Reem Assil Manipulates Yelp Reviews. Again.

They call it the Palestine Exception. Its the belief that being Palestinian enables you to use  your eternal victimhood as a  "get out of jail free" card to evade any moral or civic responsibility.  Reem Assil, proprietor of an Oakland bakery decorated with a mural of a convicted Jew-killer uses it like a master.  Faced with negative crowd-sourced reviews for her Oakland restaurant, Reem denounces them as "racist" targeting her "Arab owned business" and mobilized a response. 

Reports of dirty restrooms?    There are zionists afoot.

Small portions?  Only a zionist would complain.

Cold, bland food?  Only a jealous Zionist would make that claim.

The Palestine Exception means criticizing cold coffee is "racist", if its served in an Arab owned business. 

The Palestine exception means never having to take personal responsibility for your actions.  

 

David Jaber takes Reem's bait, and explains how to "drill down" and report the profiles

The Palestinian Exception means that Israel haters across the world have rushed to Reems defense, linked by their common hatred of the Zionist entity.   Emma Rosenthal freely admits she has never eaten in Reem's restaurant. yet posts a review, in violation of  Yelps' terms of agreement.  And yes, Emma Rosenthal calls unapologetic Jew Killer Rasmea Odeh,  "a hero"

Within days of the Reem initiated manipulation, many of the negative reviews had vanished from Yelp.  This form of blatant manipulation dilutes the Yelp brand, and makes all their reviews suspect. 

The way to win in Reem Assil's world is to Cry "Zionist" and let loose the dogs of war.

Diablo Magazine lauds Terror Supporter Reem Assil

h/t Israellycool

The latest issue of Diablo magazine  ( the "only monthly publication written specifically for the San Francisco East Bay market—from Central Contra Costa, into the Oakland and Berkeley Hills, and throughout the Tri-Valley") features an article called "40 under 40". One of those featured is Reem Assil, owner of Reem's Bakery in Oakland   The editor of the piece, Lauren Bonney could have and should have spent more time researching Reem's background

Yep. This is the same Reem Assil who features a mural of a convicted Jew-killer in her bakery. The same Reem Assil who has promoted other PFLP terrorists from her Twitter account.  The same Reem Assil who did nothing while her friends and customers attacked elderly protesters in front of her bakery.

Lauren Bonney's oversight wasn't lost on the commentators,  including David Rosenberg, who wrote:

It is unfortunate that you honored Reem Assil in the 40 Under 40 article without mentioning her support of terrorism and that she decorated her bakery with a full wall mural of Rasmea Odeh. Rasmea Odeh is a member of the terrorist group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine who was convicted for the murder of Leon Kanner and Eddie Joffe (two students in Israel) and lied about it when applying for U.S. citizenship. In April 2017 Rasmea Odeh pleaded guilty to failing to disclose her previous conviction on her citizenship application. Her U.S. citizenship was revoked and she is being deported from the U.S. As long as Reem Assil honors Rasmea Odeh and supports her terrorism, I think that Reem is unfit to be included in the 40 Under 40 (or be recognized for anything other than her support of terrorism).

Michael Harris added· 

To put Reem Assil's giant mural of the unrepentant murderer Rasmea Odeh in perspective, imagine a restaurant serving Southern cuisine that featured a giant mural of Dylann Roof, who murdered 9 African Americans in cold blood in South Carolina. Or an Israeli restaurant decorated with a mural of Baruch Goldstein, who murdered dozens of Arabs in a house of worship. Either of these would appropriately be met with widespread revulsion. Reem deserves no less.

Maria Parker  concluded:

I wish you had done your due diligence researching this article. Reem Assil is no more a role model than is Rasmea Odeh, the convicted terrorist portrayed in her restaurant.

Touche. At least some people are paying attention.

Did Attorney Rose Mishaan actually pass Constitutional law?

Who is Attorney Rose Mishaan and did she ever study Constitutional law?

According to Legal Insurrection, the silent vigils at Reem’s Bakery in Oakland are under a new form of attack. A local journalist, Mike Lumish, is being taken to court in an effort to silence his voice. His alleged transgression? He wrote about Reem’s Bakery egregious support of convicted terrorist Rasmea Odeh in the Jewish Press, and in his blog Israel Thrives.

Among Reem Assils' demands are that Mike stop posting “defamatory” remarks about her, her business or her customers online and in the media.

