The cousin of a rescued Israeli hostage was focused in a stunning antisemitic assault at a Decrease East Aspect restaurant on Saturday — and continues to be rattled by the assault.
Josh Tepper — whose cousin, Luis Har, was free of his Hamas captors final yr — informed The Put up he was having an off-the-cuff enterprise assembly at El Cabron Taqueria on Essex Road when one other patron instantly poured a pitcher of water over his head and yelled, “Free Palestine.”
“It was a very shocking experience,” Tepper stated Sunday. “I’ve lived in New York for 28 years, I’m from here. I’m very proud to be Jewish, went to Jewish state school. Never have I ever in that way been accosted for being Jewish.”
“It was aggressive,” he stated. “It was jarring, it was upsetting.”
Tepper stated he was having a quiet dinner with enterprise associate Carlos Leon — a one-time beau of pop diva Madonna — when he was attacked “out of nowhere.”
The 2 based OG Daddy, which Tepper describes as “a lifestyle brand and cannabis brand.”
He stated that at one level throughout their dinner dialog, he talked about that he needed to go to Tel Aviv — which was apparently sufficient to set off the antisemitic dousing.
“That is not a political statement. I didn’t say I hate any group of people, I didn’t say what side I’m on,” Tepper stated. “Literally out of nowhere this guy took a pitcher — swear to God — and poured it on me, on the table. My phone was covered. And he said ‘Free Palestine’ and he said something else that I kind of blocked out and he just walked right out.”
He stated Leon received as much as confront the alleged antisemite, however the “coward” scampered away.
Restaurant workers comped the 2 a drink and stated the assailant had grabbed the pitcher by telling workers that he was thirsty and simply needed to refill his glass — and dumped it on Tepper as an alternative.
He stated the incident caught him off guard, however concedes he’s needed to develop into extra vigilant amid heightened antisemitic sentiments within the Massive Apple since Hamas’ sneak assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the retaliatory strikes by the Jewish State within the Gaza Strip.
“I’m always on alert because I’m Jewish, especially now. But this was to a new level,” he stated. “It’s been like a year and a half, almost two years of things just progressively getting worse, and more and more of my friends are having nuanced experiences like this.”
Har, his 71-year-old cousin, was rescued in February 2024 after 129 days as a Hamas prisoner, because of a daring raid by Israeli forces in southern Gaza.
