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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.
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Terrorist Murderer of Pregnant Woman Believed to Have Been Eliminated
Nael Sami Samara, a 36-year-old from Bruqin, the West Bank, who is believed to be connected to the murder of Tze’ela Gez while she was on her way to hospital to give birth. Photo: 27A according to Israeli copyright law
i24 News – The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency believe that the murderer of Tze’ela Gez last week, who was slaughtered in cold blood while on her way to give birth in the hospital, was killed on Saturday by security forces in the West Bank.
Nael Sami Samara, a 36-year-old Palestinian, is suspected of being connected with the terror attack, although it is unclear if he was the shooter.
Samara was killed in Bruqin, near the Jewish community of Bruchin in the northern West Bank and close to where the attack occurred.
Samara’s brother was also captured by the forces for interrogation, as well as several members of his extended family. The Shin Bet detained several more suspects for investigation. In parallel, the siege on the two villages, Bruqin and a-Dik, continues as the terrorist has not been definitively identified.
“As part of the manhunt for the terrorist who carried out the shooting attack in which Tze’ela Gez was killed, targeted sweeps were performed by IDF soldiers directed by the Shin Bet in the village of Bruqin, close to the scene of the attack,” the IDF and Shin Bet spokespersons said in a joint statement. “This morning, several suspects were arrested for involvement in the attack. During the arrest of one of the suspects, a terrorist was identified running towards the forces while holding a bag carrying suspected explosives and shouting ‘Allahu Akbar.’ In face of the immediate threat, the soldiers engaged and neutralized the terrorist. None of our forces were injured.”
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Report: Mohammed Sinwar’s Body Found In Tunnel Near Rafah Crossing
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that, “according to all indications, Mohammed Sinwar was killed.” The Saudi channel Al-Hadath also reported that the body of the acting Hamas leader was found in a tunnel near the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, the southern Gaza Strip. Alongside Sinwar, the bodies of 10 of his aides and the commander of the Rafah Brigade in Hamas, Mohammed Shabana, were found. Later it was reported that his brother, Zakaria Sinwar, was killed in an Israeli attack, but doctors reported him alive but in critical condition.
Last Tuesday, the Israeli Air Force carried out a rare attack against tunnel infrastructure near the European Hospital. i24NEWS learned that there are a number of names being floated to replace him, among them the commander of the Gaza City Division, Ezzedine al-Haddad; a leading Hamas political bureau member, Nizar Awadallah; and Khalil al-Haya, a senior member of the political arm of the terrorist organization.
On Sunday morning, Israel’s security apparatus said there has been no change in the status of Sinwar, but as time goes by optimism is growing that he was successfully eliminated in the targeted killing.
The post Report: Mohammed Sinwar’s Body Found In Tunnel Near Rafah Crossing first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Mossad Retrieves Trove of Documents, Belongings of Executed Spy Eli Cohen
Venerated Israeli spy Eli Cohen. Photo: JNS.org.
i24 News – Some 2,500 documents, photos, and belongings of executed spy Eli Cohen were retrieved from Syria in a special Mossad operation, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Sunday.
The trove was recovered due to a secret, complex operation in cooperation with the official Syrian archive, which held thousands of classified items ever since his capture and subsequent execution in Damascus’s al-Marjeh Square in 1965.
The items included the keys to his Damascus apartment, forged passports, and photos he took during his espionage, particularly of senior Syrian officials. He also left behind notebooks and diaries that were seized by Syria’s intelligence service.
The announcement came 60 years to the day after his execution, with the items presented in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mossad Director David Barnea, and the widow of the late Eli Cohen, Mrs. Nadia Cohen. Included was Cohen’s will, which he wrote hours before his execution, and of which only a copy has been publicly revealed so far.
“Eli Cohen is a legend. In the test of time, he is revealed as the greatest intelligence agent in the history of the state, whose heroism and activity contributed to the historic victory in the Six-Day War,” Netanyahu said. “The Eli Cohen archive, which was brought with special effort, will educate generations, and expresses our tireless commitment to returning all of our missing persons, prisoners of war and abductees to our country.”
“Bringing the archive is a significant achievement of the highest ethical and moral value, and another step in advancing the investigation to locate the burial place of our man in Damascus,” said Barnea. “This important mission is before our eyes, and we are committed to continuing to do everything we can to realize it. “We will continue to work to locate and return all the missing, the fallen, and the kidnapped – the living for rehabilitation and the fallen for eternal rest in the tomb of Israel.”
This comes after Israel worked for decades to locate every piece of evidence relating to Cohen, aimed at discovering his fate after his execution and his grave. Included in the archive is the orginal sentencing for his execution, which stated that the court allowed the Damascus Jewish community religious leader, Rabbi Nissim Andabu, to accompany Cohen in accordance with Jewish tradition ahead of his execution.
Syrian intelligence also compiled a large file labeled “Nadia Cohen,” which collected his widow’s efforts to secure his release from prison, including letters to world leaders and the Syrian president.
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