In Seattle a restaurant faced harassment over its owner’s background, and local sports teams notched important wins: the Oregon Ducks won a tennis match, and the Seattle Sounders advanced to the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals.
West Seattle restaurant faces backlash over owner’s background
In the age of social media, local businesses sometimes unexpectedly find themselves at the center of global conflicts. That’s what happened to Falafel Salam in West Seattle, whose staff felt compelled to speak out after a wave of online attacks aimed not at the quality of their food or service but solely at the owner’s place of birth.
According to an article on KING5.com, criticism of the restaurant began late last year and has only grown since. The complaints boiled down to the fact that the restaurant’s owner, Shimi Arbel, was born in Israel. Employees, including longtime worker Miles Eriksson, describe the situation as having spiraled out of control. They emphasize that the restaurant has no political affiliation and does not support violence. “People who know us know that we are good, loving people. We do not support the war,” Eriksson said.
In response to the harassment, the restaurant posted a statement on Instagram clearly stating its position: the business has no ties to any government or military, and it urged the public not to judge individuals by their origin. The statement said attempts to link a local small business to an international conflict based solely on assumptions about someone’s past are false and unfair. Eriksson also noted that much of the criticism comes from people who aren’t even customers and likely never tried their food.
Despite the online noise, staff say there has not yet been any serious long-term impact on the business, though there have been isolated personal incidents. Moreover, the situation has sparked a wave of support. One customer who previously lived in Israel visited the restaurant specifically after learning about the criticism to show solidarity. She said it was wrong for people to receive hatred simply because of their birthplace and added that a person cannot change where they were born but can strive to be good in this world.
Civil-rights organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, note this case is part of a broader troubling trend in which identity-based harassment increasingly unfolds online and then spills into real life, affecting jobs and businesses. Sometimes the consequences are more severe: earlier this year, a restaurant in New York with an Israeli owner was forced to close after similar harassment. For Falafel Salam’s staff, the main focus remains their work—cooking and serving guests—while they hope justice and common sense will ultimately prevail.
Ducks secure decisive win over Huskies in Seattle
In Saturday’s college tennis match between the University of Oregon and the University of Washington, the Oregon Ducks showed resilience, turning the match around after losing the doubles point to earn a convincing 4–1 victory. The result marked an important milestone in their successful season.
As reported on the official site, the match in Seattle began unfavorably for the visitors. The Washington Huskies, playing at home, took the initiative in doubles. Despite a 6–3 win by the Ducks’ top duo of Matthew Burton and Pierre Mueske, the Huskies were stronger on the second and third courts. That success gave Washington the first point and put Oregon in a difficult psychological position heading into singles. However, the Ducks (now 13–3) responded brilliantly in the most crucial part of the match. Matthew Burton quickly leveled the overall score, dominating his opponent on the fourth court (6–3, 6–1). He was followed by Vlad Breazu in the top singles position, who added the second point with an identical 6–3, 6–3 victory. Russel Suhu at No. 6 closed out his match in straight sets (7–5, 6–4), and the decisive fourth point came from Pierre Mueska. His match at No. 2 was a true drama: after losing the first set 2–6, he regrouped to win the second set 6–1 and prevailed in a tense third-set tiebreak — 7–6 (7–4). That contest was the formal moment when Oregon’s victory became inevitable. Two other matches were stopped early, with the Ducks leading in both: Sam Olshakowski on the third court was in the final set, and Lachlan Robertson on the fifth held a late advantage. Thus, the team from Eugene not only won but dominated the singles, claiming four of six possible points. For the Washington Huskies (7–10) this loss was another setback in a difficult season. For the Ducks the win matters not only for the standings but also for team morale, demonstrating they can win tough road matches even when trailing earlier in the match.
Seattle Sounders eliminate Vancouver Whitecaps from CONCACAF Champions Cup
In the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16, MLS side the Seattle Sounders confirmed their superiority over Canadian rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps and advanced to the quarterfinals. Despite a 1–2 loss at home at Lumen Field in the return leg, the Sounders advanced comfortably thanks to a big 3–0 win in the first match. The aggregate score over the two legs was 5–1 in Seattle’s favor.
Before the match Seattle’s advantage looked overwhelming, and they almost increased it in the opening minute when Albert Rusnák missed a clear chance near goal. But Vancouver, with nothing to lose, showed character and struck back in the game. Their efforts culminated in a beautiful goal: in the 24th minute, Jeevan Badwal sent a long-range shot into the top corner, beating veteran goalkeeper Stefan Frei. That goal gave the Canadian side hope and made the Sounders nervous. In the second half the Whitecaps, desperately trying to reduce the aggregate deficit, pushed forward and left space in defense. Seattle exploited that masterfully, delivering two counterattacking strikes and finally killing off the tie. As MLSsoccer.com reports, in the quarterfinals the Sounders will face the winner of FC Cincinnati (USA) versus UANL Tigres (Mexico). For context, the CONCACAF Champions Cup is the premier club tournament for North and Central America and the Caribbean, analogous to UEFA’s Champions League in Europe. The playoff format uses two-legged ties—home and away—and the winner is determined by the total goals scored across both matches (the away-goals rule is no longer in effect). Thus, Vancouver’s 2–1 win in one game could not make up for the 0–3 loss in the first leg. The key point was how Seattle weathered the early pressure and then calmly used counterattacks. Quote from the match report: “The pressure mounted in the second half as Vancouver threw more players forward in an attempt to cut the aggregate deficit, but that only allowed Seattle to shut the door, scoring two goals in reply.” This illustrates the team’s tactical maturity. Reaching the quarterfinals keeps the Sounders’ chance alive to repeat their 2022 success, when they became the first MLS club to win the tournament in its modern format. Ahead lies a tough test: Mexican Tigres are always a formidable regional opponent, while Cincinnati is one of MLS’s current top teams.
