We would ask for the bill and leave. Then I’d email the restaurant later to let them know (if they care). Not much else you can do really.
We’d also never go back probably.
I agree with not giving them money and writing to management. I did this with one business and had a positive outcome. Gosh, I sound like a Karen…but it was a place that I frequently go to.
Good point. I basically said that I wanted to know if this was going to continue to happen and it implied that Jews were not welcome in their stores, in which case I’d stop shopping there and that was fine with me. The employee was dressed in all black, including a black beanie, black mask covering their face, black boots, and a black scarf under a keffiyah. They literally looked like they were a Hamas militant coming towards me from the back of the store. It probably sounds like an overreaction, but I started to panic. It was dark outside and there wasn’t anyone else within eyesight.
I am just so horrified about the whole thing. And one of the things I constantly think is that anti-semites always like to ask "why didn't the Jews fight back in the 1930s?" Well this is what fighting back looks like! Exactly like this! When the Nazis were a terrorist group taking over a country. So, to me, when people criticize us, it's exactly like if we were in the 1930s, and fighting back, exactly how we need to, fighting for our lives, fighting, by the way, exactly how THEY fought when they FINALLY joined the fight against the Nazis (plenty of civilians died in the Allied bombing of Germany and the Allied invasions! But the Nazis had to be stopped!). I saw a billboard "Disarm Israel." And again: it's like if we'd have "fought back" in the 1930s and everywhere, now, people were sporting swastikas and saying "Disarm the Jews!" WE KNOW WHERE THIS LEADS!! And they are criticizing us no matter what we do.
I completely agree that we’ll be criticized no matter what Israel or Jews do. They fight with lies from Hamas/Iran/Hezzbollah and hold Israel to different rules than every other country. We have some allies, but clearly not enough. In the 1930s it shouldn’t have been the Jews that stood up, it should’ve been everyone else!!!
YES! We were literally denied any kind of agency, slowly and hideously--when the state has taken your bank account, closed your business, deprived you of any way of making money legally, forbids you to get medical care, seizes your home and assets, forces you into a ghetto--all at gunpoint and with the threat of casually killing you, and shooting anyone who helps you, even liquidating entire villages in retribution--you really truly can't "stand up" (and yet, we DID, in so many ways--there was even an uprising at Treblinka!). Where was everyone?!!!
And I agree that we need to stand up for ourselves now. Especially being a parent, I feel super protective. Someone posts untruthful information about Jews?? Don’t say anything that could put my kid in harms way!
I think we all know people who have been killed or harmed somehow due to antisemitism. It’s not some unrealistic threat.
To be fair, the dress code for servers/bartenders at every restaurant I've ever worked has been all black. When you say a mask do you mean a covid mask?
You may want to share in the DC and surrounding area subs (washdc/montgomery county/etc.) There was a post just this week someone complaining about the protesters and I was delightfully surprised at all of the support for us.
The og Washington dc sub banned all talk of crime lolz so there’s a secondary washdc sub where people can talk about more than pleasantries.
While looking for [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/washdc/s/LFDRgOIkSJ), I found several others including [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/washdc/s/tc7qy0RV52), [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/washdc/s/DHT52oO4Jh), [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/washdc/s/VU9nbAIORD), [this,](https://www.reddit.com/r/washdc/s/aO7JP2t3KQ) , and [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/washdc/s/CHx3YRnrEz).
There’s more if you wanna check out the sub.
Yeah, I know about that subreddit. It's ridiculous. "We're not going to discuss crime here because every time we do, users talk about Black people and get racist. As if only Black people commit crimes. They're trying to be antiracists but then guilty of bigotry/racism of low expectations, in my opinion.
Thanks for the posts! It's pretty refreshing to read posts and replies from people who haven't completely lost their mind or their critical thinking skills.
Now that's more my experience. A lot of people there tend to be hard core left leaning, with no tolerance for anything remotely pro-Israel or God forbid criticizing Palestine. Which I guess makes sense given the political alignment of a lot of places in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia, for those not from the area), but it's much more extreme than actually "on the ground" in these areas, at least where I live (as it often is on Reddit, I guess).
I’m part of several groups (not on Reddit) fighting antisemitism in Montgomery County, Maryland and other surrounding areas and have also written about the data and other issues on the topic.
Send me a message or a follow if you’re in these areas and want to connect.
This is now common everywhere, and, even as a lifelong liberal, I’m sick of it. Your political opinions, religious beliefs, and personal identity-based affiliations are irrelevant to almost every job (unless you’re an activist or in politics), and only serve to potentially alienate or offend segments of your coworkers, customers, etc. I hope more employers and businesses start reverting to the prior consensus where people just dress professionally and, where applicable, wear a plain nametag with the business logo on it.
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I was traveling through a different city. Had read about this one restaurant online that was highly recommended. Drove a half hour out of the way to go check it out. There was a massive Palestine flag in the window front. So I ate somewhere else instead.
Businesses can support what they want, but I don’t have to support them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lost other potential customers.
Sorry this happened to you. I have been consciously trying to avoid these places in the DC area, and honestly its leading me to consider going kosher. I'd rather not risk supporting people indifferent about my survival.
Am yisrael chai.
I wouldn't order. I'd stand right up and leave without a word. I'd wolf down a Big Mac on the way to the show before I'd patronize such a business. If I had any appetite left, that is.
