Conflict Kitchen closes after death threat (Mars, Oakland: closing, restaurants, price)

[airwave09]

The Jewish/Palestinian Conflict and the tensions over it is how this death threat originated in the first place...

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by airwave09

The Jewish/Palestinian Conflict and the tensions over it is how this death threat originated in the first place...

Simply tie your comments into the topics of the restaurant, the Post Gazette, Pittsburgh, etc.. "Bla bla bla is the reason the Post Gazette instigated this whole mess." "Bla bla bla is the reason the restaurant received the death threat." Even if you have to sound like a broken record, always tie your thoughts into the topic even when responding to a specific non-topic part of someone else's post. Give it a try. Yac won't get mad if you put some thought into it.

I'll start.

It's interesting that the restaurant has featured menus and testimonials from many countries in conflict with the United States, and this is the first time the Post Gazette has published a biased article and the restaurant has received death thread. What's the Post Gazette's agenda? Did the newspaper even think of the ramifications of misrepresenting the restaurant for this particular conflict? Why didn't any journalist put other countries in conflict in such a negative light previously? Is pro-Israel the newspaper's reflex reaction without serious contemplation about what they're publishing?

[SteelCityRising]

'CoExistence Kitchen' to oppose controversial eatery | TribLIVE

Looks like Jewish students from CMU and Pitt are starting their own restaurant that will have a pro-Israel message and will oppose the Conflict Kitchen. I suppose it's great to encourage increased political dialogue and discourse among our youth, but the Jewish population in the East End with their haughty "If you don't stand united with Israel, then you're an anti-Semite..." mantra is really starting to grate on my nerves. I personally do NOT "support" Israel. I also don't "support" Palestine. I believe both sides are acting like bullies, and NEITHER side should be lauded for that. Why does that make me an anti-Semite?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

'CoExistence Kitchen' to oppose controversial eatery | TribLIVE

Looks like Jewish students from CMU and Pitt are starting their own restaurant that will have a pro-Israel message and will oppose the Conflict Kitchen. I suppose it's great to encourage increased political dialogue and discourse among our youth, but the Jewish population in the East End with their haughty "If you don't stand united with Israel, then you're an Anti-Semite..." mantra is really starting to grate on my nerves. I personally do NOT "support" Israel. I also don't "support" Palestine. I believe both sides are acting like bullies, and NEITHER side should be lauded for that.

That's downright silly since Conflict Kitchen doesn't regularly feature menus from countries that oppose Israel. It's a shame they don't understand the point of Conflict Kitchen is to bring awareness where it isn't common. Not many Americans have much knowledge about Cuba, Venezuela, Palestine, etc. Since pro-Israel messages are continually in the news and media, I don't see a purpose in a restaurant with the single purpose of promoting pro-Israel message.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

'CoExistence Kitchen' to oppose controversial eatery | TribLIVE

Looks like Jewish students from CMU and Pitt are starting their own restaurant that will have a pro-Israel message and will oppose the Conflict Kitchen. I suppose it's great to encourage increased political dialogue and discourse among our youth, but the Jewish population in the East End with their haughty "If you don't stand united with Israel, then you're an anti-Semite..." mantra is really starting to grate on my nerves. I personally do NOT "support" Israel. I also don't "support" Palestine. I believe both sides are acting like bullies, and NEITHER side should be lauded for that. Why does that make me an anti-Semite?

Originally Posted by Hopes

That's downright silly since Conflict Kitchen doesn't regularly feature menus from countries that oppose Israel. It's a shame they don't understand the point of Conflict Kitchen is to bring awareness where it isn't common. Not many Americans have much knowledge about Cuba, Venezuela, Palestine, etc. Since pro-Israel messages are continually in the news and media, I don't see a purpose in a restaurant with the single purpose of promoting pro-Israel message.

Aaargh. If they have good deli, politics schmolitics.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Hopes

That's downright silly since Conflict Kitchen doesn't regularly feature menus from countries that oppose Israel. It's a shame they don't understand the point of Conflict Kitchen is to bring awareness where it isn't common. Not many Americans have much knowledge about Cuba, Venezuela, Palestine, etc. Since pro-Israel messages are continually in the news and media, I don't see a purpose in a restaurant with the single purpose of promoting pro-Israel message.

Couldn't have said it better myself. They don't understand, but it is easy to be misguided by the hyped up media for profit and focus on one thing. On the other hand, maybe they want to open a place up and see if they can use the dumb media to make money. At least they are just opening up a restaurant and not wanting to bulldoze the Conflict Kitchen, to make them relocate and starve them. Hopefully the Conflict Kitchen doesn't need olives. That could be a problem.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Looks like Jewish students from CMU and Pitt are starting their own restaurant that will have a pro-Israel message and will oppose the Conflict Kitchen. I suppose it's great to encourage increased political dialogue and discourse among our youth, but the Jewish population in the East End with their haughty "If you don't stand united with Israel, then you're an anti-Semite..." mantra is really starting to grate on my nerves. I personally do NOT "support" Israel. I also don't "support" Palestine. I believe both sides are acting like bullies, and NEITHER side should be lauded for that. Why does that make me an anti-Semite?

Of course it doesn't make you an antisemitic.

There are two sides to every question, but sometimes advocates look to really demonize those who take the opposite side of the issue. It is by no means limited to the palestinian/Jewish conflict in the middle east.

Showing respect for the positions of advocates, if you are neutral or even support the other side, is a key to getting along with others. Calling our Jewish friends "haughty", even when it is accurate from your point of view, isn't good public relations. Remember that many folks in the Jewish community have friends and relatives in the state of Israel that are under fire, and many collections of money and goods have been sent from the Jewish Community in the US over there for many decades. They have a lot of skin in the game and have concern for those that are over there and the zionist cause.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Hopes

That's downright silly since Conflict Kitchen doesn't regularly feature menus from countries that oppose Israel. It's a shame they don't understand the point of Conflict Kitchen is to bring awareness where it isn't common. Not many Americans have much knowledge about Cuba, Venezuela, Palestine, etc. Since pro-Israel messages are continually in the news and media, I don't see a purpose in a restaurant with the single purpose of promoting pro-Israel message.

Actually, it does. That's just the way the geopolitical cookie crumbles, though. It definitely isn't part of any broad, anti-Israel agenda. The anti-Semitism accusations/death threats are downright awful, but I don't think a counterweight restaurant is an awful thing, though it will basically boil down to propaganda vs. propaganda.

And although the PGH Jewish community is definitely overreacting in this case, most aren't "haughtily" trying to shut down a conversation. Anti-Israel =/= anti-Semitism, but an uncomfortable proportion of anti-Israel activists (especially in PGH) employ anti-Semitic imagery and rhetoric, and that puts a lot of people on the defensive. In all fairness, all too many pro-Israel activists employ anti-Arab/Muslim imagery and rhetoric as well. Both sides do need to grow the frick up. It's part of the reason that I'm no longer actively involved.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by airwave09

The Jewish/Palestinian Conflict and the tensions over it is how this death threat originated in the first place...

I missed this before, but Israeli, Israeli, Israeli.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by ElijahAstin

Actually, it does. That's just the way the geopolitical cookie crumbles, though.

No. I meant it doesn't ONLY feature menus from countries in conflict with Israel. It features menus from countries in conflict with the US. If a country isn't in direct conflict with Israel and opposes Israel because its in conflict with the US, that's entirely different. The Cuba/US conflict has nothing to do with Israel. The Venezuela/US conflict too. If those countries oppose Israel, it's simply because they oppose the US and they'll oppose anything the US supports.