As fast is broken, so are barriers
A temple supports Palestinian's eatery
WATERTOWN -- Sepal Restaurant would be an unlikely place for many Jews to break their Yom Kippur fast, even in a time of peace.
But this weekend's violence -- a Palestinian woman killed 19 in a suicide attack, and Israeli warplanes responded with an attack in Syria -- added resonance to the relationship that has grown between a Jewish congregation in Watertown and a local restaurant run by a Palestinian immigrant.
To the sound of Moroccan and Algerian music, 65 members of B'nai Or, hungry after their 24-hour fast for Yom Kippur, crowded Sepal last night for falafel and hummus.
"It's all the more critical that someone stands up to say they're more about peace than hating," said Nathan Alterman, 46, of Jamaica Plain. "It takes somebody to say stop."
For the members of B'nai Or, the patronage of Sepal is one way to push for peace. At first, many went to the restaurant for the chickpeas and boiled okra. Sepal was not so much a cause as a popular dinner spot one mile from the temple. The dynamic changed, though, after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The attacks came a year after Walid Masoud, the Palestinian proprietor of Sepal, had moved his restaurant, spending $100,000 to transform a 500-square-foot take-out business to a 2,500-square-foot operation on Nichols Avenue. Business quickly dropped 50 percent, and the 65 cushioned seats frequently lay vacant. Despite good restaurant reviews, familiar faces disappeared from his booths, an exodus Masoud blamed, in part, on anti-Muslim sentiment. "When his business hit on hard times, that's when we got organized," Rabbi Daniel Siegel said. "We're part of the world that said, `We deeply love and respect you, and we're going to spend as much money in your restaurant as possible.' "
And how they spent.
Several members of B'nai Or provided a one-time loan. Then the congregation mobilized, spending the last two years challenging American falafel eating records. The synagogue, with 160 families, began hosting steering committee meetings at Sepal, held Sabbath dinners with Masoud, and feasted on mujadara and string beans after Saturday morning services.
"It meant a lot that these people care," Masoud said. "It didn't really matter that I was Palestinian. I became attached to them."
There is much that is untraditional about B'nai Or, with its services in the Masonic temple on Church Street, its husband-and-wife rabbinical team, and its focus on movement and meditation. The congregation is not affiliated with any of the three major Jewish movements: reform, conservative, and orthodox.
But like many American Jews, congregants said they were staunch supporters of Isreal.
Siegel conceded that he and Masoud no doubt hold different views on Middle East politics. But their similarities are far more compelling, he said. "It's not to say that if we were in charge, we wouldn't disagree on this or that," he said. "But we represent two very closely related peoples. Every time the peace process suffers, we feel pain together."
Despite the ongoing violence in the Middle East, Masoud sees reason for hope in gatherings like the one last night and in his relationship with the B'nai Or. Until 2001, he had never entered a synagogue. On his first visit to B'nai Or, he delivered a speech on Yom Kippur, and he spotted row after row of customers. "You're living your life conflict-free with people you're supposed to be enemies with," he said. "That's where I get my optimism from."
Even with the support from B'nai Or, Sepal is still faltering. On a recent weeknight, only two tables were occupied, and the Palestinian chicken breasts, served with Spanish onions and sumac, overflowed in their tin. Surveying the restaurant, Masoud appeared unsure of his future. "We're still suffering," he said. But members of B'nai Or, who spent $11.95 each on the buffet last night, said they hoped their appetites, as much as their loyalty to Masoud, would help keep the business afloat.
"We'll break bread together and behave like brothers, and we believe that the effect will multiply," said Marc H. Bloom of Newton, adding, "We also believe, by far, that he has the best falafel in town."
Benjamin Gedan can be reached at gedan@globe.com.