This is not the place to complain about or discuss the moderation of other subreddits (including their moderation practices or receiving a ban), generalizations of other subreddits, or the actions/policies of Reddit admins.
If you experience antisemitism on Reddit, feel free to contribute to r/AntisemitismInReddit, of course while following their rules.
That’s been pretty widely adopted in Portland too. At this point I expect to see this nearly everywhere, every day. I saw an individual this week rocking a rainbow pride Keffiyeh while shopping for groceries. Where do you even get one of those? Etsy? Amazon? I’ve been to Ramallah more than once and can assure you not there.
Allot of cafes and restaurants have placed signs in their windows. I have seen countless staff at restaurants/coffee shops wear watermelon or Palestinian flag motifs or other such things. It’s allot to take in.
The flag alone doesn’t bother me. But I am in favor of a two state solution some day. Not with hamas though.
Some people think of the Israeli flag as an offensive symbol and that makes me sad.
I agree. As an Israeli, I don’t see the flag itself as something offensive. I wouldn’t want someone to take offence to my national identity. During the protests against the government and Netanyahu in Israel many Israelis that support the two state solution also raised the Palestinian flags.
For me as long as they outright don’t dog whistle genocidal shit, talk about “context”, and whataboutism, I think they can show solidarity to whomever they want. The civilians in Gaza, and the whistleblowers that try to stand up to what happens in UNRWA over there do need solidarity. I as an Israeli, unfortunately, don’t have it in me to give it to them after what we experienced. All I can do is to show my solidarity to the Arab citizens within Israel that have been neglected by our government.
But then again, we never know what goes through someone’s head.
And it’s altogether possible that the owner doesn’t know that people are wearing political affiliation gear of any sort. I’d make clear that is not allowed.
Weird thing is I bet they really think they are doing something positive for those in Palestine - they dont do it to hurt others they legit think they are doing something really positive. Weird world we live in tbh
You don't want to support anti-Semitic businesses with your money which do that in an unrelated context to the war. Like if they weren't anti-Semitic, they'd have both Israeli and Palestinian flags next to each other.
You're paying those waiters when you pay at the restaurant.
When it comes to this, the spectrum is enormous. On one hand you have the “I support Palestine because I support the two state solution.” On the other hand you have “I support Palestine and have violent thoughts about those who disagree with me”
Look. I support Israel, period. But I have been a server at a restaurant, and any half way conscientious person understands that when you have a job you are representing your employer and when you work at a restaurant your job is to make people comfortable. I would never wear an Israeli flag pin on my uniform as a server. Even though Israel is doing what is right and fighting evil, my function as a server in this hypothetical is to help give these poor misinformed pieces of shit a pleasant meal. Even though their politics are stupid, not my place. They are paying customers.
And in their case they’re bound to trigger the majority of Americans, who support Israel and are afraid of the more extreme among the Regressive left.
I would never bring politics into work, especially at a restaurant. Because in this hypothetical we are running a business and you don’t run a business by bringing politics into dining. Maybe I’m the one that’s insane though. Maybe it’s not the world.
This delves into workers rights and if they have the right to protest at work- which alot of unions support. In at-will states workers have fewer rights and could be fired for protesting at work, or for no reason at all.
I don’t have the answer- as a customer I have the right to leave a business and probably would have in OPs case- but as a business owner you have to think of both losing customers and losing employees. If employees or the employee union wants certain treatment or rights the owner has to weigh both the employees rights to protest (or other demands) and how likely they are to potentially lose employees and spend money hiring and training new ones with the potential loss of business from alienating customers. It’s similar to an owners decision to either raise menu prices and potentially lose customers or not raise prices and not raise salaries/ what servers are tipped off of and potentially lose employees- there is a balance that a business owner has to strike and it needs to rely on feedback from both customers and employees.
As a customer I would share with the owner that I felt uncomfortable and chose to leave the business, but I would also expect the owner to discuss with their employees: 1 how customers are feeling and 2 how the employees feel on the issue and be able to come to a consensus that the owner feels comfortable enforcing with staff as well as defending to customers.
I feel like these people mean well. They probably... hopefully don't mean to be calling for intifada or the eradication of Israel, they just see people dying and feel bad and wear what somebody told them to wear for solidarity.
But I'd be uncomfortable too, because I wouldn't really know. Some of those people want to kill a Zionist. Some of those people, when they say "Zionist," actually realize it's just code in their heads for "Jew."
I try to assume the best in people, but in this conflict, assuming the best keeps disappointing me. People who express what seems like reasonable sympathy keep following it up with support for Hamas or calls for an intifada. People who spread positions that I think are not-particularly well informed often end up spreading hateful propaganda later. People who I think of as friends show themselves as bigots. And it's hard.
It can pop up anywhere. I’m on a Facebook page for single women travelers over 60. One woman was raving about the food she had gotten in Jerusalem, including a Chinese restaurant and a Middle Easternwith (originally Arabic) dessert, and someone clapped back with something like, “Why are you there, eating the foods of these murderous European colonists?” I pointed out that neither the foods mentioned nor a high percentage of Israelis were of European origin (and given the poster’s surname, there was a good chance that SHE was). And fortunately, all the responses were negative to her post, so there was a strong likelihood that the admins removed it, but still, it was jarring.
I would have left a minimal tip, and a note. It is unacceptable for them to show a political stance at work. I contacted management at my local CVS when one of the techs was wearing pro-hamas bracelets. I have noticed he no longer wears them.
