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
Message for poor NJ Transit riders: Fixes are coming … eventually • New Jersey Monitor
Meghan Howard Noveck had a typical, awful day using NJ Transit Wednesday.
Low-level boarding was in effect for her morning train to New Brunswick, so passengers had to exit using one door and walk on wooden platforms across the tracks to get to the platform.
“Don’t worry, they had a staff member there to warn us about the one board that was loose,” Howard Noveck told me.
The whole thing put her about half an hour behind schedule. Frustrating, but she’s used to the kind of service she gets from NJ Transit — whether it’s rail, light rail, or bus.
“It’s not reliable,” she said.
Never fear! A handful of our state’s House delegation met with the CEOs of Amtrak and NJ Transit on Wednesday, toured our rail facilities, and told reporters in New Brunswick that they do not want a repeat of this summer’s series of service delays and cancellations and they pledge things will change — eventually.
“This is not going to happen overnight,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer said.
“We do face an uphill battle when we’re dealing with a Republican majority in the House,” said Rep. Frank Pallone.
“We still don’t have a firm answer right now on what exactly went wrong and, as a result, we can’t give that exact, 100% assurance to the people of New Jersey that they’re not going to see that problem again,” Rep. Andy Kim said.
Such doom and gloom! I went to the press conference expecting to hear some reassurance that our state’s leaders are on top of this mess, but perhaps our members of Congress are smart enough not to raise the hopes of NJ Transit riders, who by now all but expect the terrible, unreliable service they receive day in and day out.
Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner and NJ Transit CEO/President Kevin Corbett offered a few rays of sunshine. Gardner said thousands of feet of wires related to the electrical system that powers the trains have been replaced, other infrastructure has been upgraded, and both agencies have increased their monitoring and inspections. Corbett said the two agencies are working together to modernize equipment that is 90 years old.
Single day of NJ Transit feedback shows wide range of rail rage and bus blues
But Gardner also uttered some defense of the system that made me realize why our House members were less rosy than he was. Only eight trains caused all of the mess this summer, he noted.
“To be clear, we had a unique set of system failures that happened — very few impacts across all the number of trains. Thirty-five thousand trains we ran over a couple of months, we had eight instances occur out of those 35,000 trains,” Gardner said.
I’m sure it’s frustrating to run a train system and have a small percentage of trains give it a bad reputation, but how many thousands of commuters relied on those eight trains? Should they be heartened to know that people riding all the other lines made it to work on time? No A for effort here, sorry.
Corbett added something baffling when discussing train delays: “If a train’s 10 minutes late, people will start hitting Twitter. That comes with the nature of commuter rail and we know that.”
I don’t know if Corbett meant to communicate that the guy who runs the state’s public transit system thinks the problem when a train is 10 minutes late is that people will complain in public about it, but that’s sure how it sounded. Here’s a solution for that: Make the trains run on time and people won’t gripe on social media that they’re late.
I asked Howard Noveck if anything said at Wednesday’s press conference made her feel better.
“Not even a little bit,” she said.
Same. Especially after I woke up Thursday and started seeing all the alerts of NJ Transit issues: Bus 158 out of Fort Lee canceled because there was no driver, train 1105 to Suffern delayed up to 20 minutes because of equipment problems, train 481 also late because of a track condition near Summit.
Just another wonderful day riding NJ Transit. But things will change, they promise!
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
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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