Sydney bagel shop targeted with Nazi symbol weeks before opening
A bagel shop owner in Sydney has spoken of her heartbreak after a Nazi swastika was etched into the glass of her new Paddington store just weeks before it was due to open.
Candy Berger, chief executive and co-owner of Lox In A Box, shared her distress on social media on Thursday night after discovering the vandalism at the Oxford Street premises.
Police examine the damage to Lox in a Box Paddington (photo: Instagram)
The business, which already operates popular outlets in North Bondi, Coogee and Marrickville, had just completed its fit-out and removed the protective paper from the windows when the incident occurred.
In an emotional post, Ms Berger described the moment her team arrived to find the hateful symbol.
“We were so excited to finally share our Paddo space with you,” she wrote.
Lox in a Box co-owner, Candy Berger (photo: Instagram)
“We were going to take you on a tour. We wanted to show you the hand-painted windows, the space, and all the details. It’s something we’ve been working so hard towards for weeks.
“A build that has held so much of us. Our literal blood, sweat and heart. And now tears.”
She said the discovery left her shaken, particularly given her family’s history.
“This one deeply hurt. I stood there in shock, thinking about what that symbol represents… what it has cost us. I am the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, and today felt like a punch that landed deeper than most.”
Lox In A Box was founded by Ms Berger after she moved to Sydney and settled in Bondi. Growing up in the United Kingdom and later the United States, she was surrounded by family delis and traditional food.
Inspired by her Polish and German grandmothers’ recipes and noticing a gap in the market for quality bagels in Sydney, she opened the first small neighbourhood store in North Bondi with her wife, Gaia Lovell.
The business has since grown into a well-known modern Jewish deli cafe, specialising in traditional Polish-style bagels with a crisp crust and chewy centre, baked fresh daily. Its menu includes stacked sandwiches, house-made schmears, smoked fish and other deli staples.
The Paddington store on Oxford Street is set to open on 9 April and will be the fifth location.
This is not the first time the business has faced antisemitic targeting.
In December 2025, after the terror attack at a Chanukah celebration on Bondi Beach that killed 15 people, Lox In A Box posted a message of grief and solidarity with the Jewish community. Within hours, it was flooded with one-star Google reviews.
Ms Berger said at the time: “Went to bed heartbroken and completely devastated… This is what I woke to in my inbox. It’s so disheartening. Where’s our collective humanity? Antisemitism is not a joke. Posting negative antisemitic reviews can really harm a small business like ours.”
At the time, the owners said the incident reflected an undercurrent of antisemitism that persists in Australia. Google later removed the reviews and introduced measures to prevent further abuse.
Today (Friday March 27), the company’s Instagram indicated that the Paddington store had just received a one-star Google rating, despite not yet being open.
The vandalism to the Paddington store window is believed to have taken place on Saturday 21 March 2026, though it was reported to police yesterday.
NSW Police confirmed they are investigating a report of malicious damage and have appealed for anyone with information or relevant footage to come forward.
Ms Berger said police who attended were supportive and confirmed the business would proceed with its opening.
“We will not let it close our doors or dim the light of something we’ve worked so hard to build. That is what hate wants and we refuse to give it that,” she said.
She added that the timing, just before Passover, gave the incident added meaning.
“A time where we remember that the Jewish people have been marked before. Hunted before. Silenced before. Told to disappear before. And yet, we are still here.”
The incident comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across Australia since the October 7 attacks in Israel, with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry reporting a more than 700 per cent increase in incidents compared to the previous year.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact NSW Police.