From Legal Insurrection:

The case also raises serious constitutional and free speech issues, as the bakery owner seeks to punish protest, to halt or move continued protest, and a prior restraint of speech.

Reem Assil is represented by attorney Rose Mishaan.

What kind of attorney would support an action that flies in the face of our Constitutional protections of free speech and public assembly?

Apparently the answer is “An ideologue”

Reem's attorney, Rose Mishaan  visited Gaza with a delegation from the National Lawyers Guild. She was accompanied by career anti-Israel activists, including  Huwaida Arraf, co-founder of the ISM. Her reports from Gaza, naturally, are devoid of context and completely ignore Hamas's terror attacks against the Israeli people.

She's a natural to represent Reem Assil..

1. 
   

Reem Assil: the PT Barnum of restaurateurs

Reem Assil is positioning herself as the PT Barnum of restaurateurs

Her attempts at self promotion go far in exposing the incestuous nature of the anti-Israel community in the Bay area.

On July 8,  a group of Jewish elders, including a survivor of the Warsaw ghetto, held a peaceful vigil at Reem’s,  upset at the restaurants’ glorification of violence.  The group was attacked.

In remarkable example of the incestuous nature of the group-speak/group-think of the local anti-Israel community  the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, the Arab Resource organizing Center, the Mid East Children’s  Alliance and Jewish Voice for Peace have all sent out identical announcements urging people to eat at Reems.

Using terms like  “racist”, “Islamaophobe”, “zealot”,  the collected effort of the Bay area anti-Israel community are desperate to rewrite the incident to place the blame on the victims, and to capitalize on yet another example of their righteous victimhood.

Here’s a quick guide to the Orwellian language of the local haters

“They came with racist signs”:  (remember the victims not their killers)

 "harassed customers”.  (stood there silently)

“defend Reem’s”    (attack a silent vigil)

“writing slandering articles” (engaging in free speech and expressing a contrary opinion )

Its an interesting strategy, though most shop keepers would just use a Groupon to drum up  business.

Reem's Bakery Tries to Cash in

Reem Assil's latest strategy appears to be "When in doubt, lie through your teeth and claim  'I'm the victim.'"

Reem's bakery is attempting to capitalize on their attack on peaceful protesters, in an effort to prove that crime does in fact, pay.

From Reems Bakery Shamelessly Lies About Non-Violent Protest To Cash In On It, published  in IsraellyCool:

"They had racist signs"

Not a single photo exists of a "racist" sign. There was this:

Reem Assil thinks this is racist.

And this:

Again, from Israellycool

The signs are clearly not racist in the slightest, just anti-terrorist. If Reems are equating that with anti-Muslim, then it is them who are the racists.

And Reems expects us to believe those protesters (three 60-something-year-old ladies and a 78-year-old survivor of the Warsaw ghetto) were violent, especially the one in the wheelchair? What shameless liars.

Whether Reem Assil can cook is up for debate. But few doubt that her real talent lies in self promotion 

Reem's of Oakland: Photos of attackers emerge

Reem's in Fruitvale has been widely criticized for its lionization of convicted murderer Rasmea Odeh. Yesterday, a non-violent vigil meant to focus community attention on the local cafe's glorification of violence ended in an assault on the participants, including a 78 year old survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto

Lara Kiswani, the Executive Director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) in San Francisco Bay Area has been identified as one of the attackers. She is reported to have ripped a sign out of a participants hands, then strutted around the outside patio with the remnants.

Ellen Brotsky, a self identified member of Jewish Voice for Peace can also been seen on the footage attacking the non-violent protesters

Ellen Brotsky and Lara Kiswani  with stolen signs

This person  was reported to have assaulted a wheel-chair bound activist, cruelly twisting her fingers in an effort to steal her sign. 

Sara Kershnar of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) also made an appearance, participating in the mayhem until the police arrived, then tossing on a lime green National lawyers Guild Legal Observer hat.  (Pssst, Sara- the National Lawyers Guild Manual for Legal Observers specifically says  "...we ask people to commit themselves to act as Legal Observers and not protesters, and avoid blurring of lines between Legal Observer and activist.")

Oops. Fail.

