An Israeli and their partner were kicked out of a cafe in Berlin for wearing a shirt with the word “falefel” in Hebrew, English, and Arabic last week, German and Israeli media reported.
The employee who demanded they leave the cafe reportedly said they refused to serve Zionists.
The shirt was designed after Hamas’s October 7 massacre as part of a German, Iranian, and Israeli coexistence initiative, according to the N12. The profits of the sales were donated to the Israeli charity Women Wage Peace.
"I was wearing a shirt with the word 'falafel' written on it in English, Arabic, and Hebrew," the woman told the German media. "When I went to the counter to order, the employee examined the shirt and asked if it was Hebrew. When I said yes, she refused to serve me and added that she did not serve Zionists. She started shouting at me that I supported the 'genocide in Gaza', that Hebrew is the language of the oppressor. People like me are not welcome in her cafe. She demanded that I leave the place immediately, and then my partner and I left."
“She demanded to know my name so she could officially order me out of the place. We tried to explain to her that it was antisemitic. The situation was very scary,” she added.
Shirt designers respond
After learning of the incident, the shirt designers said in a statement: "Our project began in November 2023 with the aim of maintaining a dialogue around peace and living together. The 'Falafel Humanity' shirt is a creative attempt to bring people together. “We believe that hatred and exclusion are never the right path, and that stopping war and violence is an urgent need." They also clarified that despite the incident and the bitter taste it left, the shirt is receiving positive reactions. “