Breaking Breads: How We Can Talk About The Controversy
Because social media is so prevalent, especially among young people, new obstacles are presented in participating in healthy dialogue. For example, controversial events are often amplified to be the most dramatic and provocative they can be, to attract viewers. The story of Breads Bakery presents a fascinating case study: how can young people remain informed and navigate social media without being drawn into propaganda and skewed information, in order to have meaningful discussions?
Breads Bakery, established in 2013 in its Union Square flagship location, was founded by baker Uri Sheft who came to the United States after baking for many years in Tel Aviv, Israel. Now, the bakery has amassed a cult following for their mouth-watering babka, a chocolatey braided bread originally made by Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. From challah to rugelach, Breads Bakery provides staples in Jewish homes across the city, as well as anyone in need of a warm baked good to brighten their day.
However, the recent unionization of employees has sparked a mass debate and fervent discussion on social media over this neighborhood favorite. In January of 2026, employees came together to form the Breaking Breads Union, a pun on the bakery’s name, backed by the United Auto Workers Union, one of the most powerful labor unions in the country. In doing so, over 30% of employees added signatures showing their support. Breaking Breads at its surface, or should I say crust, has relatively routine labor demands, such as demanding higher hourly wage, holiday pay, overtime pay, wage increases when short staffed, automatic wage increases after a set period of time, and premium pay for the night shift workers.
However, key differences set Breads Bakery apart from other unions, such as the Palestinian flag in the bio of the union’s Instagram account, as well as the demand to “halt [the] use of profit to materially support the Israeli occupation” (Breaking Breads Instagram). Breaking Breads’ members have largely advocated against the bakery’s support for Israel, and instead have expressed clear support for Gaza. Breaking Breads’ workers have refused to bake Israeli flag cookies and refused to cater for the Great Nosh, a Jewish food festival.
Not long after forming, the union fight went viral on social media, spurring lines around the block of New Yorkers, eager to support Breads during this time. Pictures and videos of this phenomenon also exploded on Instagram, creating a fierce internet clapback from the other side.
Amidst this controversy, Breads has simply issued the statement: “Breads Bakery is built on love and genuine care for our team. We make babka; we don’t engage in politics. We celebrate peace and embrace people of all cultures and beliefs. We’ve always been a workplace where people of all backgrounds and viewpoints can come together around a common purpose, sharing in the joy and love of a bakery, and we find it troubling that divisive political issues are being introduced into our workplace.”
In talking with senior Ella Atzil, who is the leader of the Jewish in New York, or JiNY affinity group at Riverdale, she shared some of her thoughts on the matter. JiNY fosters a range of sentiments about what constitutes anti-semitism, but in speaking for herself, Ella says “In any culture, you should never be prohibited or frowned upon for just simply supporting your community”.
Much of the discourse around Breaking Breads has occurred over social media, making compromise and moderation difficult. Riverdale’s Academic Dean and Head of Discourse on campus, Ms. Meg Johnson, explains: “People are really drawn to the sort of social media take, which will be…as inflammatory as possible.” Because social media thrives on clicks, views, and likes, usually teens are exposed to carefully curated and manipulated content, meant to be the most appealing to a viewer. This increasingly common blend of the news with social media trends, can warp the truth of the situation. Ms. Johnson expands: “We’re much more likely to view things that hit our emotions, that surprise us, make us angry, make us excited, make us laugh, and often the truth is much more complex than that.” Additionally, Ella explains that “it’s up to the user to know how to use social media to get both sides,” highlighting the possibility for biases and false information on these apps.
Ms. Johnson offers important insight into how Riverdale students can work towards this goal. In focusing on being educated, she says “I think that if we as a community want to engage in conversation, getting more information, and then thinking about what types of conversations we want to have is really interesting.” Thus, being properly informed seems to be the key to having healthy dialogue, and the controversy over Breaking Breads has amplified this necessity.
Not only is this situation an interesting and controversial story, but it also serves as an example of the obstacles preventing healthy discourse, and highlights the tools young people need to surpass them. So, next time a fiery story comes up on your For You Page, check your facts before forming an opinion!