Anti-Semites vandalize Israeli-themed restaurants in Portland

Police are investigating after three Israeli-style restaurants in Portland, OR, were vandalized over the weekend with anti-Semitic graffiti.

Graffiti was found at two of the locations of the Shalom Y'all restaurants and included messages such as "Murder," "Free Palestine," and "hummus is not Israeli," according to photos posted on social media.

According to KOIN, the restaurants's outdoor tables were also strewn about and in disarray. The company, which is owned by the Sesame Collective restaurant group that was created by chef Kasey Mills, Jamal Hassan, and Laura Amans in 2020, released a statement to the media after reporting more graffiti at their downtown location on Southwest Alder Street as well and described the vandalism as "anti-Semitic."

"We are incredibly disheartened by these actions. We are committed to operating inclusive spaces, and do not tolerate messages of hate or racism in any form. We are so thankful for the outpouring of support we have received from the community over the last 24 hours. We encourage you to help us in supporting the Oregon Coalition Against Hate Crime."

According to Oregon Live, spokespeople for both restaurants said they didn’t want to "get into the politics" behind the incident.

The Sesame Collective restaurant group also includes Mediterranean Exploration Company Yalla and Bless Your Heart Burgers, all in the Portland area. Ironically, the owners are not even Jewish. "A guy called Jamal Hassan serving up Israeli and other Mediterranean food should be celebrated as a great example of coexistence and tolerance," said David Lange of Israelicool.

Randy Kessler, Director of the Israel advocacy group Stand With Us Northwest, told The Post Millennial, "this is comparable to someone vandalizing an American Chinese restaurant because they don't like what China is doing to the Uyghur population in the country."

Aviv, a vegan restaurant owned by an Israeli chef, was also vandalized late Saturday, according to The Oregonian. Aviv manager Zach Hoffman told Oregon Live that "taggers spray-painted the restaurant’s two-day-old Pearl District location at 100 NW 10th Ave. during open hours Saturday evening. The vandals fled once they were confronted by employees."

"Most of the employees at Aviv are not Israeli," Hoffman said. "Our chef is from Israel, but I don't think he wants to be involved in the politics side of it," noting the the restaurant had previously removed the word "Israeli" from its signage.

According to Oregon Live, both restaurants each recently removed the "Israeli" descriptor from their signage.

This is not the first time Shalom Y'all has been targeted by anti-Semites. In Nov. 2019, KGW8 reported that police were investigating a different hate crime at Shalom Y'all, after hackers replaced the establishment's voicemail greeting with anti-Semitic messages.

Kessler added that he recently attended a lecture about George Washington's efforts to make America a safe and welcoming home for Jews. Reflecting on that event Kessler said, "It is so upsetting to see how mainstream anti-Semitism has become in this country."