An 80-year-old Brookline activist faces a felony charge after police say she placed a "Free Palestine" sticker on the front window of Michael's Deli in Coolidge Corner in May.

Susan E-Hornfeldt, also known as Susan Etscovitz, is charged with defacing or damaging property, a felony under Massachusetts law. She is scheduled to be arraigned at Brookline District Court on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, according to the local news site Brookline.News.

The charge marks the first arrest connected to what deli owner Steven Peljovich described as roughly 40 incidents of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel vandalism at his shop since the war in Gaza began in October 2023. Peljovich told Brookline.News in May that he had never reported any of the incidents to police until someone placed a sticker reading "End the Israeli occupation of Palestine" over a photo of his family displayed outside the deli. The alleged incident involving E-Hornfeldt occurred later that month.

"I'm just a guy who makes sandwiches," Peljovich told Brookline.News on Thursday, July 23. "If you really believe in something so strongly, why did you just target me?"

Michael's Deli displays an Israeli flag inside and a "Proudly Jewish" sign outside. Peljovich said he views the flag the same way any business owner might display an American flag — as heritage, not politics. He said the vandalism was motivated "100%" by antisemitism and that learning the suspect's identity surprised him because E-Hornfeldt is also Jewish.

Peljovich said punishment was not his primary concern. He wanted to understand why his deli was targeted.

A pattern of vandalism targeting Jewish businesses

The charge comes amid a broader pattern of incidents targeting Jewish-owned businesses in Brookline. In June 2025, at least two masked suspects threw a brick marked "Free Palestine" through the front window of The Butcherie, a kosher grocery store on Harvard Street. Brookline police investigated that incident as a hate crime; it remains unsolved. In October 2024, more than a dozen stickers depicting swastikas on an Israeli flag were placed on light poles, street signs, and a storefront near Coolidge Corner.

How police identified the suspect

According to a Brookline Police Department report, detectives reviewed surveillance footage showing a woman placing the sticker on the deli's window before getting into a blue Subaru. They used Registry of Motor Vehicles records and Brookline's traffic camera system to identify E-Hornfeldt as the vehicle's registered owner.

Detectives interviewed E-Hornfeldt at her home, about 0.2 miles from the deli. When asked whether she had placed the sticker, she replied, "I'm not copping to that," according to the police report. She told detectives she would "talk to her people" to ensure "it did not happen again," though police wrote that she made no direct admission.

A familiar figure in Coolidge Corner

E-Hornfeldt is well known in the neighborhood. For years, she has stood nearly every day for an hour in front of a painted electric box in Coolidge Corner holding a sign reading "Another Jewish mother against the slaughter of Palestinian children." In an October 2025 interview with Brookline.News, she identified herself as a member of the leadership council of Jewish Voice for Peace Boston.

Jewish Voice for Peace Boston said the chapter has no connection to the incident and declined to comment further. The organization confirmed E-Hornfeldt is a member but would not say whether she remains on the leadership council.

E-Hornfeldt confirmed to Brookline.News that the names Susan E-Hornfeldt, Susan Etscovitz, and Susan Hornfeldt all refer to her, but declined to comment on the allegations.

Brookline police did not respond to Brookline.News when asked whether E-Hornfeldt was being investigated in connection with the other incidents at Michael's Deli.