A rabbi in Ocean County is being sued by a woman who claims he sexually assaulted her when she came to him for financial help, then defamed her on a website and in fliers he posted near her children’s school.
New Jersey
NJ Senate race: Andy Kim easily beats Tammy Murphy for Democratic nod on his home turf
U.S. Rep. Andy Kim sailed to an easy and expected victory at the Burlington County Democratic Convention on Saturday over Tammy Murphy, the state’s first lady and his chief rival for the party’s nod in the June primary for the U.S. Senate.
According to unofficial tallies, Kim, the clear favorite on his home-county turf, grabbed 245 votes to Murphy’s 21 votes. Other candidates — Patricia Campos-Medina, a Latina activist and union organizer, and Lawrence Hamm, a social justice advocate from Newark — also earned votes, but those numbers were not immediately available.
The candidates are vying to succeed U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, the Union County Democrat who was accused by federal prosecutors of accepting bribes while acting as a foreign agent for Egypt and Qatar.
Menendez denies the charges and has not ruled out the possibility of running for reelection this year, although he did not compete in the Burlington convention Saturday and the prospects of running again appear to be unlikely.
Stile: Andy Kim a Trump supporter? That’s what Tammy Murphy wants you to think
The outcome was widely expected. Kim, who was raised in Evesham Township and has represented most of Burlington County since entering Congress in 2019, is a popular figure here. Leading up to Saturday’s event Kim snapped up a slew of endorsements from prominent Democratic county officials, including state Sen. Troy Singleton, who has emerged in recent years as perhaps the county’s most powerful Democrat.
The win now confers on Kim the valuable endorsement of the Burlington County machine. In practical terms, that means he will be bracketed on the June 4 primary ballot on the same “line” or column led by President Joe Biden and with other endorsed candidates for Congress and local offices. Organizational line candidates almost always win.
“We have some scary moments and scary things going on in our country and in our world right now,” Kim said to a standing room only crowd of 300 packed inside the auditorium of the Burlington County satellite campus of Rowan University in Mount Laurel before the voting started.
“We face some real existential threats, real challenges at deep levels, whether that’s what we see on Jan. 6th and what we see going on around the world,” he added referring to the riot of supporters of President Donald Trump just before he left office in 2021. “We’re in this together.”
Stile: Is the NJ Democratic nomination for Senate really ‘in play’? Can Kim win?
In the county-by-county contest for party support, Saturday’s vote has limited value. Burlington’s 140,000 registered Democrats represent just 5.6% of the 2.5 million voters eligible to vote in the Democratic primary.
Yet, the victory is certain to add to the perception that grassroots momentum continues to build behind Kim’s buck-the-machine candidacy. Earlier this month, Kim stunned the political establishment by notching a blowout victory over Mrs. Murphy in Monmouth County, where the Murphy family has lived for 25 years. He is also expected to win the smaller Hunterdon County convention on Sunday.
What happened in Monmouth: Democrats back Andy Kim for Senate over Tammy Murphy, in race to replace Menendez
The first lady still has considerable advantages in her corner, winning the endorsements of county bosses in Democratic Party strongholds of Essex, Hudson, Middlesex and Bergen counties. In those counties, the party leaders’ endorsement has an enormous sway in the nominating process.
Many of those leaders in those Democrat-rich counties endorsed Murphy shortly after she jumped into the race in November, a move that signaled an attempt to create an aura of inevitability about her campaign and derail Kim before he got any traction.
Primary race: Andy Kim, Tammy Murphy make their cases to Democrats at Monmouth University forum
In her pitch to the committee delegates, Murphy argued that a woman senator could be a reliable and determined foe of right wing, Trumpian extremism that has engulfed the Republican Party and wields power in Congress. If elected, Murphy would be the first woman senator from New Jersey.
“We need more ticked off moms who are beholden only to our children in Washington, D.C.,” she told the audience before voting. “We need a senator who’s going to be a champion for women and girls and stop right-wing extremists who want to ban abortion in all 50 states.”
