Manny Yekutiel, a candidate for District 8 supervisor and owner of a popular cafe and civic engagement salon in the Mission, is disavowing extreme anti-Palestinian comments made in the past by a supporter who hosted a recent campaign fundraiser at her home.
The supporter, Tahlia Bliss, a community volunteer who has served as a board member for the Brandeis School, a Jewish private K-8 school in San Francisco, sent an incendiary message in February to a WhatsApp chat of 400-plus members, including Yekutiel, according to screenshots obtained by The Standard.
“Fuck every single person with a keffiyah or hanging a ‘Palestinian’ flag,” she wrote. “Fuck all of them. Level that plot of land and let all the Jews who once lived there return. I can’t wait to buy my first international piece of property on Gaza water front.”
Yekutiel — who is Jewish and whose cafe, Manny’s, has been repeatedly defaced by antisemitic and pro-Palestinian vandalism — condemned the message, saying he never saw it in the group chat and was unaware of its existence until The Standard contacted him Wednesday. He said a group of Noe Valley residents offered to host a fundraiser for his campaign, and he was “horrified” to learn that one had made “violent, disparaging” comments about Palestinians.
“I strongly condemn the post and have immediately returned the donation from this individual,” Yekutiel said in a statement. “This post was abhorrent and does not reflect any of my views. Had I known about the post prior to the event, I would never have agreed to work with this host or host a campaign event at their home.”
The event was held Monday at Bliss’ home in Diamond Heights and was organized by Bay Area Jewish Action, the political arm of the Jewish Community Relations Council.
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Bliss said she regrets making the remarks, which came after reports in February that Hamas would return the bodies of Israeli hostages (opens in new tab) Shiri Bibas, 33, and her sons Ariel and Kfir, 4 and 9 months.
“I deeply regret the comments I made following the return of the Bibas family’s bodies from being held hostage in Gaza,” Bliss said in a statement. “I was overcome in this devastating moment by the destruction this war has wrought. These inappropriate remarks do not reflect my values and my desire for a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”
Tyler Gregory, executive director of Bay Area Jewish Action, condemned Bliss’ comments. “They are entirely antithetical to our values,” he said in a statement. “Our organization remains wholly committed to fostering productive, civil discourse and advocating for peaceful coexistence.”
Bliss’ post sparked immediate backlash from some members of the “Noe Valley Chavurah” chat. “Chavurah” is a Hebrew word that refers to a social fellowship of like-minded individuals.
Yekutiel has been vocal in criticism of the war in Gaza and has held events at his salon that focus on finding peaceful solutions to the conflict. His cafe has been the target of antisemitic attacks (opens in new tab) and vandalism over the years; in June, protesters smashed the windows and spray-painted messages like “Fuck Manny.” Yekutiel said he has attempted to be a bridge-builder on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“We need to end the killing of innocent people across the region and work toward a solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live with dignity and safety in their homelands,” he said. “Hateful words like these have no place in our community and destroy our ability to have positive dialogue about the peaceful future Israelis and Palestinians so ardently deserve.”
Yekutiel is considered a formidable candidate in the heated race to succeed D8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman to represent the Castro, Noe Valley, and Glen Park in next year’s election. Mandelman, who endorsed Yekutiel’s candidacy and has been a member of the group chat, declined to comment.
The incident highlights how the global conflict could play an outsize role in a local election that has no impact on international affairs. The past comments by Bliss could be challenging for Yekutiel, given that Jewish politicians and candidates for elected office are often accused without evidence of supporting Israeli government policies.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, who is running to fill Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s seat in Congress, has frequently been targeted by anti-Zionist activists in spite of his condemnation of the war in Gaza. Wiener said he will not seek support from AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobby, in the congressional race.
In an interview Wednesday, Bliss said she is supporting Yekutiel because of the way he has conducted himself in the face of antisemitic attacks.
“I think he’s handled himself quite well and will be a great leader,” said Bliss, whose LinkedIn and Twitter accounts were no longer active Thursday.
A bio for Bliss (opens in new tab) on the website of Rutgers University, where she earned a degree in Jewish studies, says she was a trustee at Brandeis and chaired the development department for several years.
Nadia Rahman, a political organizer and Palestinian rights advocate in San Francisco, criticized Yekutiel’s association with Bliss.
“Manny is a very kind individual, but you are the company you keep,” Rahman said. “You can’t say, ‘I’m against this’ and then hang out with people or take money from people using this kind of genocidal and anti-Palestinian rhetoric.”
Yekutiel has spent years in the upper echelons of San Francisco politics. He opened Manny’s in 2018 and the cafe has welcomed some of the most prominent Democrats and organizers for events and fundraisers. Before announcing his run for supervisor, Yekutiel worked in 2023 with Daniel Lurie — now the mayor of San Francisco — to form the Civic Joy Fund, which organizes community cleanups and events.
The race for D8 also includes declared candidates Gary McCoy, a former staffer for Pelosi and Wiener, and Michael Nguyen, a patent attorney who serves on the Democratic County Central Committee, according to the Department of Elections.
As of Thursday afternoon, a screenshot from the Noe Valley group chat showed that an administrator had activated advanced privacy settings, which make it harder to export the contents of the chat.