Jewish Bakery Owners Gain Wave of Support After Workers Demand Break With Israel

NEW YORK — Supporters of Israel gathered outside a popular Jewish bakery in Manhattan on Friday to show solidarity with its owners after a group of employees called on the business to cut ties with Israel, a move that sparked sharp backlash in the community.

Dozens of customers lined up outside Breads Bakery on the Upper West Side, some carrying Israeli flags, in what organizers described as a show of support for the bakery following demands by a newly formed employee union.

According to the New York Post, the group — calling itself the “Breaking Breads Union” — is made up of about a third of the bakery’s workforce and has issued a list of demands that includes urging management to sever its relationship with Israel. The union has accused the company of supporting what it described as actions in Gaza that it opposes.

Hundreds turn out to support Israeli-owned Breads Bakery on the Upper West Side, after some staff unionized and demanded owners stop “support of genocide” by joining a Jewish food festival pic.twitter.com/YA6LEUvMAL

— Luke Tress (@luketress) January 9, 2026

Bakery management rejected those claims, saying the business does not take political positions and focuses on serving customers and supporting its staff. The owners said their past involvement in Jewish and pro-Israel events reflected community ties, not political advocacy.

Several supporters who came to the bakery said they wanted to counter what they view as attempts to inject Middle East politics into the workplace.

“We support workers’ rights, but not when international politics is forced into a local business,” said Elisha Fine, a Manhattan resident who joined the crowd.

Others said the dispute reflects broader concerns in New York’s Jewish community about rising tensions over Israel and antisemitism following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and the war in Gaza.

The union did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the New York Post reported.