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International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
World
Danielle Summer

Actor Says There Is 'Nowhere Safe To Be Jewish' After October 7 Restaurant Opens In Jordan

Kfir Bibas was just 9 months old when he was kidnapped by Hamas. (Credit: Menahem KAHANA/AFP)

A new restaurant in Jordan has sparked outrage after it revealed its name is October 7.

The restaurant was slammed for celebrating Hamas' on-the-ground massacre and capture of Israelis, which resulted in more than 1,200 people being killed, hundreds of women being raped and around 250 civilians being kidnapped.

The new establishment, which also revealed its shawarma menu, was opened in the southern region of the city of Kerak. The shawarma joint is located near the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea and in the Southern Mazar district.

In a video that circled on social media, users saw the shops' employees, including cooks and front-of-house workers, wearing uniforms that read 'October 7' in an orange font.

Dima Tahboub, a Jordanian Writer, Political Analyst and former Member of Parliament, published the viral footage on X on Wednesday last week.

Tahboub, who is also a member of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, the conservative Islamist organisation which is considered a terrorist organisation in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, shared the video to announce the opening of the new restaurant.

Captioning her post, the former MP wrote: "I swear to God, Karakiya has no solution.. October 7 restaurant has been opened in the southern shrine."

Tahboub's words were followed by emojis that showed smiley faces and peace signs.

Throughout the video footage, a speaker is heard saying: "In the name of Allah and with the blessing of Allah, the October [7] restaurant has opened in the city of Al-Mazar Al-Janubi. You are all welcome."

"Let's look inside... Mashallah... Mashallah... Prayers upon Allah's messenger, Muhammad. Please let me pass through... Make way, make way... Congratulations on opening [the restaurant]. Let's go inside and take a look. You have the shawarma here. October 7... All the best...," the speaker continued.

Antisemitic hate crimes in the UK have increased by more than 130 per cent since October 2023, compared to that of 2022.

Soon after the post was shared, the former Prime Minister of Israel, Yair Lapid, sent out a tweet in response to the morbid commemoration.

In a bid to demand condemnation from the Jordanian government, Lapid wrote: "The disgraceful glorification of October 7th has to stop. The incitement and hatred against Israel breeds the terrorism and extremism which led to the brutal massacre of October 7th."

"We expect the Jordanian government to condemn this publicly and unequivocally," the former Prime Minister added.

The owner of the restaurant, who has had their identity hidden, said that the restaurant was in celebration of his daughter, considering she "graduated from med school in Algeria on October 7".

The anonymous owner went on to say that he was forced to change the restaurant's name, "because it was understood as political".

"The new name is just October, without 7. We have no connection to politics," the owner continued.

This news comes after Actor, Writer and Comedian Maureen Lipman was criticised on social media for sharing her beliefs regarding the increase of antisemitism across the globe.

Since Hamas launched its unprecedented assault on Israelis on October 7, the world has seen a rapid increase in antisemitic offences.

Official figures, released by the Metropolitan Police showed how the number of antisemitic hate crimes in the UK, recorded after October, had increased by more than 130 per cent since the same period in 2022.

Lipman, who is best known for appearing in Coronation Street and Oklahoma, said that there is "nowhere safe to be Jewish" amid Israel's catastrophic bombardment of Gaza.

The Actor appeared in an interview with Sky News reporters ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day, which was held on Saturday 27 January.

"I honestly think that nowhere is a safe place to be Jewish at the moment and the UK is part of the global rise in antisemitism event that's happening," Lipman said.

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