HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) — New York City’s only Ethiopian-Israeli restaurant is closing its doors to walk-in customers as the owner says backlash over the Israel-Hamas war has taken a toll.
The owner of Tsion Café in Harlem says harassing phone calls have impacted the business and the dining room is no longer bustling with customers.
The owner says she can’t keep going like this but isn’t giving up.
“I don’t want to be in danger. So you pivot,” Owner Beejgy Barthany said.
In December, she closed her Ethiopian-Israeli restaurant after what she says were constant anti-semitic threats.
The threats started about 4 years ago, but ramped up after the war in Gaza began.
“When people will call and say, we’re going to come and shoot you all. That is really scary,” Barthany said.
Barthany opened Tsion Café in December of 2014.
The food reflected Beejhy’s diverse background. She was born in Ethiopia and raised in both Israel and the U.S.
What made her restaurant special is also what drove the hate.
“I am proud of who I am and I’m embracing my Ethiopian, my Jewish, my blackness. You will come and attack me online or call me at my establishment. I don’t quite understand that. Why the hate?” she said.
She says she reported the threats to the police to no avail.
Mark Treyger of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York is calling for an investigation into the hate
The JRC and other Jewish groups are standing in solidarity with Barthany.
“We have really just an extraordinary woman, an extraordinary small business owner with an extraordinary story. The fact that she doesn’t feel safe in New York City in the year 2026 to keep her business fully open because of pervasive hate and harassment, that is not normal. That is not acceptable. And we’re not going to take that, ” Treyger said.
For now, Barthan hopes to use the space for private events. She still wants to nourish the community with food, culture and thought.
“There is a lot of learning and engagement necessary in this world. And, we’ll see what happens,” Barthany said.
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