Plan AGAINST Jewish Restaurants BACKFIRES Big Time

Pink highlighter marking the word in a dictionary entry — Photo: Feng Yu / Shutterstock

A bike ride meant to steer Philadelphians away from six Jewish-owned restaurants ended with supporters lining up out the door to eat at them.

Story Highlights

A pro-Palestinian cycling group rode around Rittenhouse Square urging a boycott of six restaurants it called “Zionist establishments.”
The ride fell on the eve of the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi attacks on Jewish shops and synagogues.
Hundreds of supporters turned out, and the line at one targeted restaurant ran hundreds of people deep.
Police made three arrests and reported no property damage.

A Boycott Aimed At Six Restaurants

On Sunday, November 8, a group called Philly Bike On Your Left led a “Boycott Ride” around Rittenhouse Square in Center City Philadelphia. Riders waved Palestinian flags, some with their faces covered. The group’s flyer named six businesses: Mac Mart, K’Far Cafe, Huda, Goldie, Dizengoff and Schlesinger’s Deli, and declared “No business for Zionists!” The group, which calls itself an “anti-fascist, anti-Zionist social cycling collective,” said it targeted the businesses because of their owners’ support for Israel. A Zionist is someone who supports Israel as a Jewish homeland.

In an online post before the ride, organizers invited people to “show these Zionist business owners that we see them for the disgusting human beings they are.” Three of the restaurants, K’Far Cafe, Dizengoff and Goldie, belong to the restaurant group of Israeli-American chef Michael Solomonov.

Why Leaders Called It Antisemitism

Organizers said they stand against antisemitism and that their quarrel is with Israel, not with Jews. City and state leaders did not accept that. “Singling out businesses because their owners are Jewish is unacceptable and has no place in our city,” Mayor Cherelle Parker said. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office called the ride “nothing more than blatant antisemitism designed to intimidate and drive Jewish businesses out of our communities.” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said the organizers were “engaging in a form of discrimination.”

The timing added to the alarm. Kristallnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass,” was a wave of Nazi attacks on Jewish businesses, synagogues and homes on November 9 and 10, 1938. Organizers said the timing was a coincidence and that they “had no idea” of the date. Allan Domb, a former Philadelphia city councilman who owns Schlesinger’s Deli, called the ride “blatant antisemitism.”

The Crowd That Showed Up Instead

Before the ride, David Levin, president of the Philadelphia Board of Rabbis, urged supporters not to confront the riders. “Keep the streets empty and the restaurants full,” he said. The restaurants did fill. The line at Huda stretched hundreds of people deep on Sunday morning, and other targeted restaurants had customers waiting out the door.

Hundreds of supporters of the restaurants also gathered near the park, waving Israeli flags across from the riders’ Palestinian flags. A line of police officers kept the two sides apart as tempers flared. Mac Mart owner Marti Lieberman said the support from across the country had been overwhelming. Huda owner Yehuda Sichel said businesses should not be “harassed and terrorized” by people who disagree with them.

Arrests And The Organizers’ Response

Philadelphia police said three people were arrested: a woman accused of assault, a man accused of disorderly conduct and a 17-year-old accused of assaulting police. Two officers had minor injuries during one arrest. No property damage was reported, and the area was back to normal by late afternoon, according to reports.

In a statement online, the organizers said the ride had been “grossly misrepresented” and that they stand against racism and oppression in all forms. They describe themselves as a nonviolent social cycling group. Their critics point to the flyer’s own words, which said “these Zionist establishments must go.”

What The Day Showed

“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest and express their political views,” Mayor Parker said ahead of the ride, adding that singling out Jewish owners is unacceptable. The people of Philadelphia used that same freedom in reply. They spent their Sunday standing in line and buying a meal at the very places the ride set out to empty.