Officials condemn planned Philadelphia boycott of Jewish-owned businesses as antisemitic

By Danny Freeman, CNN

(CNN) — State and local leaders have strongly condemned a protest planned for this weekend in Philadelphia that targets Jewish-owned businesses, calling it antisemitic and unacceptable.

Several local activist groups promoted the protest, which is expected Sunday as a bicycle “boycott ride” past Jewish-owned restaurants in the city’s Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. The main organizer, Philly Bike On Your Left, describes itself as being “anti-Zionist.”

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said the boycott on the eve of the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht is “deeply unsettling.” Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass,” was a Nazi-organized riot in which synagogues were burned, Jewish-owned businesses and homes were vandalized, and Jews were assaulted, killed and imprisoned in concentration camps in Nazi Germany.

“The bike ride, masquerading as a protest to advance the cause of justice, is nothing more than blatant antisemitism designed to intimidate and drive Jewish businesses out of our communities,” according to a statement from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office. “There is no place for that in our Commonwealth.”

Shapiro’s office said Pennsylvania State Police is “engaged with our local partners to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our neighbors in Philadelphia.”

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said everyone has the right to protest peacefully, “But singling out businesses because their owners are Jewish is unacceptable and has no place in our city,” according to a statement posted on social media.

The planned bike-ride-boycott organizers name six restaurants that officials and local Jewish organizations say are run by Jewish owners.

“Ride around Rittenhouse with us as we show these zionist business owners that we see them for the disgusting humans they are,” reads a post from Philly Bike On Your Left, the main organizer of the protest. “We’ll flag as many bikes as we can and show our solidarity with the Palestinian community and oppressed (folks) everywhere.”

Philly Bike On Your Left still planned to host its ride in spite of what it described as being “grossly misrepresented,” according to a statement sent to CNN and posted on its Instagram early Saturday morning.

Calling itself a “non-violent social cycling page,” the group said it was “firmly against racism and oppression of all forms, including fascism, antisemitism, islamophobia, and colonialism.”

“Let us be clear: the reason we are calling for a boycott of these businesses is because of their support for Israel,” the group’s statement said.

The group also addressed the timing of the protest, which is set for a day before the anniversary of Kristallnacht, on the night of November 9. The statement said the group plans rides around people’s schedules.

“Palestinians need our support now,” the statement said. “Any suggestions about the timing of our ride are simply false.”

Philly Bike On Your Left earlier shared a post from another activist group, arguing criticism of the demonstration was “disingenuously conflating Zionism with Judaism” and invoking Kristallnacht is “a cynical take.”

Some businesses named in the group’s flyer have been protested before.

In 2023, protesters gathered outside Goldie, a falafel shop near Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. It is co-owned by Israeli-born chef Michael Solomonov, who grew up in Pittsburgh and co-owns CookNSolo Restaurants, which operates several area restaurants.

The gathering was one part of a larger protest organized by a different group who said they “demand a complete end to the siege on Gaza and an end to the U.S complicity with Israel.” Protesters at the time waved Palestinian flags and chanted, “We charge you with genocide.”

That demonstration also drew swift condemnation from the Biden administration and state and local officials.

CookNSolo declined to comment on this weekend’s planned protest.

Local pro-Palestinian groups issued a joint statement late Friday supporting the planned boycott bike ride by a “group of bicyclists.”

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt called the planned protest “absolutely vile.”

“This is antisemitism disguised as activism. It is Jew-hatred, plain and simple, and it should outrage every person of conscience,” he said in a social media post.

Attorney General Sunday said the boycott, “is not simply a protest directed at the policies of Israel, rather it singles out our fellow Pennsylvanians based on their Jewish identity, targeting them for policies they have nothing to do with and no ability to affect because of their faith.”

The mayor said the Philadelphia Police Department will be on hand to “maintain safety and order” during the demonstration, adding, “Anyone who engages in threats, intimidation, or unlawful conduct will be held accountable.”

One of the city’s largest Jewish congregations in the region encouraged congregants to stay away from the Rittenhouse crowds and instead gather for a Kristallnacht commemoration at the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza on Monday.

“As a small, fringe, antisemitic group plans to demonstrate on Sunday with a bicycle ride to boycott Jewish businesses, I want to offer us a way to respond that does not give the antisemites the attention they crave, that reduces risk of violent confrontation, that supports peace for the Jewish businesses, and that allows us to stand tall as Jews against the haters,” Rabbi Jill Maderer of Congregation Rodeph Shalom wrote on social media.

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