Shouk co-owner Dennis Friedman speaks out after protests and boycotts force his D.C. restaurant chain to close, reflecting on the backlash, vandalism, and the mission to bring people together through food.

I’ve been an artist my entire life. Music has always been my way of connecting with people, of finding common ground even when words fall short. But lately, it feels like art itself is under siege. Antisemitism in America has become an untamed beast, and in Hollywood and the music industry, it’s taking an ugly form: a boycott culture aimed squarely at Israel and the Jewish people. Instead of fostering creativity and dialogue, too many artists are cutting ties, canceling collaborations and demonizing an entire nation. It’s sucking the oxygen out of art.

That’s exactly why I decided to do the opposite. I put my money where my mouth is — in the middle of a war — and poured my energy into a project that means more to me than anything I’ve done in years. My new single, "On My Mind," is about Israel and the Jewish people. And I didn’t just write about it — I filmed the music video there, with the land itself as my stage, and I collaborated with two extraordinary Israeli artists: rapper Shahar Saul and singer Maya Dadon.
HOLLYWOOD JOINS HISTORY’S SHAMEFUL BETRAYALS BY BLACKLISTING JEWISH ARTISTS

Memorials at the site of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im, Israel, on May 27, 2024. (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images )

The backdrop wasn’t a studio set or a green screen. It was Israel — raw, real, beautiful and alive.

For me,........

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