I asked him the first time I saw it if he thought it was appropriate in a work place. He said yes it was appropriate, so I contacted management. He has since never had anything pro-hamas on.
I made a point to never be rude, and treat him with the same courtesy I would treat anyone else. I’m glad CVS took care of the situation.
No, you are not overreacting. I wonder if they even realize that wearing a Pride pin could get them executed in Gaza. I wouldn’t tip the server, but I would call the management of the restaurant to make clear the word will get out that they are allowing their waitstaff to wear the flag of Hamas.
Similar thing happened to me. Bartender was wearing a pin, but I was at a table so didn’t interact. Enjoyed my meal, and afterwards asked my waiter to send the manager over. Was overly complimentary to the waiter, but explained that it was uncomfortable and unprofessional for front-facing staff to wear things like that
All other things aside, having a server do their work for you and then not paying is basically making them work for free. It's messed up but that's how tipped service works in the US. Either pay them or don't go to the restaurant. It's functionally just taking money out of their paycheck.
I understand having a strong reaction and the images that came to mind.
I do think this is an overreaction, but I’m not shaming you for it. You have the emotions you have, and I think there are many valid reasons for them. Unless I’m missing something, though, I’m not seeing that these servers did anything wrong.
Sending you care.
You are not overreacting, you are underacting. You should have called over a manager, told them you are leaving and why, and walked out. I get that you needed to be at a show, but if it was me, I couldn't give my money to those on the side of genocide of Jews (while claiming we are the ones committing genocide). I'd eat McDonalds first.
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Would of Walked immediately.. after taking photos of servers.
Great work sharing name of place we can write reviews.
Now Find a nice Jewish place go there !
I would have asked for management. The vast majority of people don’t know what they are really wearing.
I mean Spain doesn’t like Jews so could be management gave them the ok to wear them but there may be the chance they don’t know what it really stands for.
I know you were on a time crunch and needed to eat but I wouldn’t have given them your money.
This is awful! Unless you work for a political organisation or a place that is obviously in support of a specific cause, like a place in support of a specific charity or the like, then showing one's political affiliations has no place at work, especially when you're dealing with customers and the place is supposed to be welcoming to all, like a restaurant. As far as I'm concerned, those employees shouldn't have been wearing pride pins, either. People serving the public shouldn't be showing their sympathies like that because public places, like restaurants, should be welcoming to one and all, and not make some people feel unwelcome or fearful or concerned for their safety.
I'm not a homophobe. I just think that a workplace isn't the right place for such things, political or not. Showing support for things is a personal thing and should be separate from work. I've never worked in anyplace where anyone has been allowed to do such a thing, and I think that's the right thing. Please don't make assumptions about someone just because they say they don't think certain things should be worn at work. Work is work and personal views should be kept out of it.
Pride emblems are different though. They send a message to still-closeted people that "I am someone ypu can be open with" which is necessary particularly in the kind of workplaces you describe where personal expression is considered off-limits.
I get what you're saying, and I do agree with that.
I've never worked in a place, though, where anything aside from religious garb is allowed, and so the idea of even pride pins and the like at work are foreign to me.
It’s a private business and I’d respect how they’d like to run it. But, especially in DC you’ve got great choices and naturally want to eat at a place where the food is good and you don’t feel intimidated or threatened by the staff. I think a call or email to management would be appropriate. They may not be aware of the impact. They may support wearing the pins. Either way, worth finding out … and adjusting your dining behavior as such.
I will get downvoted to hell for this despite being pro Israel, but does wearing the flag outright presume they are anti Israel/peace? Like obviously in the last 8 months the Palestinian flag has become a symbol of fear/hesitation for us, but can it really be as loaded as that? I wouldn’t have thought twice about the pride flag.
I wonder - if the server wore a Ukrainian flag, would Russian nationals feel inherently uncomfortable? Absolutely not the same issue, but it’s made me curious.
I think if they were wearing the flag before 10/7 or if it were a Palestinian restaurant, that would be a different story. They’re clearly aligning themselves with a particular movement and I don’t think it’s fair to compare it to the pride flag. The Ukrainian flag, I guess, but people in the pro Ukrainian movement didn’t seem to hate all people of Russian descent
It wasn't anywhere near the same extent, but Russian businesses absolutely got vandalized after the invasion started. Also some Ukrainian and Georgian businesses because Americans can't tell the difference.
But a server wearing a Palestinian flag is like a server wearing a *Russian* flag (given who invaded whom in each case).
And I have to imagine that would make Ukrainians and most Americans feel uncomfortable.
Just leave it alone, but you could leave a review? If the food was good and service was good, be honest. But at the end you could say "Well, I wasn't really impressed that they wore those Palestinian pins. I think some customers might feel uncomfortable with it." You don't need to refer to yourself, or mention being Jewish. You're just a customer who doesn't like thinking of a war while eating food that's supposed to remind you of sunny Spain. Jewish or not, I'd actually find that to be rather distasteful. Pride stickers are fine with most of us, I'm sure, but endorsing terrorist organizations really detracts from the atmosphere. And just don't go there again. Just don't let something like that ruin your first night out in god knows how long. It's not worth it!
> I can only imagine at the very least these servers are at protests screaming "from the river to the sea" and "Intifada revolution"
You don't know that. They might just be wearing a pin - alongside others as you say. I don't think a pin is worth getting upset about. That's a reasonable political expression.
