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October 23, 2026 - from NY Post
"New York City likes to take pride in how “inclusive” it is, particularly for immigrants, but when it comes to identifiable Israelis, too many of its inhabitants are ready to make an exception.
"Every Israeli restaurant owner can tell you that much.
"Several times a week for the last few months, a guy has walked by Gazala Halabi’s eatery on the Upper West Side and spit on the window.
"One day, Gazala chased him down and asked him why.
"'You know why,' he replied. 'It’s because you’re Israeli.'
"No matter that Gazala is Druze, not Jewish, and makes dishes that have been in her family for generations.
"Almost every Israeli restaurant in the city has experienced harassment, and often they’re lucky if it’s just spitting.
"They’ve endured broken windows, graffiti and even (failed) employee-led boycotts.
"At the end of the day, says one business owner who took the hard decision to remove Israel from the menu entirely after his restaurant was repeatedly vandalized, “I need to support my family,” and threatening phone calls from strangers were not part of the business plan.
"The owner of Ella’s Café on the Upper East Side recalls organized campaigns to boycott his restaurant after Oct. 7.
"He never thought for a minute of removing the Israeli flags or items from the menu, and today he reports that for every person who leaves, two more show up.
"Alon Kazdan, the owner of Stripes Wine Bar near Union Square, told me he saw a 60% loss in sales in the days after Oct. 7, as well as people coming in and trying to rip down his Israeli flag.
"Catering to the community instead of the bullies paid off, and today his establishment is back to business as usual — flag, Israeli salad and all.
"He finds that especially ironic since, as a young restauranter in Israel, he worked with many Muslims and Palestinians and never experienced any problems.
"Immigrants building successful businesses from nothing is as American as apple pie. There should be no exceptions for Israelis.
"Hopefully New Yorkers will continue to reward those who remain proud and unafraid — and not forget to order a round of falafel for the table."
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