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Employees at Breads Bakery, the New York City offshoot of a Tel Aviv bakery, are pushing to unionize while demanding that the company sever its ties with Israel.
The group, calling itself Breaking Breads, said on Tuesday that it would not take part in what it described as “Zionist projects.” These include fundraising or catering linked to Jewish or Israeli causes. In a public statement, the workers singled out Breads’ participation in the Great Nosh, a citywide Jewish food festival held on Governor’s Island.
“The workers refuse to participate in Zionist projects such as fundraisers that support the ‘Israeli’ occupation of Palestine,” the group said. It also opposes baking items featuring the Israeli flag. The statement criticized catering events linked to organizations the group claimed donate to the Israeli military.
Union Push Tied to Political Demands
Breaking Breads has affiliated with the United Auto Workers. The group says it is organizing over pay, scheduling, and treatment by management. However, it also demands that Breads’ Israeli leadership cut all ties with Israel.
The campaign targets CEO Yonatan Floman and founder Gadi Peleg. Both are Israeli nationals. “We cannot and will not ignore the implicit and explicit support this bakery has for Israel,” the group wrote in a multilingual statement posted on January 1. It framed workplace grievances as part of a global struggle. The statement linked labor issues to what it called “genocide and forces of exploitation.”
Under U.S. labor law, at least 30 percent of workers must sign on to trigger a union election. The vote would be overseen by the National Labor Relations Board if management declines voluntary recognition. Labor experts say it is unusual for unions to go public at that threshold.
A spokesperson for Breads Bakery did not respond to requests for comment.
Israel-Related Fundraising at the Center of Dispute
The political demands stem largely from Breads’ actions following the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel. Shortly after the attack, the bakery partnered with Israeli food influencer Ben Siman-Tov. Together, they sold heart-shaped challahs benefiting Magen David Adom. The effort raised more than $20,000.
Breads also donated its signature black-and-white cookies to a bake sale. That fundraiser generated $27,000 for Israeli food relief efforts.
“What happened in Israel was an act of pure evil,” Peleg said at the time. “What we are doing is an act of pure good.”
If recognized, the union says it would seek to ban such initiatives. That would include Israeli-themed products and fundraising campaigns.
A Growing Pattern of Anti-Israel Workplace Campaigns
Since October 7, several U.S. businesses have faced employee pressure tied to Israel. In New York, workers at Cafe Aronne resigned after learning of the owner’s public support for Israel.
Earlier this year, employees at Alamo Drafthouse petitioned management not to screen the film September 5. They labeled it “Zionist propaganda.”
In Philadelphia, staff protested when chef Mike Solomonov’s restaurant group, CookNSolo, donated to United Hatzalah. The group provides emergency medical rescue services in Israel.
Jewish Community Reaction and Antisemitism Concerns
Some Jewish supporters of Breads expressed shock at the union’s stance. Jewish food influencer Morgan Raum criticized the demands. She focused in particular on the boycott of the Great Nosh.
“I think it’s ridiculous to work for a Jewish-slash-Israeli-owned company and then be appalled by their policies and affiliations,” Raum said. “I think it’s antisemitic to target the Great Nosh.”
As the union drive continues, the dispute reflects a broader trend. Labor activism is increasingly being used to pressure Jewish and Israeli institutions. For many, the case raises the question: where does political protest end — and discrimination begin?
Shifting Political Landscape in NYC Under Mayor Zohran Mamdani
The Breads Bakery dispute is unfolding under newly-inaugurated New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose long record of anti-Israel activism has now translated into executive authority.
On his first day in office last week, Mamdani revoked all executive orders issued by former Mayor Eric Adams after September 26, 2024.
Among them were measures adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and policies that restricted city agencies from participating in boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaigns targeting Israel.
These actions stripped away key institutional safeguards at a moment when antisemitism is already surging and increasingly normalized worldwide. Those protections were designed to draw clear boundaries between legitimate political debate and conduct that targets Jewish identity, institutions, or public Jewish life.
Mamdani has spent decades publicly advocating for BDS and casting Zionism as a political and moral target. His first-day repeal of anti-BDS and antisemitism-related executive orders made clear that his administration intends to move further in that direction.
Against that backdrop, the demands raised at Breads Bakery appear more like an early indicator of a broader trajectory under his administration. They reflect a new political reality in which campaigns to sever ties with Israel and to pressure Jewish and Israeli institutions are increasingly normalized and emboldened.
When government leadership removes guardrails and legitimizes BDS-aligned activism, it emboldens antisemitic hate and accelerates its normalization in public life. In a climate where antisemitism is already being mainstreamed, critics warn that New York City may now be entering a far more dangerous phase, with consequences not only for the city’s Jews but for Jewish communities nationwide watching closely.
Take Action
CAM has launched Report It — a secure app to report antisemitic incidents anonymously and in real time. Don’t stay silent — download it today on the Apple Store or Google Play. See it. Report it. Stop it. Together, we can fight this hate.
