The owners of a celebrated Jewish bakery in Berlin say they have been forced to close because of antisemitic harassment.
Married couple Shahar Elkin and Marcin Liera-Elkin, who ran two branches of Babka & Krantz in the German capital, said staff had been subjected to “constant verbal abuse” in the wake of the October 7 attacks.
They also blamed economic pressures for the closures.
The original Babka & Krantz opened in the Friedenau district in November 2022. The couple added a second next to the memorial at the site where the Nazis devised their “Final Solution” for the Jews during the Holocaust in December 2024, the House of the Wannsee Conference. That bakery closed last November and now the original has been shut down as well.
Following the first closure, a statement on the bakery’s Instagram account said: “We regret the verbal abuse and the difficult situation to which the managing directors and employees of Babka & Krantz Meisterkonditorei were exposed and express our full understanding for the termination of the cooperation under these circumstances.”
The owners also told friends and supporters that a building site had blocked access to the original bakery for more than a year, dramatically reducing customers.
But they also said they had been affected when, after Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, “the hatred reached Berlin as well” and the bakery was “subjected to constant verbal abuse”.
Liera-Elkin confirmed both sites were now closed but refused to make any further comments.
He told the JC: “Please be patient with us, we do not wish to say any more at the moment, it is a very sensitive time for us, when we feel safe we will be able to say more.”
The JC understands the couple are liaising with antisemtism organisations in Germany to decide on the best way forward.
Elkin moved to Berlin in 2012 from his home city of Haifa, Israel, and in 2019 earned a master baker’s certificate, becoming the first Jewish master baker accepted into the Berlin Bakers Guild.
His husband, Liera-Elkin, was born in Posen, Poland, and grew up in Berlin.
The couple said they were proud to be producing Jewish baked goods in a city with a resurging Jewish population.
“Our families come from cities with a vibrant Jewish life and a formative culture of debate. Today, few or no Jews live in these places anymore,” they said in their statement last week. “That’s why Berlin is such a miracle.”
Babka and Krantz had won rave reviews from local customers and tourists on Trip Advisor.
Nina D from Texas enthused: “This place is a hidden gem and worth the trip to Steglitz. Will be back to try more as everything looked delicious.”
Karl from Berlin said: “The snacks and bagels are inspired by Levant cuisine and are lovingly made and served. The pastries are fine, nuts, almonds, honey and apple and the variety of flavours of the front orient. The operator can sing wonderfully and serves with dedication.”
A Berlin hummus bar called Kanaan, which was jointly owned by an Israeli and a Palestinian, has also closed in the aftermath of October 7.
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