Pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrators clash over Englishtown restaurant sign

ENGLISHTOWN – Demonstrators for Israel and for Palestine descended on opposite sides of Main Street in Englishtown. The flashpoint: a sign outside a family-owned Turkish vegan restaurant.

The sign at The Baklava Lady, which originally stated, “We only serve those who believe in PEACE for ALL. FREE PALESTINE, HANDS OFF LEBANON. Real food. Real values,” brought out about 30 pro-Israel demonstrators and about 80 pro-Palestine counter-demonstrators. The "We only serve" part of the sign has been changed to "Thanks for making us the most famous cafe in New Jersey."

Carl Fink of Monroe, who organized the pro-Israel demonstration, said, “We want to stand our ground and show support for Israel.”

Fink said the restaurant’s owner has a right to express her opinion just as he has a right to express his own.

Noreen Gumnit of Monroe, who was holding up a “Release the Hostages” sign, said, “I will fight for their right to say whatever they want, even if it’s anti-Semitic.”

She said the use of the chant, “From the River to the Sea. Palestine will be Free” is anti-Semitic because it refers to the wiping out of the state of Israel, which has existed since 1948, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean.

Mo Hamzeh of Jersey City, who organized the counter-demonstration in support of The Baklava Lady, said the slogan was a call for “everyone in Palestine to have basic human rights. Freedom of movement and travel.”

Hamzeh said he did not know Naciye Emren, the owner of the restaurant, before this.

“She reached out to me, telling me about,” the planned protest, he said.

He put out a call to support her restaurant, which drew people who stood behind a bloody sign saying “ZIONISM IS TERRORISM.”

Emren, wearing watermelon earrings, a symbol of support for Palestine, found her store busier than usual.

“I have all this amazing support. You can’t be afraid to speak up,” she said. “People say that I’m taking a risk, but I didn’t think so. I kind of just wanted to stand firm with what I truly believed in and I think everybody should do that.”

She said she has been posting pro-Palestine content online since before October 7, 2023, when Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages into Gaza, which led to the bombardment of the Gaza Strip causing over 40,000 Palestinians to die, according to the United Nations.

“It’s the right thing to do,” she said. “We should all be screaming at the top of our lungs. No more war. No more money for war. I’m so against it. I’m vegan. I’m against all oppression.”

She continued, “I won’t be silenced and I’m not afraid and I won’t be bullied.”

Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at oliu@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrators clash over Englishtown restaurant sign