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<\/a><\/p>\nRabbi Sharon Brous speaks during a vigil to call for an end to violence of immigration raids, and the protection of immigrant families in LA County by interfaith leaders from across Los Angeles County on June 10, 2025.(Keith Birmingham\/MediaNews Group\/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
As the protests escalated across California this week, some pro-Palestinian demonstrators have joined in. One man was filmed wearing what appeared to be a Hamas armband while waving a Palestinian flag in front of a burning car. In San Francisco, meanwhile, one Jewish-owned cafe found itself caught in the crosshairs.<\/p>\n
The Jewish owner of Manny\u2019s Cafe, which also serves as a civic space, Manny Yekutiel, found that the windows of his establishment had been defaced with graffiti reading \u201cDeath to Israel is a promise,\u201d \u201cFuck Zionism,\u201d \u201cdie Zio\u201d and \u201cThe only good settler is a dead 1\u201d during a protest Monday night.<\/p>\n
Yekutiel had participated in the ICE protests earlier in the day Monday before being alerted to the damage to his cafe, he told J. The Jewish News of Northern California.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have real enemies attacking the bedrock of our country\u2019s democracy, and it feels very counterproductive, in the midst of that, to attack each other,\u201d Yekutiel told the local newspaper. \u201cThis is not the time for people to be writing antisemitic hatred on progressive, social justice-loving, democratic Jewish cafe owners.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Anti-Defamation League of California condemned the vandalism in a post on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to Manny\u2019s Cafe @welcometomannys in San Francisco is not just vandalism\u2014it\u2019s a hate crime,\u201d the post read. \u201c\u2018Die Zio\u2019 spray-painted across the windows of a civic space that has welcomed people of all backgrounds is a chilling reminder of the rising antisemitism in our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response to the escalating protests, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, a cross-denominational group of Jewish spiritual leaders, also issued a statement calling on protesters to \u201cremain peaceful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the current situation continues to unfold, we unequivocally affirm the right to peaceful protest. At the same time, we reject violence, vandalism, and actions that endanger public safety,\u201d the statement read. \u201cSuch behavior undermines both our shared principles as well as the message of the protests and is entirely indefensible. We call upon all protesters to remain peaceful and demonstrate respect for law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernment actions that appear to circumvent due process deserve serious concern and scrutiny. We call upon federal, state, and local leaders to work together to restore calm and security for our communities while ensuring the dignity of our city and all who live here,\u201d the statement continued.<\/p>\n
The Wilshire Boulevard Temple, a Reform synagogue in Los Angeles, echoed the group\u2019s sentiments in a post on its Instagram page.<\/p>\n
\u201cJudaism teaches that sacred argument must be rooted in dignity. We cherish debate l\u2019shem shamayim-for the sake of heaven. We choose peace over violence, justice over destruction. We stand with Los Angeles,\u201d said Rabbi Joel Nickerson in the post.<\/p>\n
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