A prominent New Jersey rabbi sexually assaulted a single mom — and even sent her a pic of his genitals, admitting, “Not great. But works” — before launching a cyber-smear campaign against her, court papers allege.
Married Rabbi Avraham Appel — who runs an elite rabbinical seminary in the tight-knit Lakewood Orthodox community — used “his position as a rabbi, mentor, and trusted community leader to sexually assault and exploit” mom-of-two Israeli immigrant Miryam Malachi for months, according the explosive Ocean County lawsuit.
Rabbi Avraham Appel is accused in an explosive lawuist of of sexually assaulting a desperate mom and then embarking on a scorched-earth retaliation campaign when she threatened to sue. ZAAKAH
Malachi, then a single mom, had approached Appel for financial help with daycare bills “during a period of acute financial distress” in 2020, says her suit filed earlier this year in Ocean County Civil Court.
Appel helped her financially, the lawsuit says. But things took a dark turn in June 2022, when Appel sexually assaulted her as she was home alone, court documents allege.
This message was allegedly sent by Appel to Miryam Malachi after the first assault took place, according to the lawsuit. NJ Ocean County Civil Court
Malachi’s suit claims Appel sent her lewd texts with “incredibly crude and graphic sexual content.” NJ Ocean County Civil Court
Appel “forced himself” on Malachi and “took sexual advantage of her” multiple times afterward, the suit claims.
He also sent her lewd texts with “incredibly crude and graphic sexual content,” including descriptions of oral sex, his desire to “squeeze your breasts” and an image of his genitals, the lawsuit says.
Appel wrote under the genitals image, “Not great. But works,” court documents claim.
When Malachi finally threatened to sue last fall, a vicious smear website popped up calling her “A DANGER TO KLAL YISROEL” — roughly meaning a threat to all Jewish people, her suit says.
Malachi, then a single mom, first approached Appel for financial help with daycare bills “during a period of acute financial distress” in 2020, her suit claims. NJ Ocean County Civil Court
Malachi claims Appel’s allies even plastered defamatory flyers at her children’s private school, according to the court papers.
Appel allegedly offered $50,000 to buy her silence before his lawsuit threat, a move she “vehemently rejected,” the suit says.
Appel and his lawyers have denied all of the accusations, claiming that the pair only had a “business relationship,” court papers show.
His lawyer, Ian Goldman, told The Post on Tuesday that Malachi’s “credibility, motives, and factual assertions are not only disputed but entirely fabricated.”
Goldman added that the “screenshots are fabricated and form part of what he contends is an extensive extortion and smear campaign directed against him,” and that Appel claims “even a cursory examination of the photographs at issue demonstrates that the individual depicted is not him.”
Appel’s court papers also accuse Malachi of fraud and extortion — and deny any connection to the website.
But subpoenaed records from GoDaddy revealed that the smear site was registered directly to Appel’s cell phone, his brother’s email and his business partner’s credit card, Malachi’s suit claims.
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman has been accused of focusing on herself instead of fixing the city’s horrific homeless crisis.
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez tore into Raman in City Hall on Tuesday, claiming she has ignored long-standing problems while prioritizing her political future.
Referring to calls to overhaul the region’s homelessness bureaucracy, Rodriguez noted there had been “no movement for more than two years” despite growing concerns about the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the region’s largest homelessness agency.
LA Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez has criticized City Hall’s handling of homelessness oversight. Katie Avery for CA Post
“Sadly, there was no movement for more than two years on this issue. And we know exactly what the source of that problem was,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez then appeared to take direct aim at Raman, who chairs the Housing and Homelessness Committee while running for mayor.
“We need to stop allowing people to wait for a promotion before they actually do their job,” Rodriguez said.
LA mayoral candidate and Councilwoman Nithya Raman chairs the Housing and Homelessness Committee. Getty Images
Last week, HUD suspended LAHSA’s participation in federal programs while its inspector general investigates allegations of financial mismanagement, weak oversight and what federal officials described as “wanton mismanagement.”
The agency receives nearly $200 million a year in federal funding.
The move followed a blistering rebuke from the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which accused LAHSA of wasting taxpayer dollars after nearly $1 billion in federal money flowed to the agency since 2021.
But the criticism of Los Angeles’ homelessness system did not stop there.
As council members debated the funding crisis, another report moving through City Hall highlighted the city’s struggle to turn taxpayer-funded housing into units used by the homeless.
Rodriguez noted there had been “no movement for more than two years” despite mounting concerns with LAHSA. Jonathan Alcorn for California PostA Canoga Park apartment complex is one of several that have been funded for homeless housing but remain empty. Jonathan Alcorn for California Post
The City Council voted to note and file a Project Homekey status report showing 1,104 homeless housing units sitting vacant despite roughly $911 million spent acquiring properties for homeless housing.