As morally reprehensible as it might be, Reem Assil and her customers have the right to glorify a murderer, but they do not have the right to attack those in opposition. Organizers of the vigil are planning on returning to Fruitvale Station, committed to the sacred task of educating the community about the dangers of incitement and indoctrination and how they act as an obstacle to peace, both in Oakland and overseas.

These are just empty words from an interview with Reem Assil in Berkeleyside:  “People are afraid of politics, but now more than ever people are asking. If my food can stir up a conversation — even if it’s a hard conversation — that’s what I want it to do. I welcome that in my space.”  Yet when people attempting to engage in the very hard conversation Reem says she welcomes- they are met with abuse, harassment and assault.

Reem's bakery in Fruitvale: Gaming the system on Yelp

From Berkeleyside, writing about Reem's, a new bakery in the  Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland:

Assil decidedly chooses to use “Arab” over “Middle Eastern” when describing her concept. “I wanted it to be political,” she said. “People are afraid of politics, but now more than ever people are asking. If my food can stir up a conversation — even if it’s a hard conversation — that’s what I want it to do. I welcome that in my space.”

Reem Assil 's commitment to open dialog  and conversation apparently is limited to those who agree with her.  On her Facebook page, she has urged her followers to rate down negative comments on Yelp, and to give her establishment positive reviews

Reem Assil, a  local anti-Israel activist and member of the extremist Arab Resource Organizing Center (AROC)  solicited her political connections to shut down complaints about her new bakery. Anti-Israel activists from as far away as Texas, many who have never set foot in the bakery were quick to leap to her defense, sharing notes on how to game the Yelp review process, and chortling over their success in shutting down negative reviews.

Let this be a cautionary tale to those who rely on Yelp reviews.  Apparently it is not difficult to trick the Yelp review algorithm.  And let this also serve as an example of how anti-Israel activists will stop at nothing in their ruthless attempt to shut down voices that challenge them-  even if the voices are simply complaining about burnt flatbread and surly service.

Reem's bakery in Fruitvale. Mainstreaming Murder

Why is Reem's Bakery in the Oakland Fruitvale neighborhood promoting hate? Why is Reem's glorifying Rasmea Odeh, the confessed killer of 2 young students? Why is a bakery that claims to "connect people across culture" lionizing a murderer who targeted civilians in a grocery store?

Mural of PFLP terrorist Rasmea Odeh at Reems bakery in Fruitvale

Hebrew University students, Edward Joffe and Leon Kanner were best friends, murdered when members of the terror group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine bombed a Jerusalem grocery store in 1969. Nine other people were injured.

Rasmea Odeh, a member of the PFLP terror group placed her bomb in a kosher grocery store in Jerusalem for one reason- to target and terrorize Jewish civilians.   She was arrested and confessed to the murders after one day in custody. Physical evidence such as bomb making materials were found in Odeh’s home. Guy Wintelir, an observer from the International Red Cross attended the six month long trial and described it as fair. Rasmea was sentenced to life in prison over for her role in the attack. 

In 1980, after serving only 10 years of her sentence, Odeh was released in a prisoner exchange 

She immigrated to the United States in 1995, escaping detection by using a variety of aliases, but was found guilty in 2014 of lying on her immigration papers. She confessed after an appeal and is currently awaiting deportation.

In a 2004 documentary, Rasmea was implicated by her co-conspirator Aisha Odeh which Aisha admitted to participating in the Super Sol attack and named Rasmea as one of her accomplices.  She admitted  “Rasmea Odeh was more involved than I was [in the grocery store bombing] ... I only got involved during the preparation of explosives. We wanted to place two bombs to blow up consecutively. I suggested to have the second bomb go off five or six minutes after the first bomb so that those who get killed in it would be members of the army and secret service, but it did not explode. They diffused it 20 seconds before it exploded.”

In a community devastated by violence, why is Reems bakery glorifying this unrepentant murderer?

It remains unclear how glorifying a murderer builds connections across cultures

For more information on the crimes of Rasmea Odeh:

The Legal Insurrection website provides the most comprehensive coverage of Rasmea Odeh's history, and more importantly, those of her victims and their families.  

Justice for Rasmea Odeh

Vigil for Victims of Rasmea Odeh outside her appearance at Northwestern U

Statement from family of Leon Kanner on Rasmea Odeh plea deal

Statement from family of Edward Joffe on Rasmea Odeh plea deal

A bakery that dishes out hatred in Oakland