RSS
Anti-Israel Mob Targets Philadelphia Falafel Shop Owned by Israeli Chef, Chants ‘We Charge You With Genocide’
Anti-Israel protesters in Philadelphia on Sunday vandalized the front door and windows of Goldie, a vegan falafel restaurant owned by American–Israeli chef Michael Solomonov, while chanting “Goldie, Goldie, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide,” according to reports and video circulating on social media.
The mob that gathered outside the eatery was participating in a larger anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian rally that took place in downtown Philadelphia, near the University of Pennsylvania. During the rally the demonstrators also chanted “long live the intifada” and “there is only one solution, intifada revolution,” and spray painted “Free Palestine” on a map of the university campus.
Disgusting antisemitism on the streets of America where a Jewish owned restaurant in Philadelphia is targeted by pro-Hamas protesters chanting:
“Goldie, Goldie you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide” pic.twitter.com/Y4wHPQ0sbg
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) December 4, 2023
Solomonov was born in Israel and raised in Pittsburgh. His brother, David, was killed by snipers on the Lebanese border in 2003 while volunteering in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). After Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, Solomonov announced that for one day he was donating 100 percent of sales from all of his Philadelphia restaurants to United Hatzalah of Israel, to help the volunteer-based organization provide free medical services to those affected by the terror attacks. A total of $100,000 was ultimately donated to United Hatzalah.
Solomonov owns a string of restaurants in Philadelphia and New York that serve Israeli-inspired cuisine.
The protest was organized by the Philly Palestine Coalition, which previously called for a boycott of “Zionist” restaurants in Philadelphia following the Hamas onslaught and distributed a list of eateries owned by Jews or Israelis.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) condemned the targeting of Goldie on Sunday night.
“Tonight in Philly, we saw a blatant act of antisemitism — not a peaceful protest,” he wrote in a post on X/Twitter. “A restaurant was targeted and mobbed because its owner is Jewish and Israeli. This hate and bigotry is reminiscent of a dark time in history.”
US Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA), who represents the Philadelpiha area, expressed similar sentiments. He wrote on X, “I can’t believe I even have to say this but targeting businesses simply because they’re Jewish owned is despicable.”
White House spokesman Andrew Bates also addressed the incident, saying: “It is antisemitic and completely unjustifiable to target restaurants that serve Israeli food over disagreements with Israeli policy, as Governor Shapiro has underlined.”
“This behavior reveals the kind of cruel and senseless double standard that is a calling card of antisemitism,” he added. “President Biden has fought against the evil of antisemitism his entire life, including by launching the first national strategy to counter this hate in American history. He will always stand up firmly against these kinds of undignified actions.”
Meanwhile, anti-Israel activists supported the actions targeting Goldie. One X user, who claimed to be a former employee of the restaurant and accused the IDF of “war crimes,” wrote on X that “these protesters rule & should keep up the pressure.”
The vandalism at Goldie took place one day after Solomonov participated in a Shabbat brunch potluck with other food industry professionals, hosted by the Jewish Food Society in New York, in response to the rise in antisemitism around the world since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
The post Anti-Israel Mob Targets Philadelphia Falafel Shop Owned by Israeli Chef, Chants ‘We Charge You With Genocide’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday.
The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group.
They traveled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil’s son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran’s air strikes against Israel from Lebanon.
Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in September.
Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons.
The post Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip
Israeli soldiers operate during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), announced on Friday the killing of Ibrahim Abu Shamala, a senior financial official in Hamas’ military wing.
The operation took place on June 17th in the central Gaza Strip.
Abu Shamala held several key positions, including financial officer for Hamas’ military wing and assistant to Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing until his elimination in March 2024.
He was responsible for managing all the financial resources of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, overseeing the planning and execution of the group’s war budget. This involved handling and smuggling millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas’ military operations.
The post Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
i24 News – Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, the New York Times reported on Saturday citing unnamed Iranian officials. It is understood the Ayatollah fears he could be assassinated in the coming days.
Khamenei reportedly mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications.
Khamenei has designated three senior religious figures as candidates to replace him as well as choosing successors in the military chain of command in the likely event that additional senior officials be eliminated.
Earlier on Saturday Israel confirmed the elimination of Saeed Izadi and Bhanam Shahriari.
Shahriari, head of Iran’s Quds Force Weapons Transfer Unit, responsible for arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, was killed in an Israeli airstrike over 1,000 km from Israel in western Iran.
The post Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors first appeared on Algemeiner.com.