‘Jew-hatred will find no refuge in NYC,’ Torres says, after Israeli eatery attacked

The Park Slope, Brooklyn location of the Israeli restaurant Miriam was the target of an antisemitic attack on Sunday, hours before the beginning of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

“Vandalizing an Israeli restaurant with the libel ‘genocide cuisine’ simply because it is Israeli is an act of antisemitism,” stated Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.). “The distinction between antisemitism and anti-Zionism might exist on paper, but it collapses in the real world.”

Torres, who visited the restaurant on Sunday, posted a picture of himself with the restaurant owner. “Jew-hatred will find no refuge in the City of New York,” he stated. “A hate crime against the Jewish community is a hate crime against all of us.”

The restaurant posted a photo on social media that showed red paint on several of its windows, and the phrases “genocide cuisine” and “Israel steals culture.”

“Yesterday, Miriam Brooklyn Restaurant was sadly vandalized with messages of hate. But we refuse to let this darken our spirit,” the restaurant stated. “Miriam stands for inclusivity and unity and bringing people together through the shared love of delicious food and warm hospitality.”

“We celebrate the diverse flavors of the Mediterranean, where cultures intertwine and stories are shared,” it added. “We will continue to be a safe place where everyone feels welcome. Join us in spreading love, not hate.”

The UJA-Federation of New York stated that it is “deeply troubled,” and the Anti-Defamation League’s New York and New Jersey office called it “a despicable act of hateful vandalism meant to terrorize the Jewish community.”

Vandalizing the “Jewish-owned Middle Eastern restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, will not free Palestine,” stated Jonathan Harounoff, international spokesman for the Israeli mission to the United Nations in New York. “Shameful antisemitism on display. An appropriate response is to ‘flood’ this delicious restaurant with your business.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who visited the restaurant on Sunday, wrote that the attack was “despicable and antisemitic.”

“It’s a very good community restaurant, and my family has eaten there several times,” the Jewish senator wrote. “Vandalizing a restaurant because the owner is Jewish is outright antisemitic.”

Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller who is Jewish, wrote that it was “infuriating” to see the restaurant, “one of my absolute favorites, vandalized (again) overnight with antisemitic graffiti.”

“Miriam serves and welcomes everyone, regardless of religion or politics, and doesn’t bring either into the restaurant,” Lander wrote. “They serve delicious Israeli food, and their owner and chef Rafael born in Petach Tikvah (a suburb of Tel Aviv), and has lived in New York City for 20 years.”

“Vandalizing their restaurant because they serve Israeli food and their owner is a Jewish Israeli New Yorker is a clear example of when anti-Zionism becomes antisemitism,” Lander added. “One necessary response is that the vandals who did this must be identified and held accountable. A more delicious response is for all of us to go eat some of their excellent food.”

Mark Levine, the Manhattan borough president who is Jewish, noted that antisemitic vandalism is continuing after the ceasefire went into effect in Gaza.

“This restaurant, Miriam, is a beloved Middle Eastern venue whose only offense appears to be that the owner is Jewish. Disgusting,” he wrote.