A Greek restaurant in Australia's Melbourne region lost 90 percent of its orders after its owner published a post in support of the Jewish community in the wake of the war in Israel.
The restaurant, Mediterranean Greek Tavern, is located in the suburb of Alsternvik, home to a large Jewish community. A few days after the outbreak of the war, the owner, Perry Le Greco, published the following post on Facebook (the post is no longer online): "To all our Jewish customers, we think of you in these difficult times. We hope your family and friends in Israel are safe. It is difficult to witness the events that have taken place in recent days, and our thoughts and prayers are dedicated to everyone's safety. The people of the Jewish community have been great friends with our humble tavern for the past 22 years."
One of the dishes served in the restaurant, photo: from the restaurant's website
But despite the good intentions, Le Greco's message caused a stir among anti-Semites and Hamas supporters who responded to the post, calling the restaurant owner a "f**king Jew lover" and a "dog." In addition, the restaurant was flooded with hateful calls and phone threats, which, according to Le Greco, originated not from the surrounding Palestinian or Lebanese community, but from "well-articulated Australians – and that's what was the scariest," he said.
The owner also spoke of a sharp drop in restaurant reservations – up to 90 percent compared to normal days – and of many "customers" who made reservations with no intention of coming. "On Saturday night no one came, and when I opened the reservation list, we only had one reservation for the whole week. That never happened. You can't do that to a small business, we're not a corporation. I don't have endless amounts of money," Greco explained.
The good news is that the story actually has an exciting and encouraging ending. The case, which was covered in the local media, attracted the attention of Australian politician David Southwick, deputy leader of the Liberal Party in the state of Victoria, where Melbourne is located. Southwick, who was a guest on a local radio show, asked conscientious and moral listeners to do the restaurant a favor and visit it. The Jewish community also urged its members to support the restaurant. Indeed, in recent days the tavern has been filled with satisfied and satisfied customers. "We have no words, we are more than excited," lashed Le Greco. "All I did was act like a normal person. I think most people understood that we didn't do anything wrong [with posting]," he concluded.
The Anti-Israeli Croissant Baker
The incident at the Greek tavern was not the only incident that has stirred Melbourne's Jewish community in recent days, with regard to eateries whose owners speak their minds about the war in Gaza.
In another incident that occurred a few days ago in connection with the famous Lune Croissanterie bakery, which specializes in croissanteries and is considered a mecca in Australia's largest city, its owner, a man named Cameron Reid, was discovered to have horrific pro-Palestinian and anti-Semitic views.
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Earlier this week, Australia's Daily Mail revealed a private Instagram correspondence in which Reid wondered, "Should Israel even exist? Should Palestinians be victims of ongoing ethnic cleansing? Should Gaza be besieged for 15 years? Should Israelis be allowed to commit apartheid? Israel is nothing more than a violent colony that ethnically cleanses the local population. The abductees (Israelis) are lucky that they are abducted and not corpses," he wrote.
Reed's horrifying and unfortunate statement did its job, and amid calls to boycott his upscale bakery, the owner issued a (forced?) apology.
At the moment, his Instagram account includes only one post, which read: "I apologize if my private message was offensive. I believe that it is possible to take a stand against the actions of government, military and regional history, without opposing religion or the general population."
Claiming that he is not anti-Semitic, he added: "To be clear, I really think that the Jewish people have contributed a lot to humanity, and I respect and appreciate Jews as a people and as a religious group. I am not anti-Semitic and I am against violence. I, like many others now, am upset and confused by the huge number of deaths in the Gaza area, but I didn't have to release my fingers on the keyboard." Against claims of his lack of knowledge, he wrote: "I will now take a break to explore and learn. I apologize to everyone associated with me and offended by my previous statements." Take your time. And your croissants with you.
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