Yuh-Line Niou— a former Seattleite who’s running to represent New York’s 10th Congressional District, which includes two Chinatowns—is coming under fire for a July 14 social media post.
In a photo posted on Twitter, Niou posed as if to take a big chomp out of a loaf of challah bread just days after coming out in support of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
“It’s the height of chutzpah. It’s really insulting,” said former Brooklyn Councilman David Greenfield, in what pro-Israel Jewish activists are calling “Challah Gate.”
Niou, a Taiwanese American New York State assemblywoman, visited the home of a couple in Borough Park when the photo was taken and posted shortly after. Her district includes a considerably Orthodox Jewish population on the Lower East Side.
“Heated in the oven just a bit to make it fresh. Double butter is right!!!” the tweet says.
“Best challah I’ve had in a long time. I could even put into words how perfect the inside was. Perfect crust. Soft with just a little density…Dreams,” the tweet said.
Adding insult to injury, Jewish activists said, is that SodaStream bottles are on the dinner table while Niou poses with the Challah bread. The Israel-headquartered sparkling water machine business, whose promoters have included actress Scarlett Johansson, has been subject of Palestinian boycotts.
The photo was taken down after Jewish leaders mocked and slammed Niou for exploiting the community just days after telling the Jewish Insider she backed the BDS movement against Israel.
Niou declined requests for comment and referred questions to a campaign spokesperson, who also declined comment, about her positions on BDS and “Challah Gate.”