Bloomingdale’s said to fire employee for ‘Free Palestine’ note in Hanukkah pajamas

Recipient Arielle Harris says she found note on sales tag after she opened gift from boyfriend; parent company Macy’s says there’s no place for antisemitism at firm

American department store Bloomingdale’s was reported this week to have fired an employee who placed a note reading “Free Palestine” into a package containing Hanukkah-themed pajamas.

A woman named Arielle Harris posted a video on TikTok last week, revealing that she received the note when she opened the pajamas — decorated with Stars of David and Hanukkiahs — which were gifted to her by her boyfriend.

She said that she found the note on the back of a Bloomingdale’s sales tag, placed on top of the receipt.

“This never should have happened, and Bloomingdale’s needs to answer for their employees,” she said.

Bloomingdale’s temporarily halted operations at one of its fulfillment centers to investigate the incident, a person close to the company who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly told the Bloomberg news outlet on Wednesday.

The person responsible for the note was terminated from their role, the source added.

A spokesperson for Macy’s, the parent company that owns Bloomingdale’s, told Bloomberg that “antisemitism and discrimination of any kind have no place in our business.”

“This conduct was unauthorized, unacceptable, and in direct violation of our company policies,” it said.

Harris did not immediately respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment.

Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre and the start of the Gaza war, several incidents have occurred in which Jewish customers have found anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian messaging in their purchases.

In August, a passenger on an Iberia Airlines flight found “Free Palestine” written on the packaging of kosher meals. In October, a passenger found the word “Palestine” written on their luggage after a flight from Barcelona to Tel Aviv.