ACLJ Secures Justice for Jewish Client After Amazon Worker Defaces Holocaust Survivor Books
In a significant victory against antisemitism, the ACLJ has successfully resolved a disturbing case of discriminatory harassment involving retail giant Amazon.
Our client, an author, received a shocking package from Amazon, as we discussed here previously. Upon opening her order of 10 books (published through Kindle Direct Publishing), our client discovered that the books about her father, a Holocaust survivor, had been blatantly defaced with antisemitic hate scrawled in thick black ink across the pages throughout. This deliberate act of harassment was not only personally distressing to our client, but it also represented a direct attack on her faith and Jewish identity. Every copy had been defaced with antisemitic slurs and threatening messages like “Zionism kills Jews” and “From the River to the Sea Palestine Will be Free.” The statements defaced the personal memoir she had written about her father’s experience of the Holocaust.
Our client contacted Amazon’s customer service several times, to no avail. In fact, Amazon completely refused to replace the destroyed books. The ACLJ immediately took action. Our legal team sent a demand letter to Amazon on January 16, calling for accountability and appropriate remedies for this egregious situation. It was apparent that an Amazon employee became aware that the book was a memoir of a Holocaust survivor. They then wrote egregiously offensive, threatening, and outrageous comments with full knowledge of the particular type of customer who would receive these messages. Given this knowledge, no reasonable person would expect our client to endure these racially abusive comments without emotional distress.
We are pleased to report that Amazon has responded appropriately to our letter:
Amazon has fully acknowledged the unacceptable nature of this incident.
The company has provided our client with 50 replacement books – five times her original order.
Amazon has issued a complete refund for our client’s original purchase.
Amazon has conducted an internal investigation into the incident.
The company has reaffirmed its commitment that such behavior contradicts its values and policies and expressed deep regret that our client’s experience “did not reflect” Amazon’s commitment to “high-quality customer service.”
The company informed us that if the person involved could be found, Amazon would terminate that individual.
In their February 5 response letter, Amazon explicitly stated that “Amazon does not tolerate any form of hate speech” and emphasized that “the actions described in your letter are not representative of Amazon’s policies or values.” The letter emphasized Amazon’s “commitment to protecting the ability of all customers to use Amazon’s services without threat or fear of harassment.”
While we regret that, according to Amazon, the passage of time prevented it from identifying the specific perpetrators, the company has assured us that any employee found responsible for such actions would face termination. They told us that they “were unable to identify the individual or individuals who defaced the books. Had the facts pointed us to a perpetrator, we would have taken appropriate action and can assure you that anyone involved would no longer be employed by Amazon.”
This case represents yet another example of the ACLJ’s unwavering commitment to defending religious liberty and fighting antisemitic discrimination in the marketplace. We will continue to stand vigilant against all attempts to marginalize Jewish people in America. In an era of rising antisemitism across America, holding major corporations accountable for instances of religious and racial discrimination is essential to creating a society where all are respected and protected. This case also demonstrates how the private sector must take responsibility for ensuring that antisemitism has no place in American commerce. Companies like Amazon, with their enormous reach and influence, have a special obligation to refuse to tolerate any antisemitic conduct.
We thank our supporters for making victories like this possible. Your continued partnership enables us to fight against antisemitism across our nation.
If you believe your religious liberties and constitutional rights may have been violated, please reach out to our legal team.