Since October 7, the "Hummus Kitchen" restaurant in New York's East Side has become a constant target for antisemitic attacks, all due to an Israeli flag displayed at the front of the restaurant. In the past week alone, two incidents involving these flags went viral on social media.
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In the first incident, a patron, humorously dubbed the "Soup Nazi" (a reference to that famous "Seinfeld" episode), entered the restaurant, took a bowl of soup, and threw it at the flag. In the second incident, a young woman entered the restaurant, attempted to remove the flag, insulted it as non-Israeli, and gestured defiantly to the camera.
"It's unbelievable that in the heart of New York City in 2024, you can't raise an Israeli flag without facing consequences. It's just absurd," says owner Maor Vaknin. However, this is the new reality that Israeli restaurants are grappling with in a city that has become the central battleground for international awareness.
To counteract the simmering tensions, a new initiative has emerged – a culinary tour among Israeli restaurants in the city, especially those at the forefront since October 7th. "The atmosphere is like when Jaffa oranges meet The Big Apple," boasts Delicious Israel, one of the first tourism companies to organize culinary tours in Tel Aviv markets and has now decided to expand to New York.
"When I approached Israeli chefs in New York with the idea, they thought I was crazy," recounts Inbal Baum, 43, the founder of the company and the driving force behind the initiative alongside her Israeli husband, Tal, 44.
"Quite literally, I knocked on the windows of Eayl Shani's 'Port Said' restaurant until they let me talk to the chef," she says. Initially, Victor Gutleb, the executive chef at the New York branch of the restaurant, was skeptical.
"He told me, 'Now? In times like these? Are you out of your mind? People are scared, who would dare to join such a thing?'" she recalls, "but I didn't give up. Even when I came up with the idea of starting culinary tours in the Levinsky market, everyone thought I was crazy. In the end, they realize it's good for everyone: for Israeli restaurants, tourists, and guides."
Gutleb was convinced: a group of 17 hungry patriots was hosted at "Port Said," alongside a DJ booth and giant speakers. In line with Shani's restaurant tradition, desserts were laid out directly on patterned paper: an organized mess featuring slices of New York-style cheesecake, apple crumble, whipped cream, mascarpone, strawberry sauce, and blackberry coulis.
The tour among Israeli restaurants began a few streets north, at "Blue Stripes Cacao Shop" - a pure chocolate café founded by Max Brenner, Oded Brenner. The name "Blue Stripes" actually represents the Israeli flag, one could easily forget that it's an Israeli stronghold that has been receiving anonymous threatening calls since October 7.
At this stop, we savor a cup of hot chocolate with chocolate syrup dripping down the sides, and Inbal unveils her secret weapon: Havayj, a type of hot chocolate. "It's like Israel's pumpkin spice latte," she quips in a language everyone understands, and we receive a small plate with fresh rugelach and Bourikas tossed into the mix of Tiberias' taboon bakery. Inbal explains that this is the essence of Israeli cuisine: a Polish dish next to an Iraqi one shared on the same plate.
Participants are asked to introduce themselves and share their favorite Israeli dish, quickly creating a connection among everyone. "We didn't come here just to eat; we also came to be with people who think like us," says Rachel, a doctor who came with her husband from Boston to visit their son in the city.
The three joined the tour even though they managed to indulge in a hearty breakfast at another Israeli restaurant, "K'Far" in Brooklyn, which required a few good hours of digestion – but for the sake of Israel, they were willing to endure.
"We heard about everything happening to restaurants in the city, and this is our way of helping and enjoying ourselves," explains Rachel, describing how she sent her daughter in New York a gift card for a meal at the "Aharon" café located in the East Side. The family-owned café - headed by the Jewish Aaron Dahan - made headlines after expressing support for Israel, resulting in the immediate resignation of his entire staff.
The Jewish community rallied overnight and mobilized to save the place, which later turned out to be a more complicated story, with employees feeling threatened by both the owner and customers angered by the "politicization" of the business. However, it was too late to change the narrative. Like Rachel, many participants in the tour arrived with a sense of purpose.
Not coincidentally, they all wear a dog tag with the image of the Israeli hostages around their necks. Pamela Wilner, 54, a teacher from a Jewish school in San Francisco, rents out her vacation apartment in Neve Tzedek to families displaced from the border area. Since October 7, she has been looking for additional ways to help: "A food tour is another excellent way to support Israeli businesses," she says.