BANGOR — An Orono woman has sued a Brewer restaurant owner alleging that he called her a Nazi and did not hire her because of her German and Jewish heritage.

Elizabeth Eisenstadt says in the suit that while in a May 2011 interview for a job as a server at Schooner’s Seafood & Steakhouse, owner Michael Kessock asked her about her last name and called her a Nazi when she said it was German. Eisenstadt is a member of a Bangor synagogue.

“In the middle of the interview, Michael Kessock, the owner of Mackess, LLC, entered the room and asked [Eisenstadt]: ‘What’s your last name?’” the complaint said, according to the Bangor Daily News. “[She] told him: ‘Eisenstadt.’ He responded: ‘What the hell kind of last name is that?’

“[Eisenstadt] told Mr. Kessock that Eisenstadt was a German name,” the complaint said. “He responded: ‘I should have known that. You’re a Nazi!’ At that point ,[she] covered her Star of David with her right hand.”

Eisenstadt is seeking unspecified damages, reinstatement, back pay and attorney’s fees.

Kessock’s lawyer tells the newspaper the allegations are “untrue and unfair,” pointing out the Kessock is part German and Austrian. Kessock says Eisenstadt withdrew her name from the applicant pool.


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