But many of Murphy’s institutional advantages may have turned into potential liabilities for her, sparking accusations that she sought to coast to the nomination with the help of husband Gov. Phil Murphy’s grip on Democratic Party insiders. The charges of nepotism have dogged the campaign from the moment she stepped into the ring.
Kim, meanwhile, has constantly attacked Murphy as a dubious Democrat, who raised thousands of dollars for Republicans dating back to the late 1990s, including former President George W. Bush. Although Murphy also gave to prominent Democrats at the time — including Al Gore, Bush’s opponent in the 2000 presidential race — she remained a registered Republican as late as 2014.
Campaigning in North Jersey: Congressman Andy Kim visits Ridgewood to make his case to Bergen County Democrats
The result has been a rocky start for Murphy, who has trailed in opinion polls. Her campaign also announced last week the departure of her campaign manager, Max Glass. No replacement was named.
Kim, meanwhile, has cast himself around the state as the most reliable Democratic Party choice to win in the general election by frequently citing his record of flipping the 3rd Congressional District in 2018 and his consistent opposition to Trump policies since taking office.
‘Kim-mentum?’ A tide of unease about Tammy Murphy washes across NJ Democratic grassroots
Murphy has tried to muddy that record by citing several procedural votes that aligned with the Trump agenda. Yet, on Friday, the Kim campaign circulated a photo, first published by the Daily Beast, of the Murphys posing in a group shot with Trump’s daughter, Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, son of the disgraced New Jersey developer Charles Kushner.
Talking to reporters after the event, Murphy defended the appearance as the result of responsible diplomacy that her husband conducted with the Trump administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor maintained that the open channels with Trump helped the state secure needed supplies and relief from the federal government.
“We’re never going to progress as a country if we are … constantly sitting at the table with people who are thinking the same way and we’re watching the same news feeds,” she argued. “If we had not reached across the aisle during COVID to get the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), to get the ventilators, people would have died in our state.”
See the Roxbury warehouse scouted by ICE as possible deportation site
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were in Roxbury recently apparently scouting a Rt. 46 warehouse as a possible migrant deportation facility.
Federal officials are considering abandoning plans for a controversial immigration detention facility in Roxbury, New Jersey, according to a June 18 report by The New York Times, prompting local leaders and state officials to declare a victory after months of legal and political opposition.
The proposed facility, a warehouse property purchased to serve as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, faced intense criticism from local residents, environmental advocates and elected officials who argued the site was unsuitable for housing detainees.
In a joint statement issued Thursday, Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said the Department of Homeland Security appeared to be backing away from the project following legal challenges that halted development.
“Today the New York Times is reporting that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is backing down on its mass detention center in Roxbury,” the statement said. “That is a big win for public safety, for the township of Roxbury, and for New Jersey.”
According to the Times report, the Roxbury facility is one of seven ICE is planning to dispense with by transferring ownership to other federal agencies or selling them.
Opponents argued the warehouse was designed as a logistics facility and lacked the infrastructure necessary to support a large detention center. They also raised concerns about the potential strain on local water and sewage systems and the impact on environmentally sensitive land surrounding the site.
State officials said they joined Roxbury Township in court to challenge the project, contending that federal plans violated local regulations and posed risks to the community.
“DHS’s plans were always illegal,” the statement said. “The Roxbury warehouse is a logistics center fit for packages, not thousands of people.”
Rep. Rob Menendez said in a statement on Thursday: “We are working to confirm reporting that ICE is abandoning its Roxbury warehouse plans, but if true, this would be big news. From day one, we have fought to stop this facility, bringing together thousands of New Jerseyans in opposition. Now we are on the cusp of an important win for our state.”
The detention center was expected to become part of the federal government’s broader immigration enforcement and detention network. However, the project became a flashpoint in New Jersey, drawing opposition from both local officials and residents concerned about public safety, environmental impacts and the facility’s compatibility with surrounding land uses.
Federal officials have not publicly confirmed whether the property will be sold or formally removed from consideration. The Department of Homeland Security has not commented on the reported change in plans.
