It was hot, only June, but temps already in the 90s. I was in Brooklyn, heading to the Bedford Stuyvesant block party and ready for some serious street photography. However, first I needed the strength to actually make it to Thompkins Ave. Luckily Tamar Juice Bar was en route.

Reut Levi’s shop gave me what I craved. The pretty place on Gates Ave. offered organic smoothies, açai bowls − rich in the purple berries and topped with fruits and other choices, juices and more. I settled on a cold-pressed El Diablo for the rush of cayenne and ginger, grabbed a fresh pastry, and, restored, powered on. Unfortunately, though, Tamar Juice Bar will soon shut down.

Here’s why: although New York has been having a hard winter − severe snowstorm, icy sidewalks and temps down to 0°F − not a boost to sales at a juice bar − Tamar has also been hit by the anti-Israel crowd. Lots of locals are upset that the business is owned by an Israeli.

The boycott campaign began in November 2023 with protests out front and posts online. People enter, ask if the owner is Israeli, turn and exit. Some of the self-righteous take it a step further. They order a lot, and don’t come to pick up and pay.

Tamar is not the only establishment the mobs are trying to run out of town. A couple of other Israeli-owned places in the city − a longstanding restaurant also in Brooklyn, in Williamsburg, and an Ethiopian café in Harlem − have already stopped serving, citing harassment and threats.

Tamar is set to close at the end of April. A friend of Reut has started a fundraiser to recoup some of the losses and get through till then. Here’s the link to more about what’s been happening and perhaps to help:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/Tamar-juice-bar

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)