An Israeli restaurant in Houston, Texas was left vandalized after a burglar reportedly “came in through the roof.”
Taste of Tel Aviv, a family-owned Mediterranean and Israeli restaurant located on Hillcroft Street, was broken into around 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday, the co-owner and manager Pam Baylis, told police, according to Fox 26 Houston. Police were notified of the incident around 8:05 a.m.
“They came in through the roof, they came prepared, they cut through asphalt, concrete, and aluminum roof,” Baylis explained.
?? BREAKING: A Kosher Israeli Restaurant in Houston, Texas was heavily vandalized last night in what appears to be a hate crime. Employees told me a Middle Eastern perpetrator entered the premises by cutting through roof. Jewish prayer books were stolen and most cash left behind. pic.twitter.com/Ts7uVAlNVU
— Shloime Zionce | שלומי זייאנץ (@Chusidel) November 7, 2023
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Baylis says the front window had been smashed in, the inside of the restaurant had been vandalized and even prayer books had been stolen.
“The Israeli community is frightened,” Baylis said. “It’s not only a violent act but it’s a psychological warfare against the Israeli community.”
Baylis, who explained that the owner is Israeli and lives out-of-state, noted that the restaurant had received threats over flying the Israeli flag which has now been taken down.
The vandalism of the restaurant comes as the war between Israel and Hamas continues in the aftermath of a surprise attack launched on Israel, which left more than 1,400 Israelis dead.
Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, the United States has seen a historic increase in antisemitism. Jonathan Greenblatt, the Director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League said during an interview on Sunday with MSNBC that there has been a 388% increase in antisemitism, according to Politico.
“Antisemitism has been intensifying and increasing,” Greenblatt said. “We’ve seen it normalized, and from the far-right and from the hard left.”
Baylis says they are considering the vandalism a hate crime, however, the Houston Police Department said they were not viewing this as a hate crime at this time.
The suspect reportedly was dressed in all black with their face covering and reportedly had a tattoo, according to police.
Several people responded to the vandalism in posts on Facebook asking people to “support” the restaurant.
“Please support Pizza TLV/ Taste of Tel Aviv restaurant once they’re up and running!!” Carrie Morton Ostrin wrote in a Facebook post. “Last night they were vandalized and broken into/ accessed the restaurant by cutting through the roof.”
Ostrin continued to write how the “entire restaurant is vandalized and not usable – cash register torn out, prayer books taken, etc.”
Another person, Crysti Naim wrote that “dear friends” of her and her husband’s had initially partnered with a place in Houston called “My Pita.” Their friends had asked the Naim’s to “come in to help revive the place.”
“We drove back and forth for about 5 weeks working our duct business in Austin and working full time at the restaurant,” Naim wrote. “Due to life and circumstance, we found ourself taking a portion of what would have been invested into “My Pita” and decided to bring pita to Austin, instead.”
Naim added that eventually “My Pita” was sold and later became “Taste of Tel-Aviv” which had been vandalized.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the restaurant. So far, more than $18,000 has been raised towards the goal of $50,000.
IJR reached out to the Houston Police Department for a statement but did not hear back by the time of publication.
