N.J. Township Pays $1.25 Million to Harassed Jewish Employee
Wall Township, N.J., will pay $1.25 million to former employee Brandon Jacobs, who complained that co-workers made repeated anti-Semitic comments to him and put Nazi literature on his desk, the Asbury Park Press reported.
The township and its insurance carrier will split the settlement payments. Under the settlement, the township admitted no wrongdoing.
Jacobs, who worked in the public works and tax collector’s office, was employed by the township from 1999 through 2016, when he took a disability retirement.
Jacobs sued the township in 2015, saying he “endured having his co-workers and superiors continually barrage him with anti-Semitic comments on a near-daily basis.”
Army to Buy Israeli Defense System
The Army will buy Israel’s Trophy defense system to shield its Abrams tanks from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, JNS.org reported. The contract is for $193 million.
Designed to intercept and destroy incoming projectiles with a shotgun-like blast, Trophy (which also is known as Windbreaker), is an active anti-tank missiles and rockets defense system.
Rafael has partnered with American defense contractor Leonardo DRS, Inc. to manufacture Trophy.
Poland Reduces Holocaust Law Penalties
Polish lawmakers revised a law to reduce penalties for those who accuse Poland of being complicit in the Holocaust, JTA reported.
Poland’s lower house of parliament voted June 26 to make it a civil offense instead of a criminal one to blame Poland for Nazi-committed crimes. Three years in prison had been mandated under the original law, but violations now are misdemeanors.
Observers said the changed law could help reduce tensions between Poland and Israel. When the law was passed in January, both Israel and the United States complained and Jewish organizations said it violated free speech and impeded historical research of the Holocaust.
Most Israelis Report Being Happy
Nearly 90 percent of Israelis say they’re satisfied with their lives, according to a survey conducted by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, the Algemeiner reported.
Hebrew news site Walla originally reported that 89.8 percent of Israeli Jews and 80.7 percent of Israeli Arabs are satisfied with their lives.
Personal security apparently isn’t a major concern, despite the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict. The survey found that 85 percent of Jews and 89 percent of Arabs believe they are safe.
In terms of religious identity, 45 percent of Jews consider themselves secular, while 25 percent are traditional, 16 percent are religious and 14 percent are Orthodox.
CTeen Leadership Retreat Held in Pennsylvania
Participants in the CTeen Leadership retreat spent June 21-24 at a Pennsylvania conference center, according to lubavitch.com.
There were 35 teens at the Bushkill Inn & Conference Center in Bushkill. Those teens included representatives from 25 U.S. chapters and one boy from England.
The program included team-building workshops, seminars and activities as well as a “Shark Tank” program based on the television show.
The teens divided into teams of four and designed CTeen initiatives. On the final day, a committee chose the two best ideas presented, with the CTeen directors and leaders voting on which will become the group’s next undertaking.