Project Homekey was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic as a fast-track program to buy hotels, motels and apartment buildings and convert them into housing for homeless residents.
The city and the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles acquired 45 properties through three rounds of Homekey funding, creating 3,067 units and beds.
The California Post has previously reported that many Homekey projects carry eye-popping per-unit costs and that more than one-third of the program’s units remain vacant years after properties were purchased.
Questions about the delays have been brewing.
City officials say hundreds of units are still undergoing rehabilitation, conversion or financing work. Obtained by CA Post
In May 2024, Councilwoman Traci Park demanded answers about why Homekey properties remained vacant while homeless residents continued living on nearby sidewalks.
“Given the Homekey program was presented as an expeditious alternative to new construction, which can be cost and time prohibitive, the City should understand immediately why Homekey units continue to sit empty while thousands of individuals continue to live and suffer on sidewalks outside these properties,” Park wrote in her motion.
The city purchased the property in 2020 and later shut down its interim housing operation to convert the building into permanent supportive housing. Nearly six years later, the project is still not complete.
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles acquired 45 properties through three rounds of Homekey funding. Google Maps
City records previously reviewed by the California Post show the property’s cost ballooned from about $8 million to nearly $20 million.
The 32-unit project is expected to cost roughly $625,000 per unit and is not projected to open until late 2026.
The latest Homekey report suggests the Venice project is far from unique.
More than 1,100 taxpayer-funded units remain vacant, under Raman’s watch. Getty Images
According to city officials, 471 units remain under rehabilitation, 218 are undergoing conversion work, 131 are still seeking financing and 24 remain under construction.
The vacancies span all three rounds of Homekey funding.
Round 1 cost taxpayers $258.8 million and produced 1,441 units, but 450 remain vacant.
Round 2 cost $508.7 million and created 1,257 units, with 406 still sitting empty.
Round 3 has the lowest occupancy rate. Taxpayers spent $143.4 million to acquire 369 units, but only 121 are occupied, leaving 248 vacant.
The California Post reached out to Raman’s office for comment.
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The body found floating in a pond at a Queens park over the weekend has been identified as a 73-year-old woman suffering from dementia who apparently wandered off from her home, cops and sources said.
Qinmei Lin was found unconscious and unresponsive in the kettle pond at Bowne Park just after 6 p.m. Sunday – nearly 15 hours after she was spotted leaving her home about a half-mile away in Flushing, according to authorities and law enforcement sources.
A shell-shocked bystander spotted the senior’s body bobbing near a fountain and called 911, the sources said.
Qinmei Lin was found unconscious and unresponsive in the kettle pond at Bowne Park just after 6 p.m. Sunday, authorities said. NYPDLin had vanished from her Flushing home nearly 15 hours earlier, cops said. Peter Gerber
Emergency responders gingerly removed the woman’s corpse from the pond and laid her body on the grass as stunned parkgoers looked on.
Lin was last seen leaving her home around 3:20 a.m. Sunday, police said.
Lin had suffered from dementia, sources said. Peter Gerber
A family member reported that the elderly woman, who suffered from dementia, had vanished, the sources said.
Her official cause of death will be determined by the city medical examiner’s office.
Bruce Lion, 64 — who was charged with making terror threats after several video clips emerged of him harassing a rabbi neighbor from his $5.3 million Pacific Palisades mansion — was seen in the latest footage in handcuffs surrounded by officers.
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Lion can be heard yelling: “Hey f—k you Jews, f—k you Jews, you’re going to hell,” among other unhinged statements.
The rant continued when Lion asked the person filming his arrest if they are Jewish. “Hey, are you Jewish, boy? Because it’s starting. Five days ago. Judgment day m—therf—er. Tell your friends.”
Lion can be seen resisting being placed into a police cruiser.“Listen m—therf—er, I’ll f—ng hurt you. Hey, call my lawyer, call my f—ng lawyer,” hes’ heard saying as the door closes.
Bruce Lion on his Pacific Palisades balcony yelling antisemitic rhetoric Obtained by CA Post
Lions, an heir to the Fresno-based Lion Raisins fortune, was arrested just before midnight Friday and charged with making terror threats.
A friend of the Lion family who appeared at an LA courthouse Tuesday for the man’s scheduled arraignment said he needs help.
“Everyone wants Bruce to get the help he needs,” said the friend, Megan.
She said she was also there to apologize to the rabbi, Zushe Cunin. “I’m very sorry for what happened, apologies to the rabbi,” Megan said. “Whatever we have to do to make it right. They are neighbors, we just want peace.”
Lion family friend, Megan Frederick M. Brown for CA PostMegan says Lion “Needs help.” Frederick M. Brown for CA Post
She explained that Lion has been troubled for some time and that the arrest will lead to medical intervention.
Rabbi Cunin, who was also at the courthouse Tuesday, heard Megan’s apology, but remained focused on getting justice.
