Anti-Israel graffiti sprayed on Park Slope restaurant Miriam

NYPD investigates as a hate crime

January 27, 2025 Mary Frost

The windows at a beloved Park Slope restaurant, Miriam, were spray painted with anti-Israel slogans early Sunday morning. Photo: NYC Mayor Eric Adams

Share this:

PARK SLOPE — City and state officials joined local customers in jumping to the support of Miriam, a popular Israeli restaurant in Park Slope, after vandals splattered the eatery’s glass windows with anti-Israel statements in red spray paint early Sunday morning.

A New York City Police Department spokesperson told the Brooklyn Eagle that officers responded to 79 5th Ave. after receiving a 911 call at 2:59 a.m. Sunday. Photos posted by city officials show the statements “genocide cuisine” and “Israel steals culture” spray painted multiple times across the glass. The investigation is being handled by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.

Miriam has been a neighborhood favorite in Park Slope for roughly 20 years. Officials said in statements and via social media that they were disgusted by the vandalism, calling it a clear act of antisemitism.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said it was “infuriating” to see Miriam, one of his “absolute favorites,” vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.

“Miriam serves and welcomes everyone, regardless of religion or politics, and doesn’t bring either into the restaurant,” he wrote on social media. “They serve delicious Israeli food, and their owner and chef Rafael, born in Petach Tikvah (a suburb of Tel Aviv), [has] lived in NYC for 20 years. Vandalizing their restaurant because they serve Israeli food and their owner is a Jewish Israeli New Yorker is a clear example of when anti-Zionism becomes antisemitism.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer shows his support for Miriam, a Park Slope restaurant targeted by anti-Israel graffiti Sunday morning. Photo: Sen. Chuck Schumer

Electeds call it despicable

“This outrageous and despicable act of antisemitism in Brooklyn is an attack on all New Yorkers and flies in the face of our values,” Gov. Kathy Hochul posted. “To the owners and staff of Miriam: your state stands with you. And the perpetrators will be brought to justice.”

“As mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, I am particularly heartbroken by this evil act,” Mayor Eric Adams wrote. “Make no mistake, the NYPD is investigating and will find those responsible. We will never tolerate hateful acts like these here. Ever.”

The windows at a beloved Park Slope restaurant, Miriam, were spray painted with anti-Israel slogans early Sunday morning. Photos: NYC Mayor Eric Adams — The windows at a beloved Park Slope restaurant, Miriam, were spray painted with anti-Israel slogans early Sunday morning. Photo: NYC Mayor Eric Adams

Sen. Chuck Schumer, a resident of Park Slope, posted a photo of himself visiting Miriam Sunday evening with a full shopping bag. “I met with the owner, the workers, and their patrons. I told them I stood with them, and that vandalizing a restaurant because the owner was Jewish was outright antisemitism. Period. Hate has no place in New York.”

“Miriam is a staple of the community,” Sen. Andrew Gounardes said, calling the act “antisemitism plain and simple,” adding, “This does nothing to advance the cause of peace and only fosters the growing feeling that Jewish people are not welcome here.”

“This is yet another act of antisemitism in our community, targeting a beloved neighborhood restaurant, Miriam, known for its welcoming atmosphere and commitment to being a good neighbor,” Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon said in a statement Tuesday. “Acts of hatred like this have no place here and undermine the respect that defines our neighborhoods,”she added, urging the community to “reject intimidation” and support the restaurant.

Miriam’s co-owner Rafael Hasid told abc7 that vandals had also targeted his other location on Manhattan’s Upper West Side after the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack in Israel. “25 years I’m in this country, I’ve been in Brooklyn. I love Brooklyn,” Hasid told the outlet.

While the vandals who did this must be held accountable, “A more delicious response is for all of us to go eat some of their excellent food,” Lander wrote.

Lander attended dinner at the restaurant Sunday night, along with local rabbis and leaders of the New York Jewish Agenda, according to his public schedule.