A kosher grocery store, The Butcherie, in Brookline, Massachusetts, was vandalized early Sunday when masked individuals hurled a brick emblazoned with “Free Palestine” through the storefront window, police confirmed. The storefront featured a map of Israel, making it a clear targeting of the Jewish community.
Brookline Police Chief Jennifer Paster said the incident is being investigated as a hate crime. Surveillance footage shows at least two masked suspects emerging from Coolidge Street, throwing the brick, and fleeing. No other nearby businesses were affected, and no injuries were reported.
Third-generation owner Gil Zilberberg described the incident as “a pure hate crime against the Jewish people” and vowed the store would remain open despite the aggression. Local residents—over 150 strong—rallied outside The Butcherie in solidarity, waving American and Israeli flags and asserting, “Nothing will break us”.
The Anti‑Defamation League’s New England chapter condemned the attack, stating that using pro-Palestinian slogans to target a Jewish business is antisemitic violence, not protest. Governor Maura Healey called the incident “deeply concerning and totally unacceptable,” affirming the state’s support for its Jewish citizens.
