AUSTIN, Texas —The Austin Police Department is investigating an alleged burglary at a South Austin food truck that serves traditional Jewish delicacies. The owner said he believes the incident is a troubling sign of a rising antisemitism.
- Jew Hungry food Truck vandalized on Thursday
- Owner beleives he was a target of antisemitism
- He is raising money to make repairs
Scotty Grossbard, said he found his food truck, Jew Hungry?, ransacked Thursday. The business on wheels has been on South Congress Avenue for less than a year, and Grossbard said it was a dream come true, and ten years in the making.
“This my baby, I put everything into this, literally everything, blood, sweat and tears,” Grossbard said.
Grossbard said someone broke the driver’s side glass window, scattering glass all over the ground outside and inside the truck. His fryer and grill are broken, as well as his printer. The faucet to his sink is damaged and most of the kosher ingredients are gone, too.
For Grossbard, what has been most difficult to deal with is the metal cross that was left behind with coins on the driver's seat. He believes it is a symbol of hate.
“I started looking around I started picking things up and that’s when I saw that cross and that just, that hit hard,” Grossbard said. “After Pittsburgh, after what’s going on in New York with the synagogues in New York, me being right here in a Central Location, I feel like they were like, ‘We’re going to do something, we’re going to send a message to this guy that he doesn’t belong here.’”
Jew Hungry? is still open but has had to take a few items off the menu, which Grossbard said will affect sales, as he works to replace the damaged and stolen items.
“That’s what’s really helping me through this is the outcry from the community, telling me please don’t go anywhere, I'm not," he said.
He is raising money online through Gofundme to cover the costs, and he also plans to donate to the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.
“It’s not fair, it’s not right, it’s not what the United States or even Austin should stand for. I’ve never not felt OK until now,” Grossbard.
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