The Lawfare Project to Represent Jewish Woman Who was Refused Service by Staples

The Lawfare Project announced today that it has been retained to represent Elisheva Rishon, a Black Orthodox Jewish woman who was subjected to antisemitic harassment and illegally denied service at a Staples store in Los Angeles.

Elisheva placed a printing order for postcards celebrating Jewish identity with a Staples store located in Mid-Wilshire. On Monday, April 7, she was notified by a store employee that her order was ready for pickup. When Elisheva arrived at the store, the same employee that called her to pick up her order told her that he had refused to print the order and harassed her, targeting her identity as a Black Jewish woman and engaging in antisemitism, anti-Black racism, and colorism. The person purporting to be the store manager did nothing to prevent Elisheva’s civil rights from being violated, choosing instead to support the employee who was targeting Elisheva.

“From college campuses to neighborhood stores, Jew-hatred has infected every corner of our society,” said Brooke Goldstein, Founder and Executive Director of The Lawfare Project. “Staples must do more than release empty statements but impose actual consequences for the employees who targeted Elisheva because of her Jewish identity.”

Elisheva is a born-and-raised Orthodox Jew from Brooklyn, New York. She founded the BJZ Squad program as a safe space for Black Jewish American Zionists that provides content creation services, media training and community. She frequently discusses Orthodox Judaism, Jewish Empowerment, Modest Fashion & Antisemitism.

“Elisheva, a Black Orthodox Jewish woman, was illegally denied service by Staples based upon her identity," said Gerard Filitti, Elisheva’s attorney and Senior Counsel at The Lawfare Project. “It’s appalling to witness a customer singled out and refused service by a Staples employee, on the basis of her race, religion, and ethnicity. The employee’s conduct isn’t just morally reprehensible, it’s illegal. What’s even more disturbing is that this incident reflects a broader societal failure: when Jew-hatred festers unchallenged in our schools, it emboldens individuals to bring that bigotry into the workplace and engage in systemic, unlawful discrimination. No Jewish person should ever have to hide or justify their identity in order to be treated with basic dignity. Our civil rights laws protect us from this kind of prejudice and discrimination and must be enforced.”

The Lawfare Project aims to obtain justice for Elisheva by imposing meaningful consequences on the illegal discrimination she experienced at Staples, ensuring strong deterrence to future acts of discrimination targeting the minority Jewish community.