Hany, I Raised The Israeli Flag
David Lange
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Remember Hany Baransi, the Israeli Arab who owned a restaurant in Ohio – one which was visited by a Somali man with a machete and a penchant for hacking at people?
Here’s a heartwarming follow-up, thanks to Israeli’s Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer.
https://www.facebook.com/ambdermer/videos/vb.1450515471840800/1973541829538159/?type=2&theater
Yesterday, at our Embassy, I met with Hany Baransi, an Israeli Arab who was born in Haifa and who moved to the United States as a young man.
Hany owns the Nazareth Restaurant & Deli in Columbus, Ohio, where he had an Israeli flag on display. Last month, a man stormed into his restaurant wielding a machete and violently attacked diners.
After the brutal attack, Hany was asked if he would stop displaying the Israeli flag. He replied “Actually I have another flag, and I am going to get a bigger flag, and I am going to get a Star of David necklace and put it on my chest, and I am going to get a tattoo.” “Honest to God, I am not kidding. They don’t scare me. We are Israelis. We are Israelis. We are resilient, we fight back.”
After I read about this story, I called Hany and asked him if he would give me, as Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, the privilege of providing him with the flag that he would hang in his restaurant.
I presented Hany with that flag yesterday and asked this proud Israeli to raise an even bigger flag – the one that flies over our Embassy in Washington.
Thank you, Hany, for making all of us proud.
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David Lange
