Last weekend, two Israeli tourists, Reuven and Geula Mozes, were expelled from a restaurant in Naples after the owner said they were “Zionists.”
“Zionists are not welcome here,” the owner allegedly said.
The video of the incident in the Taverna Santa Chiara, located in the heart of the city’s historic center, has been circulating on social media, sparking indignation.
In an interview with daily newspaper Il Mattino, Geula Mozses called the incident “shameful,” telling of the couple being “kicked out of the restaurant because they were Jews.”
“We touched with our own hands what antisemitism is. We never imagined it could happen in Naples, a wonderful city where freedom and love are in the air. We will consider whether to follow up our complaint with a formal complaint,” she said.
According to the report, everything was normal until the two Israeli tourists started talking to their table neighbors, French tourists, explaining how beautiful Israel is and suggesting they visit the country.
Then, the tavern owner, Nives Monda, who heard the conversation, started explaining that she had joined the campaign “against Israeli apartheid and against Palestinian genocide.”
After a verbal exchange, during which the two Israelis accused the owner of being “antisemitic,” a “Jew-hater” and supporting terrorism, the latter kicked the couple out of the restaurant. “You can go, I don’t want your money,’’ he reportedly told them in English.
Last month, a text was posted on the restaurant’s social media adhering to “Spaces Free of Israeli Apartheid.”
The Israeli embassy in Rome said it was aware of the incident and was seeking clarification from local authorities. “Targeting individuals or families based on nationality is unacceptable and must be addressed,” the embassy said in a statement.
Originally published by the European Jewish Press.