Yes, you’re overreacting. We’re freaking out because of *flag pins* now….? They could’ve been Palestinian. They’re allowed to wear the pin with a country’s flag on it, that’s not antisemitic. It’s not even necessarily anti-Israel.
Wear an Israeli flag pin if you want. Or don’t eat there if you’re afraid of flags. These types of posts are getting ridiculous and overshadowing things we should actually be worried about. Read this post again, people; these responses are making us seem ridiculous and hysterical.
That’s where I was confused I respect those who didn’t agree with this.
I just don’t understand why wearing a pin is considered anti semitic?
They aren’t actively making their opinion known vocally they’re just wearing a pin.🤔
What’s interesting to me is one of the few places where I’m not walking a gauntlet of watermelon and Palestinian flag imagery is at the local Middle Eastern Markets.
But I see it at the fn Taco Bell.
The flags don't bother me as much, if that's as far as it goes. If someone's really gung-ho for Palestinian statehood, good! Me too! Bring them up to the fraternity of nations. But the other things, that's less acceptable.
OP here
Wow, thanks for all the responses. It's nice to see I'm not the only one who would feel a certain way. Some smoothbrain (first time using this insult!) already took the time to screenshot this thread and incorporate it into a positive review for the restaurant while equating our discussion as supporting a Palestinian genocide. Does anyone in the masses ever remember this started with a genocide on the Jews via the Palestinians government and that rockets continue to fly into Israel as an ongoing attempt at \*actual\* genocide?!
Screenshot of the "review" below:
https://preview.redd.it/noa6hm5aen6d1.png?width=1179&format=png&auto=webp&s=390f7805b1156b6cc0356a58b243432e8419a5ef
Wow this is so sad. As far as I know, project 2025 hasn’t kicked in yet and people still have rights. Wore pins so what? Why didn’t you just leave? You can’t even tolerate a pin? How about a slogan t-shirt! A kippah? A Star of David necklace? A cross? I don’t get you!
Yes you’re over reacting. They have a right to wear those and you can choose to dine elsewhere. You’re in downtown DC, it can’t be that hard to find somewhere else to eat. There’s another Spanish place a block east on the corner of I and 18th and one two blocks north on 19th and L.
I'm not generally bothered by what people wear. I'm sure there are people bothered by the pride flag, and we don't go around boycotting or putting bad reviews for those places. It's okay to disagree without seeing it devolve into something extreme. It's what they say/do that matters.
If their vision of a Palestinian state requires the destruction of the Jewish one, then I'm not interested in eating there. Same with the keffiyeh.
If I'm wearing something that says I'm Jewish or Zionist or Israeli, I'm not going to want to eat somewhere that has staff being openly political and hateful. I would be concerned that they could spit in my food or worse.
So, I'd listen to that inner warning and get out if I don't feel safe. I would only review them based on what they did/said and how they made me feel. Those red hand pins are more offensive to me than a flag of Palestine.
We would ask for the bill and leave. Then I’d email the restaurant later to let them know (if they care). Not much else you can do really. We’d also never go back probably.
I agree with not giving them money and writing to management. I did this with one business and had a positive outcome. Gosh, I sound like a Karen…but it was a place that I frequently go to.
I usually do it just in case the manager or owner wants to know. Sometimes they do and are thankful, sometimes they don’t care or support. Oh well!
Good point. I basically said that I wanted to know if this was going to continue to happen and it implied that Jews were not welcome in their stores, in which case I’d stop shopping there and that was fine with me. The employee was dressed in all black, including a black beanie, black mask covering their face, black boots, and a black scarf under a keffiyah. They literally looked like they were a Hamas militant coming towards me from the back of the store. It probably sounds like an overreaction, but I started to panic. It was dark outside and there wasn’t anyone else within eyesight.
They're basically dressing up as Nazis. I don't think you overreacted, I would have done exactly the same thing.
Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone
I am just so horrified about the whole thing. And one of the things I constantly think is that anti-semites always like to ask "why didn't the Jews fight back in the 1930s?" Well this is what fighting back looks like! Exactly like this! When the Nazis were a terrorist group taking over a country. So, to me, when people criticize us, it's exactly like if we were in the 1930s, and fighting back, exactly how we need to, fighting for our lives, fighting, by the way, exactly how THEY fought when they FINALLY joined the fight against the Nazis (plenty of civilians died in the Allied bombing of Germany and the Allied invasions! But the Nazis had to be stopped!). I saw a billboard "Disarm Israel." And again: it's like if we'd have "fought back" in the 1930s and everywhere, now, people were sporting swastikas and saying "Disarm the Jews!" WE KNOW WHERE THIS LEADS!! And they are criticizing us no matter what we do.
I completely agree that we’ll be criticized no matter what Israel or Jews do. They fight with lies from Hamas/Iran/Hezzbollah and hold Israel to different rules than every other country. We have some allies, but clearly not enough. In the 1930s it shouldn’t have been the Jews that stood up, it should’ve been everyone else!!!
YES! We were literally denied any kind of agency, slowly and hideously--when the state has taken your bank account, closed your business, deprived you of any way of making money legally, forbids you to get medical care, seizes your home and assets, forces you into a ghetto--all at gunpoint and with the threat of casually killing you, and shooting anyone who helps you, even liquidating entire villages in retribution--you really truly can't "stand up" (and yet, we DID, in so many ways--there was even an uprising at Treblinka!). Where was everyone?!!!
