James issued a consumer alert, urging Jewish New Yorkers to be cautious of not only discriminatory pricing practices at car washes ahead of Passover but also price gouging on essential Passover goods such as food items, matzah, eggs, meat, travel, and accommodations. Under New York law, it is illegal to discriminate against someone based on religion. New Yorkers who are suspicious of businesses engaging in discriminatory actions or who believe they were charged more because of their religion, race, or background is encouraged by the OAG to file a complaint online or call 1-800-771-7755.
The post NY Attorney General Halts Car Wash’s ‘Discriminatory’ Passover Cleaning Scam Targeting Jews first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.