STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A Staten Island woman is facing harsh criticism online after recently sharing a video on social media in which she brags about refusing to assist an apparently Jewish couple who asked if she could help them pay for parking.
Eman Masoud, who identifies herself online as the founder of a skin care company, gloated that when the couple approached her for assistance at a parking lot pay station, she told them she would only help if they said, “Free Palestine.”
The video, which was apparently deleted but was captured and shared by the StopAntisemitism X account, is drawing widespread condemnation and sparking backlash against her New Dorp-based company, Pure with Nature.
In the roughly two-minute clip, recorded while she’s driving, Masoud describes standing at a parking kiosk when she was approached by a couple who was “clearly, clearly, you know I’m not even going to say what they are. I’m going to let you guys guess depending on the story.”
She recounts that the couple, unable to navigate their parking fee, offered her cash to feed the meter, but she said she replied, “I’ll do it if you say, ‘Free Palestine.’”
Masoud said the woman looked shocked and stayed silent while her surprised husband asked, “Excuse me?” She then repeated her demand and later claimed that the husband responded with “La,” which she said was the Arabic word for “no.” In fact, לֹא (Lea) is one of several ways to say “no” in Hebrew.
“They even took our language,” she exclaimed.
She said the man averted his gaze before she again pressed them to repeat the “two words,” walking away and later posting her rant online.
Masoud then went on to address the couple directly, saying, “The audacity — the fact that you know who you are. Not all Jews are Zionists, we know that, but I was like, maybe they’re not.”
She continues, “So the fact that you know who you are, you had the audacity to ask me to help you, knowing who I am based on what I look like, knowing who you are and what you feel, you had the audacity to ask me for help out of everyone, you know what, go screw yourself.”
Masoud’s outburst quickly spread across social media, where many users condemned her for humiliating the couple who had sought her help.
In the days since, her business has been hit with dozens of negative online reviews accusing her of antisemitism and bigotry, and the company’s website displays a notice that it is in “maintenance mode.”
Masoud did not immediately respond to the Advance/SILive.com’s request for comment.