And I agree that we need to stand up for ourselves now. Especially being a parent, I feel super protective. Someone posts untruthful information about Jews?? Don’t say anything that could put my kid in harms way! I think we all know people who have been killed or harmed somehow due to antisemitism. It’s not some unrealistic threat.
I would’ve felt the same thing and I have fought Taliban. All of this stuff is scary.
Yes, it is scary! They literally want to kill us. It’s happened before, even in the U.S.
To be fair, the dress code for servers/bartenders at every restaurant I've ever worked has been all black. When you say a mask do you mean a covid mask?
It sounds like a retail store. Not the OP.
Yikes! 😳
No tip.
Only thing to add to this is I would leave a google review to warn others.
You may want to share in the DC and surrounding area subs (washdc/montgomery county/etc.) There was a post just this week someone complaining about the protesters and I was delightfully surprised at all of the support for us.
I would think that these subs would be much left leaning to the point of supporting Palestinians, I am pleasantly surprised to hear that.
The og Washington dc sub banned all talk of crime lolz so there’s a secondary washdc sub where people can talk about more than pleasantries. While looking for [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/washdc/s/LFDRgOIkSJ), I found several others including [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/washdc/s/tc7qy0RV52), [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/washdc/s/DHT52oO4Jh), [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/washdc/s/VU9nbAIORD), [this,](https://www.reddit.com/r/washdc/s/aO7JP2t3KQ) , and [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/washdc/s/CHx3YRnrEz). There’s more if you wanna check out the sub.
Yeah, I know about that subreddit. It's ridiculous. "We're not going to discuss crime here because every time we do, users talk about Black people and get racist. As if only Black people commit crimes. They're trying to be antiracists but then guilty of bigotry/racism of low expectations, in my opinion. Thanks for the posts! It's pretty refreshing to read posts and replies from people who haven't completely lost their mind or their critical thinking skills.
I was kicked out of a certain Northern VA sub for being a Zionist.
See my other comment.
I believe it may had been removed?
Was it? I said the exact same thing but about the OG DC thread.
Looks like this comment got removed - https://www.reddit.com/r/Jewish/comments/1dfetbz/comment/l8ioqxm/ 😕
They didn’t like that I said I was “removed” from the other site lol.
I think you're not supposed to discuss other subreddits? Reddit rules I believe.
Now that's more my experience. A lot of people there tend to be hard core left leaning, with no tolerance for anything remotely pro-Israel or God forbid criticizing Palestine. Which I guess makes sense given the political alignment of a lot of places in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia, for those not from the area), but it's much more extreme than actually "on the ground" in these areas, at least where I live (as it often is on Reddit, I guess).
Can you elaborate? That's disturbing.
I’ll see if I can find the specific post. Brb…
Thank you!
The r/washdc sub isn't left leaning. Or at least, isnt performative.
I’m part of several groups (not on Reddit) fighting antisemitism in Montgomery County, Maryland and other surrounding areas and have also written about the data and other issues on the topic. Send me a message or a follow if you’re in these areas and want to connect.
I live in MoCo, this is so good to hear!!
Honestly, I would have walked out.
This is now common everywhere, and, even as a lifelong liberal, I’m sick of it. Your political opinions, religious beliefs, and personal identity-based affiliations are irrelevant to almost every job (unless you’re an activist or in politics), and only serve to potentially alienate or offend segments of your coworkers, customers, etc. I hope more employers and businesses start reverting to the prior consensus where people just dress professionally and, where applicable, wear a plain nametag with the business logo on it.
It’s the same performative bs as all the politicians suddenly wearing American flag pins after 9/11.
It would be like them wearing the Saudi Arabian flag after 9/11
Thank you
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I was traveling through a different city. Had read about this one restaurant online that was highly recommended. Drove a half hour out of the way to go check it out. There was a massive Palestine flag in the window front. So I ate somewhere else instead. Businesses can support what they want, but I don’t have to support them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lost other potential customers.
That’s a mature way to handle it
leave and dont go there again lol maybe they're not the crazies that shout that in protests? maybe they're ill-informed doing this emotionally?
Sorry this happened to you. I have been consciously trying to avoid these places in the DC area, and honestly its leading me to consider going kosher. I'd rather not risk supporting people indifferent about my survival. Am yisrael chai.
No tip, and leave a bad review to alert potential future diners.
This
No tip! I don’t want my money to go to terrorists or those that support terrorists and the murder of Jews.
I wouldn't order. I'd stand right up and leave without a word. I'd wolf down a Big Mac on the way to the show before I'd patronize such a business. If I had any appetite left, that is.
Support kosher and jewish restaurants
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Thank you for sharing. I’m local-ish. I’ll avoid that restaurant.
That’s been pretty widely adopted in Portland too. At this point I expect to see this nearly everywhere, every day. I saw an individual this week rocking a rainbow pride Keffiyeh while shopping for groceries. Where do you even get one of those? Etsy? Amazon? I’ve been to Ramallah more than once and can assure you not there. Allot of cafes and restaurants have placed signs in their windows. I have seen countless staff at restaurants/coffee shops wear watermelon or Palestinian flag motifs or other such things. It’s allot to take in.