“I don’t know that there’s a place for her to make apologies for him. Apologies in life happen from the person who does the wrong,” he said.
“Although I do think it was well-meaning and well-intentioned, this is not about apologies. This is about action.”
Cunin said he’s been dealing with Lion’s antisemitism since the produce scion purchased the property next door to his chabad in March.
The rabbi accused Lion of directing antisemitic attacks at him, as well as interrupting a congregation at his home while shouting statements in front of children.
Rabbi Cunin and Lion are neighbors Obtained by CA PostCalifornia Post
“I have thick skin but it’s not about me,” Cunin said Tuesday.
“I mean there’s my children, my grandchildren, the community families, Holocaust survivors,” he said. “To have to live through this kind of behavior in this serene, beautiful little community, it’s horrible.”Cunin said.
Clinton contended that Democrats would’ve been able to defeat President Trump if Biden had stepped aside and allowed a new generation of political talent to emerge.
“He made a terrible mistake,” Clinton told New Yorker editor David Remnick at a 92nd Street Y, New York event. “He made a terrible mistake for himself, his legacy, and for the country.”
“We would have had a real contest,” she mused about what would’ve happened if Biden didn’t run. “And very sadly I believe whoever emerged from that contest, whether it was the vice president or a governor or a senator or anybody else, would have beaten Donald Trump.”
Hillary Clinton said former President Joe Biden made a “terrible mistake” by running for reelection in 2024, arguing another Democratic nominee would have defeated President Trump had the party held a competitive primary.
Hillary Clinton argued that Joe Biden’s miscalculation cost Democrats the White House in 2024. AP Photo/Evan AgostiniFormer President Joe Biden dropped out of the race after his disastrous debate performance. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
“So I think it was a terrible miscalculation on the part of President Biden.”
A little over three years ago, Clinton was asked about whether Biden should run for a second term and deferred to him.
“I think he’s done a really terrific job and so yes, I want him to run if that’s what he wants to do, and of course, I’ll support him,” she told Forbes in 2023.
Following Biden’s fumbling, stone-faced debate performance against Trump in 2024, Clinton remained publicly supportive of the 46th president despite a mutiny among Democrats that had ensued.
Clinton had lost to Trump in 2016, and Biden managed to defeat him in 2020. Some of Biden’s inner circle strongly felt that he was the only Democrat who could take down Trump.
In the time since, some of Biden’s closest allies have conceded it was a mistake for him to run.
Hillary Clinton gave a frank assessment of Joe Biden despite rooting for him in 2023 to run for reelection. AP Photo/Evan Agostini
Former first lady Jill Biden recently admitted that if she could do it all over again, she would’ve pushed her husband against seeking a second term.
Clinton pointed to Biden’s past remarks in 2020 about being a “bridge” to the next generation of talent within the Democratic Party.
“Once he didn’t move and did not admit that he had said he was going to step aside and decided not to and held on for as long as he did, we were in a terrible dilemma,” she stressed.
Ultimately, Biden stepped aside on July 21, 2024, giving then-Vice President Kamala Harris 107 days to lead the Democratic ticket against Trump.
The best players on the planet will be back to play Shinnecock Hills, the venerable wind-swept links course on eastern Long Island that this week is hosting the U.S. Open for the sixth time in its history, the fifth time in the modern era.
In the five previous U.S. Opens played there, the ride has gotten rough at times, with difficult conditions and treacherous putting on the tricky surfaces.
The last man to hoist the U.S. Open trophy there was Brooks Koepka, who won in 2018 to become the first player in 29 years to repeat as the national champion.
The Knicks kept the party going after an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to celebrate winning the 2026 NBA Championship on Monday night in New York.
Point guard Jalen Brunson, who was named NBA Finals MVP, and wife Ali Brunson, along with center Karl-Anthony Towns and fiancée Jordyn Woods, partied after the show at LDV Hospitality’s The Seville in the Flatiron District to celebrate the Knicks’ 94-90 Game 5 victory over the Spurs on Saturday night in San Antonio, as seen in photos from the star-studded event.
Teammates OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Jordan Clarkson, Jose Alvarado, Mitchell Robinson, Mohamed Diawara, Kevin McCullar Jr., and Jeremy Sochan were all in attendance as the celebrations in the downstairs lounge lasted until 4 a.m. ET.
Jalen Brunson at LDV Hospitality’s The Seville in Flatiron, celebrating the Knicks’ championship on Monday, June 15, 2026. Madison Voelkel/BFA.com
Former Giants quarterback Russell Wilson, who recently struck a deal with CBS Sports to become an NFL analyst, and his wife Ciara, actors Kit Harrington, Skylar Astin and Michael Rainey Jr., rappers Jack Harlow, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Fabolous, and Jim Jones, and reality star Vinny Guadagnino were all in attendance.
