Jewish man fired by Unilever for taking time off during Rosh Hashanah in 2019 – report

JERUSALEM POST STAFF   – September 24, 2021

A Jewish man was fired from Unilever, the Ben & Jerry’s parent company, for taking time off during the Rosh Hashanah two years ago, The New York Post reported on Thursday.

David Rosenbaum was working as a general manager at Unilever’s Englewood Cliffs at its New Jersey headquarters when he told Frank Alfano, his boss, that he planned to take days off for the Jewish holidays in 2019, to which his boss responded that he couldn’t take time off for the Jewish New Year nor for Yom Kippur, according to Rosenbaum’s lawsuit.

Unilever has been making headlines as of late for its decision to ban the sales of its ice cream in the West Bank.

Rosenbaum emphasized that his religion prevents him from working on those days and took the time off anyway, notifying his superiors at Unilever via email about the situation.

Rosenbaum was fired over the phone the next day.

The court filing also stated that Alfano allegedly touched Rosenbaum and asked him to lend him money.

Rosenbaum also worked with the ice cream company’s marketing team to organize sales events. Rosenbaum alleged that his firing was “further evidence of Unilever’s antisemitism.”

A Unilever spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post that “Unilever strongly refutes these allegations and has a zero-tolerance policy on antisemitism or any form of discrimination in the workplace.”

It was reported in late July that Ben and Jerry’s board chair made a statement that she was not antisemitic following Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s statement that the boycott is a “shameful surrender to antisemitism.”

https://www.jpost.com

Police Surround Synagogue & Fine Jewish Worshippers For Holding ‘Illegal Gathering’

Milne News – September 7 , 2021

AUSTRALIA – Police surrounded a Melbourne synagogue to break up a Jewish New Year celebration and issue $5,452 fines for holding an “illegal gathering” to all adults who attended the celebrations.

An estimated 100 people attended the all-day Jewish New Year celebrations at the orthodox Adass Israel Synagogue in Glen Eira Avenue, Ripponlea, with Victoria Police dispersing the group around 9 pm on Tuesday night.

A second, smaller prayer group who assembled for Jewish New Year was also broken up by police from an apartment above the Ripponlea IGA supermarket, also on Glen Eira Avenue.

Police said they were alerted to the gatherings on Tuesday morning and they waited for people to exit the celebrations during the day.

But tensions grew as worshipers and their supporters confronted police in the early evening.

Two worshippers climbed onto a nearby roof around 6 pm as the confrontations ignited with some supporters heard abusing police and accusing media and health authorities of anti-Semitism.

‘Victoria Police has spoken to a number of people who attended an address on Glen Eira Road, Elsternwick on Tuesday 7 September,’ a Victorian Police statement said.

Under Melbourne’s latest lockdown, which began on August 5 and is still in place, no private or public gatherings are allowed.

‘All adults who attended will be issued with a $5452 fine. A number of children who were present will not be fined. Investigators believe a number of other people were present and are yet to be spoken to by police. Investigators are working to identify them.’

Earlier, police blocked roads around the synagogue where an estimated 100 worshippers celebrated Jewish New Year.

It is understood the worshippers stood their ground and refused to leave the two buildings on Tuesday despite Police attempts to make them get out.

Jewish New Year celebrations, known as Rosh Hashanah, commenced on Monday, September 6, and last until the evening of Wednesday, September 8.

https://milnenews.com