HUNTINGTON, NY — Community members have rallied around The Golden Globe Diner in Huntington after a window displaying posters of missing hostages in Israel was shattered.
Peter Tsadilas, owner of the diner, hung Israeli flags and photos of hostages kidnapped by Hamas militants in October. The diner’s window displayed posters bearing between 200 and 250 people’s faces.
Peter Klein and Jaime Schaefer organized a GoFundMe to repair the diner, raising more than $12K. Klein and Schaefer said the diner has been “repeatedly” targeted since showing support for Israel and the hostages captured.
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“Peter Tsadilas, the owner, has been nothing short of kind, gracious, and resilient through this whole situation,” Klein and Schaefer wrote. “Let’s help Peter replace the window and enhance his security cameras.”
Tsadilas does not intend to take down the flags or posters until the hostages are released, he said.
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“We really appreciate the overwhelming support,” Tsadilas told Patch.
Tsadilas said the vandalism likely happened overnight between July 18 and July 19. Diner staff did not notice the damage until a customer told the manager at 11 a.m. Friday, as employees enter through the back door.
Tsadilas placed tape over the window until he gets it replaced. He plans to use the GoFundMe money for a new window and new tabletops. He said four or five tables were vandalized by people who used knives to rip the tables up. He also intends to purchase a security system for the diner’s interior and exterior.
Tsadilas said the Israeli flags and hostage posters will remain until all hostages are returned, and that the diner plans to “stand strong” in its stance.
“I never thought it would be almost a year these posters would be up there,” Tsadilas said. “Our support is unwavering. We’ve been told to drop these posters and take everything down, but we haven’t, because we believe in what we believe. Innocent people are being held against their will in Gaza. It’s not fair. It could be you.”
Hamas killed approximately 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage during its Oct. 7 attack at the Re’im music festival, VOA News reported. Approximately 110 hostages are still being held in Gaza, while approximately one-third are believed to be dead, Israeli authorities said, VOA News reported. Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 39,000 people, Reuters reported. Palestinian health authorities said most people killed were civilians, according to Reuters.
Tsadilas said he is “all about the hostages” and bringing them home. Once all hostages are released, the posters will come down, he said.
“I don’t care about politics and everything that’s going on,” he said. “I feel bad for all these innocent people who are dying. But hello? If my daughter was missing in some cave in Gaza, then I’ve got to do whatever I can do to find her. Maybe this war is a little excessive, but I don’t see any hostages coming out alive lately, and these people need to be returned. And these American citizens — hello, they’re American citizens for a reason. American citizens should be the first ones out of there.”
Tsadilas said the diner has kept up photos of all hostages, even those who were released or reported dead. People would draw hearts on the posters of those who were killed and write comments on the photos of those who were released.
Tsadilas asked local residents to support his diner, as many customers come to Huntington from Melville, Plainview, Dix Hills and even Brooklyn.
“Our food is very good. People love it,” Tsadilas said. “We just need people to support us.”
Tsadilas said Golden Globe Diner has a “hard road ahead.”
“Our rent here is like $21,500,” he said. “It’s a ridiculous number. We’re fighting a very difficult landlord.”
Tsadilas said a lot of diners are closing down “because the landlords are charging too much rent.”
“You sell hamburgers and eggs. Almost $22K rent is a lot of money,” he said.
He called diner closures an “epidemic.”
“This is not just me. I’m next. It’s just going to trickle on to a lot more places,” he said. “If our parents or our fathers who ran the diners didn’t buy the property, then these diners are going to disappear in New York. They’re already disappearing.”
Tsadilas cited beloved diners going out of business, including Plainview Diner shuttering in 2022 after 50 years; The Lantern Diner in West Hempstead; Oceancrest Diner of Huntington closing after 40 years; and Suffolk Palace Diner of Centereach closing.
“Landlords are trying to squeeze people like me out and put companies like Chipotle in here or companies that just pay the bill and don’t care about the condition of the building and so on or so forth,” Tsadilas said. “Diners are a dying breed. Especially for owners that don’t own the property. If your dad did not buy the property where the diner is sitting on, chances are that diner will not be there in the next 10, 20, 30 years. Diners are dying, and it’s because of greedy landlords.”
Golden Globe Diner is at 365 Main St., Huntington.
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