Opponents vowed to continue monitoring the situation until the project is officially terminated.
“This isn’t a partisan issue,” the statement said. “We’re grateful for our partnership with the Roxbury community as we keep DHS’s feet to the fire to ensure this facility is never opened.”
New Jersey
NJ rabbi faces lawsuit for sexual assault after giving financial aid | The Jerusalem Post
Avraham Appel, of Jackson, abused his position as a trusted community leader to sexually assault and exploit the woman, an Israeli immigrant who came to him as a single mother struggling to pay bills, according to the lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of Ocean County.
Appel is a prominent rabbi and Rosh Kollel, or head of a Jewish institute for advanced Talmudic study, who is based in Lakewood and Jackson, according to court papers filed January 5.
Appel did not respond to calls to his home and cellphone seeking comment on the lawsuit.
The woman claims she confided in one of her children’s schoolteachers in early 2020 that she was in significant financial distress and having trouble paying for daycare.
The teacher suggested she contact Appel, according to the suit.
In February 2020, Appel arranged to meet with the woman at a local Starbucks.
“During that meeting, Appel presented himself to (the woman) as a rabbi, mentor, advisor, and friend whom (the woman) could trust, confide in, and depend on,” the lawsuit states.
Appel, who had experience in real estate, allegedly offered the woman an opportunity to solicit investments on his behalf and to “draw,” or advance, money against future commissions.
Rabbi issues payments to woman after alleged sexual assault
In June and July 2022, Appel issued six payments to the woman, totaling $20,000 and characterized as advances or loans. He also provided the woman with “financial assistance” so she could buy groceries and pay medical expenses and water bills, according to the suit.
The lawsuit claims most of the money was meant to buy the woman’s silence after he attacked her on June 1, 2022.
The suit alleges Appel visited the woman while she was alone at home and sexually assaulted her as she pleaded for him to stop.
“Appel was abusive and unrelenting. The more (the woman) pled for mercy, the more aggressive Appel became,” the suit alleges.
Before leaving her home, he allegedly ordered her to delete Ring camera footage that showed him arriving.
In the months after the assault, Appel “forced himself upon” the woman and took sexual advantage of her on other occasions, the suit claims.
Appel also allegedly bombarded the woman with demands for sexual acts and sent her a barrage of text and WhatsApp messages containing crude and graphic sexual content.
“I want to squeeze your breasts,” one text allegedly said. In another, he sent the woman a photo of his penis, the suit alleges.
In July 2024, the woman met with another rabbi and shared evidence of the sexual assault and “other incidents involving Appel,” the suit claims.
Woman offered $50,000 for therapy after sexual assault
Appel later contacted his attorney and the two offered the woman $50,000 to cover her future therapy expenses.
The money would be available only if the woman signed a release of any claims related to the assault and agreed to keep all incidents between them confidential, according to the suit.
The woman refused to accept the money or sign the agreement, the suit says.
Appel then launched a campaign to destroy the woman “personally and professionally,” according to the lawsuit.
On December 15, 2025, the woman became aware of a website with her photos that claimed she was “a danger to all Jews,” and warned the public to stay away from her, according to the complaint.
The website disclosed the woman’s address, claimed she stole money, and characterized her as a “thief.”
Moreover, Appel and possibly others posted signs smearing the woman. The signs were posted at public locations throughout the community, including the school her two children attended, the suit alleges.
The lawsuit claims sexual assault, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, and conspiracy.
The complaint also alleges Appel breached his duty as a rabbi to conduct himself with loyalty and in good faith.
A shooting investigation in Camden County has prompted a large police response, according to a source.
Léelo en español aquí
The shooting unfolded in the area of Locust Court in Winslow Township in the evening of June 17.
SkyForce10 was over the scene of what looked like a residential complex as several police cars were visible lining the streets.
Police tape appeared to be blocking off the area as officers looked at a sedan that appeared to have crashed into another car.
No word yet on what led to the shooting or if anyone was hurt.
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