An anti-Semitic incident occurred at a left-wing café in Berlin’s Neukölln district. A female visitor and her Israeli partner were verbally abused and expelled from the premises because she was wearing a T-shirt with Hebrew writing. The Tagesspiegel newspaper reported this after speaking to the victim.
The woman, who is called “Raffaela” for security reasons, visited the café “K-Fetisch” with her Israeli partner on Friday afternoon. The cafe describes itself as a “left-wing, trans*, and non-binary collective.” When the employee behind the counter noticed the Hebrew inscription on Raffaela’s T-shirt, she refused to serve her. According to the Tagesspiegel newspaper, she allegedly said in English: “I don’t serve you – I don’t serve Zionists.”
The employee loudly insulted the woman, claiming that Hebrew was “the language of the oppressor.” She also accused her of “supporting the genocide in Gaza.” The visitor and her companion were subsequently asked to leave the café. Once outside, the employee took a photo of them from inside. When asked to delete the photo, she responded by threatening to ban them from the premises.
“Hostile and intimidating” atmosphere
Raffaela later spoke of a “deeply hostile and intimidating” atmosphere. She said, “That was anti-Semitism—simply because someone rejects the Hebrew language.”
Particularly absurd: The T-shirt in question is part of a peace project. The garment bore the word “Falafel” in Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew script. Under the title “Falafel Humanity Shirt,” the proceeds from sales will be donated to the Israeli women’s organization “Women Wage Peace,” which promotes understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. It was initiated by Hamburg designer Nikolai Dobreff, and also included Iranian designer Golnar Kat Rahmani and Israeli designer Liad Shadmi, both of whom live in Germany.
In an open letter to the “K-Fetisch,” Raffaela later wrote that she had previously appreciated the café as a place “where discrimination has no place.” However, the incident demonstrated “that Jews are not welcome there.” She asked: “Have you ever thought about how it feels for Jews to walk through Neukölln? Why does your rainbow flag have room for everyone except Jews?”
The café has not yet responded to a request from the Tagesspiegel. Just a few years ago, it was considered a meeting place where Jewish and Israeli leftists were also welcome, according to the publication. Now, the establishment is distributing texts on social media that are openly anti-Israel and anti-Germany .
