BDS and Anti-Semitism Shutter Israeli Restaurant in Munich
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Did Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) put a Jewish eatery out of business in Germany?
The Jewish owner of Munich’s Schmock Israeli restaurant announced he’s closing after 16 years because of rising anti-Semitism — and strong anti-Israel sentiment — in the Bavarian capital.
Florian Gleibs even placed a large sign in Schmock’s window reading: “We are not involved with politics.” But the hostility toward him and his restaurant continued, according to The Jerusalem Post.
“The BDS campaign disguises the socially unacceptable,” Charlotte Knobloch, the head of Munich’s Jewish community and a Holocaust survivor, told The Post. “It has modernized the Nazi slogan ‘Don’t buy from Jews!’ by demanding, ‘Don’t buy from the Jewish state.’”
BDS has held anti-Israel events in Munich municipal facilities for years, the Post reported.
Gleibs owns two other Munich restaurants, including the Jewish-themed Meschugge. He plans to reopen Schmock as a Laotian eatery.
Michael Kaminer is a contributing editor at the Forward.
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