NEW YORK, UNITED STATES | Two separate incidents in the United States have raised concerns about anti-Israel harassment and the treatment of Jewish religious observance.
An Israeli-American passenger reported finding a handwritten message reading “F*** Israel” inside her checked suitcase after travelling with her children from Seattle to Los Angeles and Tel Aviv.
In a separate case, Apple agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a federal lawsuit alleging that the company denied a Jewish employee time off to observe Shabbat and later dismissed him because of his religion and in retaliation for his complaints.
The baggage incident remains an unresolved allegation. No suspect has been identified, and authorities have not officially established an antisemitic motive.
The Apple settlement is documented through a federal consent decree. Apple denied the allegations in court filings, and the agreement does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing.
Anti-Israel Message Discovered Inside Checked Suitcase
Noa Sabar Dvoskin, a Los Angeles native who moved to Israel two years ago, travelled with her three children on Alaska Airlines from Seattle to Los Angeles before connecting to an El Al flight to Tel Aviv.
Dvoskin told JNS that she discovered the message while unpacking on Aug. 24.
The handwritten note was reportedly written in capital letters and contained an expletive directed at Israel.
“I felt really scared and uneasy,” Dvoskin said.
She examined the suitcase and found no damage or missing property. She photographed the message and attempted to prevent her children, who range in age from nine to 16, from seeing it.
Dvoskin said she reported the incident to Alaska Airlines, Los Angeles International Airport, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Embassy in Israel.
Alaska Airlines subsequently told JNS that it was reviewing the allegation.
“All passengers deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and we take allegations involving the security and handling of checked baggage seriously,” the airline said.
Alaska Airlines said the passenger’s journey involved multiple flights, airlines and baggage-custody points. It was working with relevant parties to determine when and where the suitcase could have been accessed.
It remains unclear whether the bag was opened in Seattle, Los Angeles or at another point during the journey. The identity and employment affiliation of the person who placed the message inside the suitcase are also unknown.
The note appears to be anti-Israel harassment if Dvoskin’s account is confirmed. However, authorities have not classified the incident as an antisemitic hate crime or determined that she was targeted because she is Jewish.
The incident also raises a separate aviation-security concern because an unauthorized person may have accessed checked baggage without leaving an official inspection notice.
StopAntisemitism, a U.S.-based advocacy organization, said the apparent access to the suitcase raised concerns that someone could place a dangerous object inside a passenger’s luggage.
Six months earlier, an El Al flight from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv departed without passengers’ baggage after “Free Palestine” stickers were discovered on airport equipment.
Law-enforcement officials reviewed security footage and identified a third-party contractor who was later dismissed, according to JNS.
No connection has been established between that incident and the message found in Dvoskin’s suitcase.
Apple Agrees to Settle Federal Religious-Discrimination Lawsuit
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced on Aug. 27 that Apple would pay $150,000 and implement workplace reforms to settle a religious-discrimination lawsuit involving a Jewish employee at its Reston, Virginia, store.
The EEOC alleged that Apple failed to accommodate the employee’s request to remain off work from Friday evening through Saturday evening to observe Shabbat.
According to the federal agency, the request conflicted with a new company scheduling policy governing weekend work.
The EEOC also alleged that the store manager who denied the accommodation made disparaging comments about the employee’s faith and dismissed him in January 2024 because of his religion and in retaliation for his complaints.
The employee, identified in previous court reporting as Tyler Steele, had worked for Apple since 2007 and converted to Judaism in 2023.
Apple denied the EEOC’s allegations in court filings. The consent decree states that the settlement is not an adjudication on the merits and does not constitute an admission by the company.
Under the two-year agreement, Apple will pay the former employee $80,000 in back wages and $70,000 in compensatory damages.
The company must update its religious-observance policy and require decision-makers to provide employees with written explanations when it denies religious accommodations.
Apple must also train human-resources personnel, managers and other employees responsible for accommodation requests. The company must report religious-accommodation denials and religious-discrimination complaints to the EEOC.
Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to reasonably accommodate sincerely held religious beliefs and practices unless doing so would impose an undue hardship.
The law also prohibits discrimination based on religion and retaliation against employees who request accommodations or complain about discriminatory treatment.
“Accommodating an employee’s religious beliefs is not optional,” said Debra Lawrence, the EEOC’s Philadelphia regional attorney.
Mindy Weinstein, director of the EEOC’s Washington Field Office, said employees should not be forced to choose between their faith and their livelihood.
The two developments are legally and factually distinct.
The luggage incident remains under investigation, with no identified perpetrator and no official finding of antisemitic intent.
The Apple case resulted in a binding federal settlement, financial compensation and mandated workplace reforms, although the company continues to deny the underlying allegations.
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