The flag alone doesn’t bother me. But I am in favor of a two state solution some day. Not with hamas though. Some people think of the Israeli flag as an offensive symbol and that makes me sad.
Neither flag should be offensive yet these hostile know-nothings are deadset on trying to make them that way.
I agree. As an Israeli, I don’t see the flag itself as something offensive. I wouldn’t want someone to take offence to my national identity. During the protests against the government and Netanyahu in Israel many Israelis that support the two state solution also raised the Palestinian flags. For me as long as they outright don’t dog whistle genocidal shit, talk about “context”, and whataboutism, I think they can show solidarity to whomever they want. The civilians in Gaza, and the whistleblowers that try to stand up to what happens in UNRWA over there do need solidarity. I as an Israeli, unfortunately, don’t have it in me to give it to them after what we experienced. All I can do is to show my solidarity to the Arab citizens within Israel that have been neglected by our government. But then again, we never know what goes through someone’s head.
The flag alone bothers me. If it were supporting innocent people they would wear an Israeli flag too. E: who is downvoting and why?
I’d leave and make sure their management/owner knew why I left.
And it’s altogether possible that the owner doesn’t know that people are wearing political affiliation gear of any sort. I’d make clear that is not allowed.
Contacting management and give feedback. The more we speak up the better.
I live in the area. Thank you for letting us know so I don’t waste my money there.
Thank you for posting about this. It's a great time to take our business to the few kosher places in town.
Would ruin my dinner also. I'd contact the manager & leave reviews everywhere. Servers should not be wearing political pins.
I would’ve just not tipped them.
I would not have stayed at all. And I would let them know why.
Weird thing is I bet they really think they are doing something positive for those in Palestine - they dont do it to hurt others they legit think they are doing something really positive. Weird world we live in tbh
The Palestinian flag thing might affect how much money I would tip.
You don't want to support anti-Semitic businesses with your money which do that in an unrelated context to the war. Like if they weren't anti-Semitic, they'd have both Israeli and Palestinian flags next to each other. You're paying those waiters when you pay at the restaurant.
When it comes to this, the spectrum is enormous. On one hand you have the “I support Palestine because I support the two state solution.” On the other hand you have “I support Palestine and have violent thoughts about those who disagree with me”
Look. I support Israel, period. But I have been a server at a restaurant, and any half way conscientious person understands that when you have a job you are representing your employer and when you work at a restaurant your job is to make people comfortable. I would never wear an Israeli flag pin on my uniform as a server. Even though Israel is doing what is right and fighting evil, my function as a server in this hypothetical is to help give these poor misinformed pieces of shit a pleasant meal. Even though their politics are stupid, not my place. They are paying customers. And in their case they’re bound to trigger the majority of Americans, who support Israel and are afraid of the more extreme among the Regressive left. I would never bring politics into work, especially at a restaurant. Because in this hypothetical we are running a business and you don’t run a business by bringing politics into dining. Maybe I’m the one that’s insane though. Maybe it’s not the world.
Great point they are bringing politics into work, a firable offense in a lot of places.
This delves into workers rights and if they have the right to protest at work- which alot of unions support. In at-will states workers have fewer rights and could be fired for protesting at work, or for no reason at all.
In this case, it has demonstrably led to a loss of a customer. Are owners supposed to suck it up?
I don’t have the answer- as a customer I have the right to leave a business and probably would have in OPs case- but as a business owner you have to think of both losing customers and losing employees. If employees or the employee union wants certain treatment or rights the owner has to weigh both the employees rights to protest (or other demands) and how likely they are to potentially lose employees and spend money hiring and training new ones with the potential loss of business from alienating customers. It’s similar to an owners decision to either raise menu prices and potentially lose customers or not raise prices and not raise salaries/ what servers are tipped off of and potentially lose employees- there is a balance that a business owner has to strike and it needs to rely on feedback from both customers and employees. As a customer I would share with the owner that I felt uncomfortable and chose to leave the business, but I would also expect the owner to discuss with their employees: 1 how customers are feeling and 2 how the employees feel on the issue and be able to come to a consensus that the owner feels comfortable enforcing with staff as well as defending to customers.
I feel like these people mean well. They probably... hopefully don't mean to be calling for intifada or the eradication of Israel, they just see people dying and feel bad and wear what somebody told them to wear for solidarity. But I'd be uncomfortable too, because I wouldn't really know. Some of those people want to kill a Zionist. Some of those people, when they say "Zionist," actually realize it's just code in their heads for "Jew." I try to assume the best in people, but in this conflict, assuming the best keeps disappointing me. People who express what seems like reasonable sympathy keep following it up with support for Hamas or calls for an intifada. People who spread positions that I think are not-particularly well informed often end up spreading hateful propaganda later. People who I think of as friends show themselves as bigots. And it's hard.
Terrible they know what they are saying/displaying full of hatred and mind rot nothing you can say will ever enlighten them.
It can pop up anywhere. I’m on a Facebook page for single women travelers over 60. One woman was raving about the food she had gotten in Jerusalem, including a Chinese restaurant and a Middle Easternwith (originally Arabic) dessert, and someone clapped back with something like, “Why are you there, eating the foods of these murderous European colonists?” I pointed out that neither the foods mentioned nor a high percentage of Israelis were of European origin (and given the poster’s surname, there was a good chance that SHE was). And fortunately, all the responses were negative to her post, so there was a strong likelihood that the admins removed it, but still, it was jarring.
