A former Israeli software engineer has filed a lawsuit against Intel in New York, alleging that he was wrongfully terminated after reporting his direct supervisor for engaging in antisemitic activities on social media.
The engineer, who had been working for Intel's Manhattan office, claims that his supervisor, Alaa Badr, who holds the position of vice president of Customer Success at Intel, liked and retweeted several posts on the social media platform X that celebrated Hamas terrorism and called for the killing of Israeli soldiers.
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Antisemitic posts shared by Alaa Badr
(Photo: U.S. District Court – Southern District of New York)
The lawsuit, which includes screenshots of the offending posts, alleges that Badr's social media activity began shortly after October 7's Hamas attack on Israel. Despite the engineer's complaints, which he submitted along with evidence of Badr's online behavior, Intel reportedly took no disciplinary action against Badr.
Instead, in early 2024, the company assigned Badr as the engineer's direct supervisor in Manhattan. According to the lawsuit, Badr made remarks about there being "too many Israelis" at Intel, adding to the hostile work environment the engineer was experiencing.
The engineer, who is a former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier, was particularly disturbed by Badr's apparent support for violent anti-Israel rhetoric, especially considering that his family in Israel had been directly impacted by a Hamas missile strike earlier that year.
Despite his strong performance and positive reviews, the engineer was laid off in April 2024 under the pretext of cost-cutting measures. However, the lawsuit suggests that the true reason for his termination was his opposition to Badr's behavior. The lawsuit further alleges that his replacement was someone who had also shown support for Badr's antisemitic posts on social media.
According to the lawsuit, Badr liked and retweeted several posts on the social media platform X that glorified acts of terrorism against Israel. One post allegedly praised the actions of Hamas terrorists and their attacks on Israeli soldiers, specifically mentioning how they were “trampled” by Hamas fighters (״Praise be to God, the trampling was done. May God bless you, our Qassams!).
Another post Badr shared depicted an Israeli soldier being choked by a hand labeled “Gaza.” Additionally, Badr is accused of supporting a post that used a fire emoji to express approval of a bombing that targeted and killed Israeli soldiers.
The engineer is seeking reinstatement to his position and is asking the court to award him punitive damages for the alleged illegal discrimination and retaliation he faced at Intel. He is pursuing the case under the pseudonym "John Doe," citing concerns for his safety due to his former IDF service and the potential for harassment and violence.
The lawsuit comes at a time when antisemitism has been on the rise globally, and the engineer's legal team argues that Intel's response to the situation reflects a broader failure to protect its Israeli employees. Intel, which has over 10,000 employees in Israel and has long relied on Israeli talent, has declined to comment on the specifics of the lawsuit but reiterated its commitment to diversity and inclusion, stating that the company does not tolerate hate speech of any kind.
The suit also highlights the historical ties between Intel and the Jewish community, noting that Intel's first hire in 1968 was Andy Grove, a Jewish survivor of Nazi occupation and a key figure in the company's success who later in 1997 became Time magazine’s Person of the Year.