‘No Zionists allowed’ at a bar in Salt Lake City. Owner says he’s not an antisemite
Instagram post by Weathered Waves bar in Salt Lake City. Courtesy of Weathered Waves
By Beth Harpaz March 6, 2024
A state agency is calling for an investigation into a Salt Lake City bar whose owner is promoting his business with a “No Zionists allowed” message on social media.
The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services said it had asked the state attorney general to investigate whether the Weathered Waves bar is violating discrimination laws after receiving several complaints from the public.
But bar owner Mike Valentine said he believes businesses do not have to allow free speech “as long as those restrictions do not directly target protected classes.” He said in a phone interview that he’s not antisemitic and has nothing against Jews. Instead, he said, he’s simply putting Zionists in the same category as racists, Nazis and white supremacists.
That idea is anathema to many Jews, many of whom feel connected to the Jewish state. The need to combat the idea that Zionism is racism emerged as a theme at the Anti-Defamation League’s conference in New York Wednesday, where ADL President Jonathan Greenblatt declared that “anti-Zionism is antisemitism” and author Dara Horn said, “The non-Jewish world does not get to decide how Jews exist.”
Valentine’s controversial “No Zionists allowed” post, made on Instagram earlier this week, states: “We are horrified by the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and are even more horrified to see so many Americans ignore and rationalize ethnic cleansing. That is why we are pleased to announce we are banning all Zionists forever from our establishment. Zionism is hate speech, it is white supremacy and has nothing to do with the beautiful Jewish faith.”
Another Weathered Waves post expresses disapproval for a variety of ideologies, lumping together “Nazis, Zionists, racists, transphobes, homophobes, sexists, white supremacists.”
Free speech or hate speech?
Online critics have labeled Weathered Waves’ posts as “hate speech.” But Valentine said the posts and the policy are “completely protected free speech. We’re not banning Jews, in the same way that we don’t ban Christians when we ban neo-Nazis or the KKK. Zionism is not a religion or a protected class, the same way neo-Nazis are not a protected class.”
Valentine described himself as a community organizer, an atheist and former Salt Lake City mayoral candidate who is taking part in a campaign to pressure local officials to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war in Gaza.
“We work with a lot of anti-Zionist Jews,” he said. He also has a pride flag in the bar: “It’s important for us to have a very inclusive space.”
He said the bar has been subject to many negative reviews and angry comments online but no in-person protests, though he did receive one threatening phone call, which he reported to the police and posted on Instagram. “Zionists are threatening to burn my place down,” he wrote. “What was that about Zionism not being hate speech?”
‘We all know what you mean’
But critics questioned his claim of separating anti-Zionism from antisemitism. “Zionism – the right of Jews to have a homeland so they don’t get annihilated again, is controversial?” wrote @sethdjacobs in response to one of Valentine’s posts. “You can have a problem with Israel. You can hate Israel. But we all know what you mean by ‘Zionist.’”
Another person commented: “Ceasefire now? How about release the hostages! The ball is in the terrorist court. I’m hoping you know how ceasefires work, both sides have to agree.”
Weathered Waves has been open for over a year but only received a liquor license last week. Valentine is also the owner of Six Sailor Cider, a beverage manufacturing company whose hard cider is served at Weathered Waves.
Zionism, racism and antisemitism: A long, fraught debate
The fraught debate over Zionism, racism and antisemitism has been going on for decades.
In 1975, the United Nations passed a controversial resolution saying, “Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination.” The resolution was revoked in 1991.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s definition of antisemitism, which is embraced by many mainstream Jewish organizations, doesn’t mention Israel per se.
But the IHRA’s guidelines say antisemitism includes “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.”
At the same time, the organization says, “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”
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