Ali Brunson, wife of Knicks star Jalen Brunson, and a friend at LDV Hospitality’s The Seville in Flatiron celebrating the Knicks’ championship on Monday, June 15, 2026. Madison Voelkel/BFA.comJordyn Woods and Karl-Anthony Towns at LDV Hospitality’s The Seville in Flatiron celebrating the Knicks’ championship on Monday, June 15, 2026. Madison Voelkel/BFA.com
The evening featured performances by rappers A$AP Ferg and Fetty Wap and included custom Don Julio 1942 bottles inscribed to commemorate the title.
Guests enjoyed food by Scarpetta, with the menu including beef sirloin, shredded short rib, branzino and more.
Mitchell Robinson and Jordan Clarkson at LDV Hospitality’s The Seville in Flatiron celebrating the Knicks’ championship on Monday, June 15, 2026. Madison Voelkel/BFA.comJose Alvarado and his longterm partner at LDV Hospitality’s The Seville in Flatiron are celebrating the Knicks’ championship on Monday, June 15, 2026. Madison Voelkel/BFA.com
The Seville, located in the lower level of Hotel Seville, is a plush lounge that embraces a polished, fashion-forward and effortlessly sophisticated dress code.
The celebrations came after the team visited “The Tonight Show” just a few miles away.
Russell Wilson and Ciara at LDV Hospitality’s The Seville in Flatiron celebrating the Knicks’ championship on Monday, June 15, 2026. Madison Voelkel/BFA.comCustom Don Julio 1942 bottles inscribed to commemorate the Knicks’ 2026 title while at a celebration at LDV Hospitality’s The Seville in Flatiron on Monday, June 15, 2026. Madison Voelkel/BFA.com
Brunson, Anunoby, Towns and head coach Mike Brown were guests on the show, along with the rest of the team in the studio.
The Knicks have been on a media tour after winning four of five against the Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals to clinch their first championship in 53 years.
The Knicks’ championship parade will be held in New York on Thursday, starting at 10 a.m.
Scottish soccer fans have managed to do what two centuries of St. Patrick’s Day parades could not: Drink Boston dry.
The World Cup tourists managed to empty bars and liquor stores over the weekend after celebrating their team’s first group stage victory at Gillette Stadium.
The “Tartan Army” took over Boston’s downtown area on Saturday following Scotland’s 1-0 win over Haiti, with Sam Adams revealing that its Boston Taproom ran out of its famous Boston Lager.
Scottish soccer fans poured in Boston’s downtown bars and emptied the shelves following their teams World Cup win over the weekend. Getty ImagesScottish soccer fans celebrating outside a pub. @ShawnInBoston via Storyful
From Thursday to Sunday, Scotland fans effectively drank four times as much Boston Lager as the Taproom normally sells in a four-day holiday stretch, Sam Adams told NBC News, with the company forced to schedule an emergency delivery to keep up.
And the Sam Adams Boston Taproom wasn’t the only bar struggling to keep up with the demand of the thirsty soccer fans.
Noelle Somers, chief operating officer at Hennessy’s Bar, said the sales from the weekend were three times as much as the city’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities.
“We’ve been here for over 30 years, and we’ve never seen anything like it,” she told the Boston Globe.
“We tripled St. Patrick’s Day.”
Lines across the city were and its outskirts were filled with kilt-wearing soccer fans high off Scotland’s 1-0 win against Haiti. Getty ImagesThe Scotts are set to return on Friday with their team scheduled to play Morocco at the Boston Stadium. PA Images via Getty Images
Peter Zettel, a clerk at Federal Wine & Spirits in Boston’s Financial District, echoed the boom in business and the recalled how the fans even booed one patron who opted to buy water rather than booze.
Zettel added that one of the bar’s refrigerators even broke down because the bartenders were opening it constantly to serve more drinks.
“It met its match against the Scottish,” he told the Globe.
Scotland fans cheer in the stands for their match against Haiti on Saturday. Getty Images
Corona, Budweiser, Coors, Miller, Guinness, Michelob Ultra and Tennent’s Lager, Scotland’s most popular beer, were the favorites that ran out over the weekend, according to the business owners.
Many of the bars and liquor stores are looking to restock quickly as Scotland is scheduled to play against Morocco at Boston Stadium on Friday night.
Afterwards, the English are expected to take over the city for their match up against Ghana next Tuesday.
On a new episode of “The Show,” Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman are joined by Yankees scout Matt Hyde. Matt is the Yankees are scout in the northeast and is credited with finding potentially the AL MVP and Cy Young this year, Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler. He tells the story of how he began scouting both of them, why he liked them so much and how he had a hand in Aaron Judge being drafted as well.
Plus, Joel and Jon discuss what the Mets and Yankees may do at the trade deadline. With the Mets likely selling, what pieces will they move on from? Do the Yankees need a shortstop?