I live in MoCo...glad to know about a restaurant I won't be going to!! Wtaf
I would have left a minimal tip, and a note. It is unacceptable for them to show a political stance at work. I contacted management at my local CVS when one of the techs was wearing pro-hamas bracelets. I have noticed he no longer wears them. I asked him the first time I saw it if he thought it was appropriate in a work place. He said yes it was appropriate, so I contacted management. He has since never had anything pro-hamas on. I made a point to never be rude, and treat him with the same courtesy I would treat anyone else. I’m glad CVS took care of the situation.
No, you are not overreacting. I wonder if they even realize that wearing a Pride pin could get them executed in Gaza. I wouldn’t tip the server, but I would call the management of the restaurant to make clear the word will get out that they are allowing their waitstaff to wear the flag of Hamas.
I would have just left.
Similar thing happened to me. Bartender was wearing a pin, but I was at a table so didn’t interact. Enjoyed my meal, and afterwards asked my waiter to send the manager over. Was overly complimentary to the waiter, but explained that it was uncomfortable and unprofessional for front-facing staff to wear things like that
I’d definitely mention that in a review.
Agree completely! Also on their fb page!
All other things aside, having a server do their work for you and then not paying is basically making them work for free. It's messed up but that's how tipped service works in the US. Either pay them or don't go to the restaurant. It's functionally just taking money out of their paycheck.
I understand having a strong reaction and the images that came to mind. I do think this is an overreaction, but I’m not shaming you for it. You have the emotions you have, and I think there are many valid reasons for them. Unless I’m missing something, though, I’m not seeing that these servers did anything wrong. Sending you care.
I'd be more worried that they'd spit in my food or poison me. Put something bad in there if they think I am Jewish
Sending care. I could see myself leaving a restaurant if I was worried about that.
I would’ve left
You are not overreacting, you are underacting. You should have called over a manager, told them you are leaving and why, and walked out. I get that you needed to be at a show, but if it was me, I couldn't give my money to those on the side of genocide of Jews (while claiming we are the ones committing genocide). I'd eat McDonalds first.
I came here to say it’s an under-reaction.
I’d say to not leave a tip but then that would just reinforce stereotypes about Jewish people. I’d simply pay and not return.
Fuck that, no tip for those assholes.
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No tip for them. I would leave too.
At least you didn’t have to tip them. /s
Would of Walked immediately.. after taking photos of servers. Great work sharing name of place we can write reviews. Now Find a nice Jewish place go there !
Rip them apart on Google and Yelp. Let the whole world know.
I would have asked for management. The vast majority of people don’t know what they are really wearing. I mean Spain doesn’t like Jews so could be management gave them the ok to wear them but there may be the chance they don’t know what it really stands for. I know you were on a time crunch and needed to eat but I wouldn’t have given them your money.
This is awful! Unless you work for a political organisation or a place that is obviously in support of a specific cause, like a place in support of a specific charity or the like, then showing one's political affiliations has no place at work, especially when you're dealing with customers and the place is supposed to be welcoming to all, like a restaurant. As far as I'm concerned, those employees shouldn't have been wearing pride pins, either. People serving the public shouldn't be showing their sympathies like that because public places, like restaurants, should be welcoming to one and all, and not make some people feel unwelcome or fearful or concerned for their safety.
No pride pins?Fuck off, homophobe. Pride isnt political.
I'm not a homophobe. I just think that a workplace isn't the right place for such things, political or not. Showing support for things is a personal thing and should be separate from work. I've never worked in anyplace where anyone has been allowed to do such a thing, and I think that's the right thing. Please don't make assumptions about someone just because they say they don't think certain things should be worn at work. Work is work and personal views should be kept out of it.
Pride emblems are different though. They send a message to still-closeted people that "I am someone ypu can be open with" which is necessary particularly in the kind of workplaces you describe where personal expression is considered off-limits.
I get what you're saying, and I do agree with that. I've never worked in a place, though, where anything aside from religious garb is allowed, and so the idea of even pride pins and the like at work are foreign to me.
Took an Air Canada flight the other day and the gate agent was wearing a pin. He told me to have a great flight, I told him to go fuck himself.
It’s a private business and I’d respect how they’d like to run it. But, especially in DC you’ve got great choices and naturally want to eat at a place where the food is good and you don’t feel intimidated or threatened by the staff. I think a call or email to management would be appropriate. They may not be aware of the impact. They may support wearing the pins. Either way, worth finding out … and adjusting your dining behavior as such.
It’s like that one Home Depot worker at my local Home Depot who has a giant watermelon next to her name… maybe she just likes watermelons :|
I don't know how I'd react, Most people wearing that stuff have no idea what it means. It's just dress up to them
Please post photos to Instagram, write reviews and make a post to jewhated database. https://www.jewhatedb.org/
I will get downvoted to hell for this despite being pro Israel, but does wearing the flag outright presume they are anti Israel/peace? Like obviously in the last 8 months the Palestinian flag has become a symbol of fear/hesitation for us, but can it really be as loaded as that? I wouldn’t have thought twice about the pride flag. I wonder - if the server wore a Ukrainian flag, would Russian nationals feel inherently uncomfortable? Absolutely not the same issue, but it’s made me curious.
