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Citing anti-Israel backlash, NYC’s only Ethiopian-Israeli eatery ends regular dine-in hours

JL;DR SUMMARY Tsion Cafe, a unique Ethiopian-Israeli eatery in Harlem, has transitioned from regular dining to a reservation-only cultural venue after facing anti-Israel backlash during the war in Gaza. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish DiversityHarlemTsion CafeBeejhy BarhanyCultural BacklashEthiopian Jewish CultureVegan And Kosher DiningFood StorytellingAnti Israel BacklashDiaspora Culinary Experiences

Places mentioned

New York City, New York, United States
"Title: Citing anti-Israel backlash, NYC’s only Ethiopian-Israeli eatery ends regular dine-in hours"
Ethiopia
"Born in Ethiopia, Barhany she spent three years in a refugee camp in Sudan, before moving to southern Israel"
Kibbutz Alumim, Southern District, Israel
"before moving to southern Israel and then Kibbutz Alumim, near the Gaza Strip, during her teen years."
Gaza Strip, Southern District, Israel
"then Kibbutz Alumim, near the Gaza Strip, during her teen years."
Sudan
"Born in Ethiopia, Barhany she spent three years in a refugee camp in Sudan, before moving to southern Israel and then Kibbutz Alumim, near the Gaza Strip, during her teen years."
Harlem, New York, United States
"Beejhy Barhany, who opened Tsion Cafe in Harlem in 2014,"
Staten Island, New York, United States
"When Bella Smorgonskaya, the cultural director of the JCC of Staten Island, learned about Tsion Cafe, she was determined to visit."

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Cairo Item ID 74976
Cairo Source ID 42
Retrieved 2026-02-10 18:00:38 UTC
Curated 2026-02-10 19:00:51 UTC