Grace Gilson reports for JTA.
Last year, New York’s attorney general started investigating a car wash that, her office suspected, was scamming Jewish customers.
Now, Letitia James is ordering that business to end its “Passover special”—a car-cleaning offer that massively overcharged Orthodox Jews. Otherwise, it will have to pay $75,000.
Jewish law strictly forbids owning any chametz, or leavened food, during Passover. For the past several years, Super 4 Seasons car wash in the heavily Orthodox area of Spring Valley, New York, promised to thoroughly clean customers’ cars ahead of the holiday.
But in a report published last month, James’ office said Super 4 Seasons identified visibly Orthodox Jews, performed a standard car wash for them—then charged them more than three times the normal amount. Jewish customers were billed $169.99 for the ‘Passover special’ service that was priced at $47 for non-Jewish customers, the report said.
“Targeting Jewish New Yorkers with deceptive pricing around Passover is a clear act of religious discrimination and will not be tolerated,” said James. “Every New Yorker, regardless of their faith, deserves to be treated fairly and equally. My office will not hesitate to hold businesses accountable when they exploit families’ religious observance.”
The investigation was launched by the attorney general’s office last April following a string of complaints.
In an undercover operation, an investigator with the attorney general’s office visited the establishment dressed in Orthodox Jewish clothing and asked for a standard car wash, but was told the only services available were shampoo and Passover cleaning. He was charged the inflated price.
When another investigator in non-Jewish clothing inquired about a standard wash, it was given to him. An employee told him the Passover promotion was “for Jews” and that it cost more “because their cars are so dirty.”
Super 4 Seasons had been offering the antisemitic special since at least 2018, according to the report.
Through a review of the company’s sales, the attorney general’s office found the car wash appeared to have illicitly made over $35,000 since 2022 through the discriminatory practice. And Jewish customers may have been catching on: From 2022 to 2024, sales of the Passover special fell by roughly half, from 117 to 55.
In a settlement to avoid potential penalties of up to $161,000, Super 4 Seasons agreed to stop charging Jewish customers more than others for the same service. If they do not comply, the car wash will be fined up to $75,000.
Someone who answered the phone at Super 4 Seasons told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that lawyers have advised them not to comment.
James also issued a consumer alert for car washes, markets, and hotels last week ahead of Passover, which begins April 12, cautioning the Jewish community to beware of similar scams. In 2022, she had sent two letters to organizations representing car wash owners condemning the discriminatory pricing.
