A brick bearing the slogan “Free Palestine” was thrown through the storefront window of a Jewish-owned shop in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Saturday night. In response, more than 150 people gathered outside the store Sunday afternoon for a spontaneous show of solidarity. Local residents, members of the Jewish community, and non-Jewish allies, condemned the attack and expressed concern over the rise in antisemitic violence.
The kosher store, The Butcherie, was attacked shortly after midnight. The window was shattered and the brick, inscribed with the pro-Palestinian message, was found inside. The longtime Jewish-owned business is located at 428 Harvard Street. According to Brookline Police, at least two masked individuals approached the store from a nearby street, threw the brick through the storefront, and fled.
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Brik thrown throught eh window of the kosher store in Brookline, Mass.
(Photo: The Butcherie)
Surveillance footage captured the suspects approaching and leaving the scene, with one clearly holding the brick. No other businesses in the area were damaged.
The store is located near a synagogue on a nearby street. “Dear friends and community members, this morning The Butcherie was targeted in an antisemitic hate crime,” owner Gil Zilberberg wrote on the store’s official Facebook page. “People came with the intent to vandalize our store, using political slogans as cover to spread intimidation and hate. Let us be clear: this was not a protest statement—it was an attack on the Jewish community. This wasn’t about policy or politics. It was an act meant to intimidate, isolate, and target us for who we are.”
He also said that: “We are troubled and saddened, but not shocked. We will not be silent, and we will not be afraid. The Jewish people have endured far worse and always stood tall, with dignity and unity. We will continue to serve our community with pride and without fear. Law enforcement has been notified, and we are taking this matter seriously. We will not allow hate to go unanswered. To our customers, friends, and neighbors: thank you for your continued support. Please continue to stand with us. Together, we are stronger. Am Yisrael Chai.”
Speaking to local media, Zilberberg added: “This wasn’t random. It was a hate crime, plain and simple. I’ve been here for more than 20 years, and it breaks my heart—not just for me, but for the whole community. I’m a third-generation owner. This has never happened in The Butcherie’s history.” Referring to a map of Israel in the store showing wine-producing regions, he added, “It’s not a political statement.”
The Anti-Defamation League also issued a statement condemning the attack. Samantha Joseph, ADL’s New England regional director, called the vandalism “another example of antisemitism masquerading as political protest.”
“Targeting a Jewish business over the conflict in the Middle East is not activism—it’s bigotry,” she said. “This kind of hate has no place in our communities and must be confronted directly. Silence is complicity.”
Brookline Police said the incident is being investigated as a potential hate crime and urged the public to share any information they may have.
In Europe, antisemitism and anti-Israel incitement also surged over the weekend. Posters accusing Jewish leaders of being “genocide lobbyists” were hung throughout Brussels, the Belgian capital. The inflammatory posters featured photos of Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association (EJA), along with Deputy Chairman Alex Benjamin and EU Affairs Director Ruth Isaac.
Some of the posters were placed just meters from European Union institutions. “This is a well-coordinated campaign aimed at delegitimizing Europe’s Jews, branding them with a moral stain, and turning them into targets for both physical and political attacks," Rabbi Margolin stated. "When your face is plastered across the capital of Europe under the label ‘genocidal,’ you are not being criticized—you are being threatened, defamed and marked. This is not debate—it’s dangerous persecution. It echoes the darkest chapters of European history from which the continent claims to have learned.”
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Posters accusing Jewish leaders of being “genocide lobbyists” were hung throughout Brussels
(Photo: EJA)
He added that: “The fact that the EJA’s growing influence has made us a target for radical pro-Palestinian elements only reinforces our mission. Attempts to intimidate us with slander, fear and incitement will not succeed. We will continue to expose the hypocrisy of those who shout ‘freedom’ but mean the destruction of the Jewish state, and we will stand firmly on the front lines against those who support terror. In the face of ignorance and the ‘useful idiots’ who dangerously and naively align with hate, we will speak clearly and truthfully in defense of democratic values.”
The EJA urgently appealed to the Belgian government, EU leadership and local authorities, demanding immediate and unequivocal action, including the removal of all posters across Brussels; a full criminal investigation into those responsible for planning and distributing the campaign; an explicit public condemnation from Belgium and EU institutions; and strengthened protection for targeted Jewish leaders, Jewish institutions, and communities across Europe.