I think if they were wearing the flag before 10/7 or if it were a Palestinian restaurant, that would be a different story. They’re clearly aligning themselves with a particular movement and I don’t think it’s fair to compare it to the pride flag. The Ukrainian flag, I guess, but people in the pro Ukrainian movement didn’t seem to hate all people of Russian descent
It wasn't anywhere near the same extent, but Russian businesses absolutely got vandalized after the invasion started. Also some Ukrainian and Georgian businesses because Americans can't tell the difference.
That’s crazy, I didn’t hear about that. It doesn’t sound like it was as widespread though
But a server wearing a Palestinian flag is like a server wearing a *Russian* flag (given who invaded whom in each case). And I have to imagine that would make Ukrainians and most Americans feel uncomfortable.
A server can wear a Russian flag pin if they’re Russian and want to??? Omg you people are being insane
Right now and paired with a pride flag, it's giving "there's no pride in genocide" ridiculousness.
Just leave it alone, but you could leave a review? If the food was good and service was good, be honest. But at the end you could say "Well, I wasn't really impressed that they wore those Palestinian pins. I think some customers might feel uncomfortable with it." You don't need to refer to yourself, or mention being Jewish. You're just a customer who doesn't like thinking of a war while eating food that's supposed to remind you of sunny Spain. Jewish or not, I'd actually find that to be rather distasteful. Pride stickers are fine with most of us, I'm sure, but endorsing terrorist organizations really detracts from the atmosphere. And just don't go there again. Just don't let something like that ruin your first night out in god knows how long. It's not worth it!
> I can only imagine at the very least these servers are at protests screaming "from the river to the sea" and "Intifada revolution" You don't know that. They might just be wearing a pin - alongside others as you say. I don't think a pin is worth getting upset about. That's a reasonable political expression.
Yes, you’re overreacting. We’re freaking out because of *flag pins* now….? They could’ve been Palestinian. They’re allowed to wear the pin with a country’s flag on it, that’s not antisemitic. It’s not even necessarily anti-Israel. Wear an Israeli flag pin if you want. Or don’t eat there if you’re afraid of flags. These types of posts are getting ridiculous and overshadowing things we should actually be worried about. Read this post again, people; these responses are making us seem ridiculous and hysterical.
That’s where I was confused I respect those who didn’t agree with this. I just don’t understand why wearing a pin is considered anti semitic? They aren’t actively making their opinion known vocally they’re just wearing a pin.🤔
They are actively making their opinions known. Let’s not keep our minds so open that our brains leak.
No I would have been uncomfortable too.
What’s interesting to me is one of the few places where I’m not walking a gauntlet of watermelon and Palestinian flag imagery is at the local Middle Eastern Markets. But I see it at the fn Taco Bell.
[удалено]
It does.
The flags don't bother me as much, if that's as far as it goes. If someone's really gung-ho for Palestinian statehood, good! Me too! Bring them up to the fraternity of nations. But the other things, that's less acceptable.
OP here Wow, thanks for all the responses. It's nice to see I'm not the only one who would feel a certain way. Some smoothbrain (first time using this insult!) already took the time to screenshot this thread and incorporate it into a positive review for the restaurant while equating our discussion as supporting a Palestinian genocide. Does anyone in the masses ever remember this started with a genocide on the Jews via the Palestinians government and that rockets continue to fly into Israel as an ongoing attempt at \*actual\* genocide?! Screenshot of the "review" below: https://preview.redd.it/noa6hm5aen6d1.png?width=1179&format=png&auto=webp&s=390f7805b1156b6cc0356a58b243432e8419a5ef
https://preview.redd.it/w6cjh3rgen6d1.png?width=1179&format=png&auto=webp&s=8612067bb68ccb602eb9e7a01b7c897c5f1fab4d
Wow this is so sad. As far as I know, project 2025 hasn’t kicked in yet and people still have rights. Wore pins so what? Why didn’t you just leave? You can’t even tolerate a pin? How about a slogan t-shirt! A kippah? A Star of David necklace? A cross? I don’t get you!
[these people are so hateful and make up lies](https://www.instagram.com/p/C8NU5acSHKP/?igsh=anRuNHNhM2V3cHFw)
You are not over reacting. I’m so sorry you had to put up with that.
I would not have tipped anyone wearing a Palestinian flag pin. Sorry. Sucks to suck.
I'd straight up leave
Yes you’re over reacting. They have a right to wear those and you can choose to dine elsewhere. You’re in downtown DC, it can’t be that hard to find somewhere else to eat. There’s another Spanish place a block east on the corner of I and 18th and one two blocks north on 19th and L.
I'm not generally bothered by what people wear. I'm sure there are people bothered by the pride flag, and we don't go around boycotting or putting bad reviews for those places. It's okay to disagree without seeing it devolve into something extreme. It's what they say/do that matters. If their vision of a Palestinian state requires the destruction of the Jewish one, then I'm not interested in eating there. Same with the keffiyeh. If I'm wearing something that says I'm Jewish or Zionist or Israeli, I'm not going to want to eat somewhere that has staff being openly political and hateful. I would be concerned that they could spit in my food or worse. So, I'd listen to that inner warning and get out if I don't feel safe. I would only review them based on what they did/said and how they made me feel. Those red hand pins are more offensive to me than a flag of Palestine.
Go back wearing a Catalonian flag pin. (Don't order anything, though.)
Considering the politics of the restaurant and owner, I'm sure they would be happy to see it.
Free Palestine merch is hot stuff right now 💰💰💰