Non-Jewish Diner Owner Received Boycotts and Death Threats for Backing Israel

Mr. Rogers famously said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

Peter Tsadilas, owner of Golden Globe Diner in Huntington, New York is one of those helpers.

Tsadilas is a gentile of Greek origin. Although not Jewish himself, his best friend is Jewish and his diner has been frequented by Jews for years. He knew he had to do something to show solidarity with the current plight of Israelis and Jews worldwide. Little did he know the mayhem his efforts would create.

Tsadilas explained in an Aish.com interview, “My best friend, who is Jewish, came over one night, crying to me. His son was on medical leave from the Israeli Army and was in America visiting his father. He went back to Israel and was going to do another semester of college. When the bombing occurred on October 7th, his father called and said, ‘Son, you’re coming back. Come back now.’

“His son replied, ‘No, Dad, I'm staying to fight.’”

Peter grew up in Woodbury New York, a primarily Jewish neighborhood. His father-in-law and business partner are both Jewish. When he lived in California for 11 years, he had many Israeli friends.”

Peter decided he had to do something to show support amidst the war in Israel.

“I put up four Israeli flags around the diner, and pictures of the hostages. I started by posting pictures of the kids under ten years old. There are about 15 of them. I thought to myself, these kids deserve to get home. After doing the kids, I started to put up the older hostages as well, and it filled up about half the window. I figured by the weekend, I would fill up the other half.”

Tsadilas took this initiative without consulting with anyone.

“I didn’t ask my employees. They didn’t want it because they were scared, but I did it anyway.”

After posting the signs of hostages, three new employees just disappeared, abandoning their jobs without notice. Tsadilas also lost a lot of Middle Eastern clients immediately.

“We lost some business, but the real issues began when Doordash stopped picking up my food. I got backlash from Doordash clients. They told Doordash I was promoting hate and killing babies. I didn’t get any orders for nine days. My restaurant was removed from their app.

“I called them up after nine days and threatened to take legal action. I threatened to sue them in the Supreme Court. Suddenly, it popped back up.”

One of the heads of the local Hebrew school came in for lunch. She saw the flags, and decided to stop in to support the business.

She told Tsadilas, “‘I wasn’t hungry. I couldn’t find parking, but I want to stop in and have some eggs to support you.’ She took a picture and sent it to her temple. Then it took a life of its own.”

Having the backing of the Jewish community has been crucial for Tsadilas’s efforts. The backlash unfortunately hasn’t stopped with Doordash’s short-lived boycott. The phone at the diner rings off the hook with constant death threats.

People have been calling and saying, “This is Hamas, we know you are in there. We are going to kill you.”

Despite facing such hate, Tsadilas refuses to back down. “Employees are leaving. We don’t even answer the phones at the diner now. It’s a miracle I answered your call, Sarah. All this because we posted pictures of innocent, civilian hostages.”

Tsadilas has a plan to enlist other Greek diners to join him in his support of Israel and Jewish people worldwide. “I want to try to get all the Greek restaurants to jump on board and support Israel. The first one is always the hardest. We hired a lawyer. We are going to approach the 500 Greek diners in the tristate area.”

Tsadilas will personally pay these restaurants to put flag poles up to display Israeli flags, as well as pay for the upkeep and service of them throughout the year.

Peter Tsadilas has taken a strong stand in his community and serves as a light amidst darkness for Jews worldwide, even as such actions have caused him personal harm and loss.

Take a moment to express your thanks in the comment section below.