An Upper East Side cafe where baristas quit in protest of the Jewish owner’s support of Israel is now busier than ever, with customers lining up around the block to show their support.
Caffe Aronne owner Aaron Dahan was short-staffed Tuesday morning after his baristas abandoned him when he brought up the “Free Palestine” pins they were wearing at work.
Dahan, 25, said a total of five baristas have left since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel, in which Hamas slaughtered 1,400 Israelis and kidnapped more than 200 civilians – including at least 13 American citizens and 23 Thai farm workers .
The business owner displayed an Israeli flag in the cafe and started a fundraiser for Magen David Adom, the Israeli Red Cross.
“Our staff was young. “They think they know everything, liberals, college graduates,” Dahan, who is Jewish, told the New York Post on Tuesday.
Caffe Aronne owner Aaron Dahan was short-staffed Tuesday morning after his baristas abandoned him when he brought up the “Free Palestine” pins they were wearing at work
“They think we support genocide, we support colonialism.” “They know the key words, but they don’t really know what they mean,” he added.
Dahan said he was disappointed by the resignation of his employees, whom he considered family.
Before they quit, Dahan made an effort to sit down with his baristas and talk to them about their different views.
“We knew our employees. We knew they were thinking these things. I said, “Let’s go to dinner.” Let’s sit. Let’s ask questions. Let’s study. “Let’s be clear that we’re not all trying to kill each other here,” Dahan said.
Aaron’s mother, Peggy Dahan, said she was bombarded with emails Tuesday morning announcing the resignations of all the baristas. Despite her son’s suggestion that they close for the day, Peggy refused.
She said the community came out to help and show support. There’s a line at the end of the block with people from the neighborhood showing their support for the cafe, which has been open for less than a year, she said, expressing her gratitude.
The baristas at an Upper East Side cafe all quit because the Jewish owner supported Israel. But instead of closing for the day, the cafe is now busier than ever – with customers lining up around the block to show their support
The plastic surgeon Dr. Ira L. Savetsky and the former Real Housewives of New York star’s husband Lizzy Savetsky announced the incident on Instagram and encouraged his nearly 50,000 followers to support the cafe, which he calls his “favorite cafe.”
“Almost all the employees at my favorite cafe @caffearonne, just a block from my office, quit today because the owner is a proud Jew and supporter of Israel,” he wrote.
“Please support them all by visiting them at 71st and Lexington, purchasing gift cards, donating to their Ambucycle for @magen_david_adom, and leaving them a positive review on Google!”
On October 12, Cafe Aronne released a statement expressing support for Magen David Adom in Israel, aiming to raise $36,000.
“We have all seen the terrorism and barbarism unleashed on Israeli citizens recently, and with all our help we want to purchase a hybrid medicine bike and motorcycle ambulance,” it said.
“Every year, Magen David Adom saved the lives of tens of thousands of Israeli Jews, Muslims and Christians.” Whether religious or secular, heterosexual or gay, male or female, every life is worth saving. We hope you’ll join us by scanning the code below because our goal is to do good!’
BDS was founded in 2005 by Palestinian activists Ramy Shaath and Omar Barghouti
This comes as gangs of pro-Palestinian thugs who break windows at Starbucks and release mice at McDonald’s are being lashed out by an anti-Israel boycott movement spreading across social media.
The BDS movement – which stands for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions – calls on its supporters to “put pressure” on companies perceived to support Israel.
The use of inflammatory terms such as “apartheid,” “genocide” and “settler-colonialist” to describe Israel drew strong criticism, while groups and individuals associated with the movement were accused of anti-Semitic rhetoric.
In an Instagram post last week, McDonald’s was named as one of the chains targeted, alongside a host of other high street brands.
A McDonald’s in Keighley, West Yorkshire, was attacked last night by thugs draped in Palestinian flags who forced their way inside and then released stick insects. A video of the apparent aftermath appears to indicate that the windows were also smashed.
Meanwhile, protesters released mice into three McDonald’s branches in Birmingham, with some of them filmed calling for a “boycott” of the chain. It appears to have been targeted after an Israeli franchisee offered discounts to soldiers and security forces.
Founded in 2005 by Palestinian activist Ramy Shaath and Omar Barghouti, a graduate of Columbia University in the US, BDS controversially claims to be modeled on the South African anti-apartheid resistance movement
It is an umbrella organization linked to dozens of affiliated groups around the world, each of which creates its own list of brands to boycott.
A spokesman for McDonald’s Corporation said it was “dismayed” by the attacks on its stores.
Web said: “We are dismayed by the disinformation and inaccurate reports about our position in response to the conflict in the Middle East.”
“McDonald’s Corporation does not fund or support any government involved in this conflict, and all actions by our local development licensee business partners were taken independently and without approval or authorization from McDonald’s.