A former Jewish employee of Unilever filed a lawsuit against the conglomerate Thursday for allegedly firing him for taking days off from work during Rosh Hashana, according to the New York Post. 

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Court papers said the incident occurred in 2019, when David Rosenbaum – a general manager at Unilever's headquarters in New Jersey – alerted his boss, Frank Alfano, that he planned to take several days off for the High Holidays in the fall, with Alfano allegedly replying "he could not take off for Rosh Hashana and probably not for Yom Kippur as well."  

Rosenbaum attempted to explain that religion required him to not work on those days but to no avail. He then proceeded to take the time off anyway and emailed higher-ups on Sept. 30, 2019 – on Rosh Hashana eve – explaining how Alfano's actions went against the law. In reply, a Unilever lawyer merely promised to speak with Human Resources, according to the claims. 

The next day, Rosenbaum was fired over the phone for failing to show up at work. The lawsuit also claimed that in a prior incident, Alfano retaliated against Rosenbaum for a complaint he made earlier that year after Alfano allegedly touched him, propositioned him, and asked to lend him money. 

Rosenbaum alleged his situation is "further evidence of Unilever's antisemitism, which was demonstrated in July 2021, when Unilever's subsidiary, Ben & Jerry's, began an illegal boycott of Israel by refusing to sell its ice cream there," the suit claims.

The ice cream conglomerate announced it would no longer sell its products in Judea and Samaria after 2022. The lawsuit claimed the move was inconsistent as Ben & Jerry's continues to sell its ice cream in countries that consistently violate human rights. 

Rosenbaum's attorney, Cindy Salvo, told the New York Post that her still-unemployed client has had a hard time finding a job during the pandemic.

According to Salvo, it was bad enough that Alfano did not let Rosenbaum take the time off, but what is even worse is that the upper-level management did nothing about it after receiving his email. "They didn't engage in any interactive process," she said. 

Returning Israel Hayom's request for comment, Unilever said it "strongly rejects the claims and has a zero-tolerance policy against antisemitism or any other form of discrimination in the workplace."

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Anyone who follows the social media accounts of famous US ice cream maker Ben&Jerry's has noticed that the accounts, which used to update on a daily basis, have gone nearly silent since May 18 of this year, when Israel was in the midst of Operation Guardian of the Walls.

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While the company is not officially confirming the reports, chatter on the internet says that after the ice cream giant was targeted by anti-Israel users for its ties to Israel and the fact that it operates both a factory and sells its ice cream in areas considered disputed, the company decided to stay quiet on social media until the storm passed.

However, Ben&Jerry's silence appears to have fed the flames, and attacks on it and on Israel continue to gather steam.

One user whose account identifies her as "anti-Zionist" wrote that "Ben&Jerry's knows they can't go back to business as usual without addressing their involvement and investment in the settlements."

The user accused Israel of "colonialism and land theft."

Many users are even calling for a boycott of Ben&Jerry's, even though its Israeli operations are run by a franchisee and are not directly related to the US parent company.

Meanwhile, the company's Israeli social media account, which refrained from posting during the 11 days of the Gaza fighting, resumed its activity when the ceasefire took effect.

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US ice cream manufacturer Ben&Jerry's has launched a unique flavor ahead of the Knesset election scheduled for March 23.

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The company's aim is to encourage Israelis, who might have grown tired of elections as this will be Israel's fourth in under two years, to vote. "There is always a reason to vote," the company says.

"The right to vote is a celebration of democracy and 'tastes,'" Ben&Jerrry's said, adding: Israel "is a country of so many types of people, voices and opinions, and that is what makes our country unique, interesting and successful."

The ice cream, named One Sweet Vote, has many flavors and toppings representing Israel's diversity. It include vanilla ice cream with peace symbol-shaped chocolates and chocolate-covered almonds, and chocolate ice cream filled with blondie brownies and white chocolate chunks.

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