![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Table-at-the-Mediterranean-Greek-Tavern-photo-Facebook.jpg\")
Table setting at the Mediterranean Greek Tavern (photo: Facebook)<\/p>\nA Melbourne Greek restaurant has rejected online hate and a bomb threat after hosting a joint Jewish-Greek cultural evening.<\/p>\n
On Facebook, the owner insists it will keep bringing the communities together. Last Friday the Mediterranean Greek Tavern in Elsternwick staged a night that mixed the two traditions.<\/p>\n
Guests dressed in white, challah sat beside Greek dishes, prayers were said, and a bouzouki band played Hava Nagila alongside music from Zorba the Greek.<\/p>\n
The dinner marked six months of Shabbat Club Australia.<\/p>\n
Table setting at the Mediterranean Greek Tavern (photo: Facebook)<\/p>\n
The series offers relaxed, modern gatherings designed to let younger people experience Shabbat without the formality of a synagogue.<\/p>\n
Owner Perry Le Greco called it a simple celebration of life, family and shared values. Most guests were Jewish, though several Greeks joined in.<\/p>\n
He noted how closely the cultures align around food, community and hospitality.<\/p>\n
Club founder Chrystal Dias started the dinners to counter isolation and antisemitism by offering an easy, inclusive entry point.<\/p>\n
Events are usually limited to about 22 people, with the venue kept secret until 48 hours beforehand.<\/p>\n
Earlier nights have been held at other Melbourne spots. Friday\u2019s larger gathering had a long waiting list.<\/p>\n
The next day the restaurant posted warmly about the young crowd. Supportive replies came first, then a surge of abuse via social media.<\/p>\n
Commenters called the hosts sell-outs, accused them of supporting \u201cgenocide killers,\u201d urged that Jews be deported, and one reportedly openly called for the tavern to be bombed.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/The-Mediterranean-Greek-Tavern-Facebook-1.jpg\")
One of the antisemitic comments on the restaurant\u2019s Facebook page<\/p>\n
Le Greco described the threat as \u201cinsane\u201d.<\/p>\n
On Facebook the restaurant said it had received a number of abusive and hateful messages about an evening meant only to celebrate friendship, culture, food and music.<\/p>\n
It asked how anyone could find hatred in a night built to bring people together. The post reminded critics that real people stand on the receiving end.<\/p>\n
The owners declared they would not be intimidated or let hatred dictate their actions. They would continue celebrating both communities and the ability to gather with respect.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is enough division in the world already. We choose unity.\u201d<\/p>\n
An update followed: because the commenters posted under their own names, the restaurant decided to identify them publicly.<\/p>\n
It gave them their \u201cfive minutes of fame\u201d and left others to judge the writers.<\/p>\n
He noted the writers made no effort to hide and hoped colleagues or family might call them out. After legal advice, Le Greco made about 23 of the posts public.<\/p>\n
He stressed the restaurant is not trying to impose any culture but is simply combining Greek and Jewish heritage with Australian values.<\/p>\n
The abuse felt especially jarring so soon after the Royal Commission into antisemitism.<\/p>\n
Dias said the backlash has already damaged the restaurant and the club\u2019s reputation. Some venues have declined to host future events, and she fears more will now refuse.<\/p>\n
But both she and Le Greco say they will continue. Backing down, Le Greco argued, would only show that hate can defeat common sense.<\/p>\n
This is not the first time the tavern has faced hostility for supporting its Jewish neighbours.<\/p>\n
In the days after the October 2023 Hamas attacks, Le Greco posted a message of solidarity on Facebook.<\/p>\n
He told Jewish customers the restaurant was thinking of them and hoping their families and friends in Israel were safe.<\/p>\n
He noted the Jewish community had been wonderful friends for 22 years.<\/p>\n
The post triggered a flood of abuse and the loss of 90 per cent of bookings overnight.<\/p>\n
Callers labelled him a \u201cf***ing dog\u201d, accused him of choosing sides, and called him a \u201cf***ing Jew lover\u201d.<\/p>\n
What unsettled him most was that the abuse came from well-spoken Australians rather than members of Palestinian or Lebanese communities.<\/p>\n
Local MP David Southwick raised the restaurant\u2019s plight on Melbourne radio. This prompted more than 200 messages and calls of support that helped restore trade.<\/p>\n
Le Greco said the community\u2019s response had \u201cblown him away.\u201d<\/p>\n
The latest episode has only reinforced the owners\u2019 determination to keep the doors open to shared celebration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Melbourne Greek restaurant has rejected online hate and a bomb threat after hosting a joint Jewish-Greek cultural evening. On Facebook, the owner insists it will keep bringing the communities together. Last Friday the Mediterranean Greek Tavern in Elsternwick staged a night that mixed the two traditions. Guests dressed in white, challah sat beside Greek<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23429,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[271],"tags":[19761,8035,8916,3062,586,587,584,585,19762,19763,588,19764,19765,19766],"class_list":["post-23428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-greek-tavernas","tag-antisemitism","tag-australia","tag-bomb","tag-facebook","tag-greek-restaurant","tag-greek-restaurants","tag-greek-taverna","tag-greek-tavernas","tag-jewish","tag-jewish-community","tag-melbourne","tag-online-hate","tag-royal-commission","tag-shabbat"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dnc\/117228790385643882","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}