EXCLUSIVE
A Sydney restaurateur who reportedly checked into an Indian ashram after his conviction for waving a Nazi sign has been spotted on Bondi Beach with his family.
Al Yazbek and his wife Rebecca were photographed with their three children in the luxurious eastern suburbs as they unloaded their $200,000 Mercedes Benz SUV.
But just three weeks ago, his wife issued a statement saying her husband was flying to a spiritual retreat in India after Yazbek humiliatedly apologized.
She said he would go to the ashram in shame before his sentencing on December 10 for displaying a makeshift Israeli flag painted with the blue swastika.
Mrs Yazbek claimed the top chef was to be removed as a company director and shareholder in his Nomad restaurant chain, which would be renamed Edition Hospitality.
However, Yazbek was spotted in the beachside suburb over the weekend, and company insiders revealed that he never actually left the country after admitting his guilt.
It is understood that the share transfer, which excluded him from the business, has been delayed and Yazbek has instead remained in Australia while it is carried out.
Al Yazbek and his wife Rebecca were photographed with their three children in the luxurious eastern suburbs as they unloaded their $200,000 Mercedes Benz SUV.
Mr Yazbek (pictured holding a sign) was arrested on October 6 for displaying a Nazi symbol at a pro-Palestine protest in Sydney. He will be sentenced on December 10
During Sunday’s heatwave, the couple was seen unpacking towels, surfboards, a picnic lunch and a shaded cabana before heading to the beach.
The family had parked their car in North Bondi, which has one of the largest Jewish populations in Sydney.
The director of Nomad was arrested following the pro-Palestine protest march in Sydney on October 6 to mark the first anniversary of Israel’s war in Gaza.
He was seen in the crowd holding a sign made to look like the Israeli flag, but with a swastika replacing the Star of David, along with the words “Stop Nazi Israel.”
Yazbek was “escorted out of the protest by event organizers” and then arrested, and police confiscated his sign and phone, court documents revealed.
“The Nazi symbol depicted on the corflute board was offensive and was prohibited from being displayed in public,” police told Yazbek, according to the agreed facts.
‘The accused said to police: ‘What is the offending symbol?’ and police informed him that the swastika was the offending symbol.
‘The defendant said the symbol was an “Israeli swastika.”
“The defendant was instructed to stop displaying the swastika and began to argue, however, he complied and stopped displaying the symbol.”
The family had parked their car on Sunday in North Bondi, which has one of the largest Jewish populations in Sydney.
Al Yazbek was also photographed holding a yellow flag similar to the Hezbollah flag but with Ned Kelly at the protest in Hyde Park.
Yazbek was subsequently charged with displaying a Nazi symbol and pleaded guilty when he appeared at Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court last month.
Yazbek announced he is no longer secretary director of the restaurant empire, which includes Nomad Sydney, Nomad Melbourne and Reine & La Rue in Melbourne.
Following his arrest, he said he apologized “unequivocally for my actions at Sunday’s demonstration, where I carried a sign that is deeply offensive to the Jewish community.”
He added: ‘Friends and acquaintances who know me, both Jews and Gentiles, know that I am not anti-Semitic.
“They also know how passionate I am about supporting diversity and equality both in my personal life and within the Nomad group of companies.”
His wife Rebecca later announced she would become sole director of the renowned Edition Hospitality as part of damage control following the scandal.
Mrs. Yazbek admitted that her husband’s behavior had offended many people.
“We deeply regret the impact his actions have had on the community and for that we sincerely apologize,” he said.
‘As his wife and business partner, I was furious at his actions and heartbroken at the damage they caused.
“I completely understand the disappointment and frustration felt by those affected and I am committed to doing everything possible to restore their confidence.”
Yazbek announced he is no longer secretary director of the restaurant empire, which includes Nomad Sydney, Nomad Melbourne and Reine & La Rue in Melbourne.
Sydney restaurateur Alan Yazbek outside court
Following the swastika furor, it was also stated Yazbek had previously called his Jewish owners ‘Shylock & Shylock’.
The Australian newspaper reported that Yazbek also described one of the owner’s employees as “the little bald Jew who works for you.”
Yazbek was the only person charged after approximately 10,000 protesters attended the Sydney demonstration on October 6.
He is due to be sentenced on December 10 and faces a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison and a fine of up to $11,000.