A New York City Israeli cuisine eatery was vandalized on Yom Kippur eve, the Safta restaurant told The Jerusalem Post.
Vandals graffitied the words “Zionist Food” on a door with an arrow pointing to the business. A “free Palestine” sticker was also allegedly placed on the storefront.
Safta also related that it had received notification that vandals were interested in breaking the business’s windows.
The restaurant wrote in an Instagram story on Tuesday that it was receiving negative reviews on Google “simply for existing.”
“You know, the former Israeli PM that stated Palestinians and Palestine don’t exist? Also pretty interesting to see them use Palestinian food on their incredibly subpar menu,” read one review. “Service, bad. Customer experience, worse. Perhaps if you are going to support a genocide, you may not want to open a business broadcasting that stance.”
Restaurant urges support amid negative review bombing
The restaurant urged patrons to support it amid the sudden negative reviews. It also told the Post that people could support the business by visiting and showing that “our community doesn’t tolerate or accept antisemitism or violence.”
“When we as people leave an impression showing that we are open and fair and equal for all, love and support always [outweigh] hate,” the restaurant said.