On January 9 and 10, three Israeli restaurants in Portland, Oregon were vandalized with graffiti, which included the words “Free Palestine.”
The Oregonian reported that two branches of the restaurant Shalom Y’all as well as the vegan hummus restaurant Aviv were the targets of such graffiti. The graffiti at Shalom Y’all also included statements like “Falafel is from Palestine,” “Yuppie Scum” and “Hummus is not Israeli.”
The Sesame Collective, the group that owns the Shalom Y’all restaurants, said in a statement, “We are incredibly disheartened by these actions. We are committed to operating inclusive spaces, and do not tolerate messages of hate or racism in any form. We are so thankful for the outpouring of support we have received from the community over the last 24 hours. We encourage you to help us in supporting the Oregon Coalition Against Hate Crime.”
Jewish journalist Eve Barlow tweeted that the incident was an example of anti-Semitism from the left, arguing that “this is what movements such as BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] create on the ground. This is who the targets are. Now you know.”
this is LEFT wing antisemitism.
LEFT.
It is an attack on a Jewish business, because “Free Palestine”. It happened this morning in Portland, Oregon.
This is what movements such as BDS create on the ground. This is who the targets are. Now you know. https://t.co/U77UPrSwuK
— Eve Barlow (@Eve_Barlow) January 11, 2021
George Washington University student Blake Flayton, an avowed progressive Zionist, similarly tweeted, “This is the left-wing antisemitism some on this app claim is not real. And it’s getting worse.”
Absolutely disgusting. Shalom Y’all restaurant in Portland, a Jewish owned establishment that serves Israeli food, is vandalized with “Free Palestine,” “scum,” “murderers.” This is the left-wing antisemitism some on this app claim is not real. And it’s getting worse. pic.twitter.com/9NrkQDdFqf
— Blake Flayton (@blakeflayton) January 11, 2021
In November 2019, Shalom Y’all’s voicemail system was targeted by hackers who changed the restaurant’s answering machine twice to state “Hi, you have reached the stupid Jewish restaurant” and “You have reached the Jewish restaurant. If you b—— want to eat our s—– food, just come here and f— yourself.”
Jamal Hasson, the restaurant’s managing partner, told KGW8 at the time, “Unfortunately, because of the region of the world of the food that we serve, often times we do get lumped in with politics or religious differences, when really, we’re celebrating the cuisine from all of the Mediterranean and Middle East.”
