Philadelphia Boycott Ride Draws Hundreds of Counterprotesters
Cyclists with Philly Bike On Your Left began riding around Center City on November 8 to protest six restaurants and shops whose owners, the group says, support Israel. Hundreds of counterprotesters lined streets near the businesses, waving Israeli flags and condemning antisemitism. Police and other law enforcement officers were deployed nearby, and some people exchanged heated words.
The businesses named by organizers are Schlesinger’s Deli, Goldie, Mac Mart, Dizengoff, Huda and K’Far Cafe. The group’s promotional material called them “Zionist establishments” and urged a boycott. It says the ride is aimed at their owners’ support for Israel, not at Jewish people, and has rejected accusations of antisemitism.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said people may peacefully express political views, but discriminating against businesses because of their owners’ Jewish identity is unacceptable. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office said the ride was designed to intimidate Jewish businesses. Other officials also condemned the protest, which took place on the eve of the 88th year since Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi attacks on Jewish communities.
Supporters of the businesses encouraged people to visit them instead. Huda drew a line hundreds of people long Sunday morning, while counterprotesters gathered along streets around the neighborhood. Organizers said they oppose antisemitism and other forms of racism, and argued that criticism of their action misrepresented its purpose.
The dispute has also prompted criticism of the officials’ response. Philadelphia’s Democratic Socialists of America said the condemnations wrongly conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism, while affirming that Jewish businesses belong in the city.
Philadelphia Leaders Conflate Boycott With Antisemitism
A bicycle protest against businesses whose owners support Israel drew hundreds of counterprotesters in Philadelphia’s Center City on November 8. The action, organized by Philly Bike On Your Left, is a call to boycott six restaurants and shops; organizers say their target is support for Israel, not Jewish identity.
Mayor Cherelle Parker and Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office denounced the ride as antisemitic and intimidating. The Philadelphia Democratic Socialists of America criticized that response, saying politicians were wrongly equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism. That conflation risks shutting down criticism of Israel’s actions and the war in Gaza, rather than addressing the stated reasons for the boycott.
Organizers said they oppose antisemitism and other forms of racism, and that their protest had been misrepresented. The businesses named are Schlesinger’s Deli, Goldie, Mac Mart, Dizengoff, Huda and K’Far Cafe. Their promotional material described them as “Zionist establishments.”
The ride occurred on the eve of the 88th year since Kristallnacht, the Nazi attacks on Jewish communities in 1938. Hundreds of counterprotesters waved Israeli flags and denounced antisemitism; police maintained a large presence. Supporters of the restaurants also urged people to patronize them, and Huda had a line hundreds deep Sunday morning.
Jewish safety and belonging matter, as do the rights of people to oppose a government and its policies. Treating a boycott based on business owners’ political support as inherently antisemitic blurs that distinction and threatens legitimate dissent.
Boycott Ride Targeting Jewish-Owned Businesses Sparks Alarm
A protest targeting six businesses identified by organizers as Jewish-owned brought cyclists into Philadelphia’s Center City on November 8, while hundreds of counterprotesters gathered and police watched nearby. The ride, organized by Philly Bike On Your Left, focused on the owners’ support for Israel and came one day before the anniversary of Kristallnacht.
That distinction does not erase the impact of singling out local businesses because of their owners’ connection to Israel. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office said the ride was designed to intimidate Jewish businesses, and Mayor Cherelle Parker said targeting businesses because their owners are Jewish has no place in the city. Officials were right to draw attention to the threat such public targeting can pose to Jewish residents and businesses.
The organizers say they oppose antisemitism and that their action has been misrepresented. Their materials, however, named Schlesinger’s Deli, Goldie, Mac Mart, Dizengoff, Huda and K’Far Cafe as “Zionist establishments” and called for a boycott. The group says it chose them because of their owners’ support for Israel.
Hundreds of counterprotesters waved Israeli flags and condemned antisemitism. Supporters also lined up to patronize the restaurants, with hundreds waiting outside Huda Sunday morning. The dispute prompted further criticism from Philadelphia’s Democratic Socialists of America, which said officials were conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism.
Peaceful political protest is a right, but that right does not make every tactic harmless. A campaign that publicly marks Jewish-owned businesses for exclusion deserves scrutiny, particularly as officials say antisemitic incidents remain elevated.
Reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, CNN, New York Post, FOX 29 Philadelphia, Daily Mail US, CBS Philadelphia, Townhall, Twitchy, PhillyVoice, Deseret News, PJ Media.
