In Chicago, a group of Jewish students claims they faced religious harassment at a coffee shop located near DePaul University. The establishment’s proprietors, however, refute these accusations.
Both Chicago police and DePaul University are delving into the incident, which eyewitnesses report escalated into a physical confrontation.
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“I felt extraordinarily singled out and deeply uneasy,” shared Kylie Miller, a student from Roosevelt University.
Miller, along with Jewish students from three different colleges, including DePaul, had congregated last week for a social event organized by Hillel and the Jewish United Fund at a coffee shop situated near Webster and Sheffield.
According to Miller, their group was soon encircled by others.
“They were wearing keffiyehs and sweatshirts displaying strong pro-Palestinian messages,” Miller recounted. “They began chanting, ‘Free, free Palestine.’ A few individuals were observed approaching the coffee shop staff, inquiring about ways to remove us from the premises.”
Miller says someone then struck a JUF staffer.
“Fully body-checked her in the shoulder,” Miller said. “She was right next to me when it happened. I mean, I think that she ended up doing a 180.”
As her group left, Miller says they were met with more chants., including from behind the counter.
Multiple messages left by ABC7 for the owner of Olive & Oak Cafe were not returned, but the business wrote on social media, “It is deeply painful to see accusations directed at our business, especially false claims that we denied service to a customer or allowed bullying of any kind in our establishment. Kindness, hospitality, and respect are at the heart of everything we do.”
The cafe is steps from DePaul University, which has been threatened with federal funding cuts over its handling of antisemitism complaints.
The school’s president said, “While this incident occurred off campus, I am outraged that our students were targeted and harassed because of their Jewish identity. We are working to determine whether any of the offenders are affiliated with the DePaul community.”
“This example, what happened to a group of students just enjoying a cafe, is a perfect example of why the city needs to act,” said Dan Goldwin with the Jewish United Fund.
Last week, the Chicago Commission on Human Relations issued a report with recommendations citing a 58% increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes in Chicago from 2023 to 2024.
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