In a parking lot encounter that has sparked widespread online debate, a Staten Island esthetician of Palestinian descent publicly boasted about refusing to help a Jewish couple with their parking payment unless they uttered the phrase 'Free Palestine.' The incident, detailed in a now-deleted TikTok video, unfolded recently in New York City and was first reported by the New York Post on November 29, 2025.
Eman Masoud, the founder of the organic skincare company Pure with Nature based in Staten Island, shared the video on her TikTok account, which boasts more than 13,000 followers. According to the Post's account of the video, Masoud described approaching a pay kiosk in a parking lot when the couple, whom she identified as Jewish based on their appearance, asked for assistance in paying for their parking ticket. They offered her cash in exchange for her help with the meter.
Masoud recounted in the video that she conditioned her assistance on the couple saying 'Free Palestine.' 'I’ll do it if you say ‘Free Palestine,'' she said, as quoted in the Post's reporting. The woman in the couple reportedly remained silent and taken aback, while her husband responded with 'Excuse me,' prompting Masoud to repeat her demand.
The husband then allegedly replied with the Arabic word for 'no,' which Masoud interpreted as an appropriation of her language. 'So they even took our language,' she erupted in the video, according to the Post. She went on to berate the man for looking away and pressed them again to say the 'two words' before storming off without helping.
In the video, Masoud expressed frustration over what she perceived as the couple's audacity in approaching her for help, given their apparent identities. 'Like the audacity, the fact that you know who you are, cause not all Jews are Zionists, we know that, but I was like maybe, maybe they’re not,' she said. She added, 'So the fact that you know who you are, you had the audacity to ask me to help you, knowing who I am based on what I look like, based on what you look like and how you feel, had the audacity to ask me for help out of everyone, you know what, go screw yourself.'
The video was shared by the organization StopAntisemitism on Friday night, November 28, 2025, leading to its rapid spread across social media platforms. Users on X, formerly Twitter, quickly condemned Masoud's actions, with one posting, 'First, humiliating Jews in a parking lot does nothing to help Palestinians.' That same user continued, 'And second, since when is it normal in New York to be ‘shocked’ that Jews approach you, and to broadcast it online as if that reaction were justified?'
Another X user remarked, 'The Free Palestine movement has become nothing more than a convenient excuse to be loudly and proudly antisemitic.' These reactions highlight the polarized discourse surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has intensified in the United States since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. Incidents of antisemitism have reportedly surged in New York City, with the Anti-Defamation League documenting a 360% increase in antisemitic incidents in the weeks following the attacks.
Masoud, who wears a hijab as noted in descriptions of the video, runs Pure with Nature, a business focused on organic skincare products. Her TikTok presence, under the handle associated with her brand, often features content related to her personal views on the Palestinian cause. The video in question was deleted shortly after it gained attention, but clips and transcripts circulated widely online.
Attempts to reach Masoud for comment were unsuccessful, as she did not immediately respond to requests from the New York Post. Neither the couple involved nor representatives from StopAntisemitism provided additional details to the Post at the time of reporting. The exact location of the parking lot was not specified in the video or subsequent coverage, though it occurred in New York City.
This episode comes amid a broader wave of tensions in the city, where pro-Palestinian protests and counter-demonstrations have occasionally led to confrontations. According to city officials, hate crimes motivated by ethnicity or religion have risen sharply over the past year. The New York Police Department reported 315 hate crimes in 2024, a significant increase from previous years, with antisemitic incidents comprising a large portion.
Advocacy groups on both sides of the conflict have weighed in on similar incidents. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has previously stated that expressions of solidarity with Palestine should not be conflated with antisemitism, emphasizing the distinction between criticism of Israeli policies and hatred toward Jewish individuals. Conversely, organizations like the ADL argue that demands like Masoud's cross into antisemitic territory by targeting people based on perceived identity.
In Masoud's video, she acknowledged the nuance by noting, 'not all Jews are Zionists,' suggesting an awareness of the diversity within Jewish communities. However, critics online focused on the act of public humiliation as crossing a line, regardless of intent. One commenter on X described it as 'ruthless bragging' about denying basic help to strangers.
The incident underscores the challenges of everyday interactions in a diverse city like New York, where personal beliefs can intersect with public encounters. Parking disputes are commonplace in the bustling metropolis, but this one escalated due to geopolitical undertones. As of November 29, 2025, no formal complaints or police reports related to the event have been mentioned in available coverage.
Broader implications include the role of social media in amplifying personal stories into national conversations. Platforms like TikTok have become battlegrounds for the Israel-Palestine debate, with algorithms often pushing polarizing content. Masoud's 13,000 followers indicate a modest but engaged audience, and the video's deletion may reflect an attempt to mitigate backlash.
Looking ahead, this story could prompt discussions on civility and activism in public spaces. Community leaders in Staten Island, a borough with a significant Jewish population, have not yet commented publicly. As the video continues to circulate in screenshots and reposts, it serves as a reminder of how individual actions can fuel larger narratives around discrimination and solidarity in America's most populous city.
For now, the focus remains on the human element: a simple request for parking help that devolved into a charged exchange. Whether Masoud faces professional repercussions at Pure with Nature or further online scrutiny remains to be seen, but the episode has already ignited calls for reflection on both sides of the divide.