Philadelphia cyclists plan ride to target Jewish-owned shops

Shoppers and employees at six specific Philadelphia businesses face a coordinated boycott this coming Saturday. The event is designed to pressure local dining establishments with ties to Jewish ownership by visually marking them for exclusion from the city's economy. The ride is scheduled for November 8, a date chosen to coincide with the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht.

Philly Bike On Your Left is coordinating the effort alongside Boycott CookNSolo and the Philly Solidarity Calendar. Promotional graphics shared on social media depict a bicycle with red prohibition symbols placed over the names of the target establishments. The list includes Mac Mart, K'Far Cafe, Huda, Goldie, Dizengoff, and Schlesinger's. Organizers asked participants to circle Rittenhouse Square to flag these locations as many times as possible.

The materials accompanying the event include direct language aimed at business owners. One post describes the goal as showing owners that activists see them for the disgusting humans they are. Another section of the graphic states that Zionist businesses must go and should not be part of the city. The campaign seeks to signal solidarity with the Palestinian community while demanding no business for the targeted owners.

Local advocacy groups have reacted with sharp criticism to the planned ride. The Anti-Defamation League Philadelphia, the American Jewish Committee Philadelphia/Southern NJ, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and StandWithUs issued a joint statement on Monday. They described the event as antisemitism and plain Jew-hatred. The groups noted that marking businesses for removal attempts to intimidate Jewish members of the community from the economic and civic life of the city.

The organizations emphasized that no business should be targeted based on the identity, heritage, or perceived political beliefs of its owners. They referenced the historical context of the November 9 and 10, 1938, events, when Nazi mobs destroyed thousands of Jewish businesses, homes, and synagogues. The group argued that such public targeting should alarm every person of conscience and should not become normalized in Philadelphia.

The joint statement called on Mayor Cherelle Parker, Governor Josh Shapiro, District Attorney Larry Krasner, and other civic leaders to condemn the campaign. They urged the Philadelphia Police Department to ensure the safety of the targeted businesses, their employees, and customers. The organizations also asked residents of all faiths to patronize the listed establishments to counter the boycott with visible support.

Liora Rez, the Executive Director of the watchdog group Stop Antisemitism, called the scheduled boycott a grotesque and chilling display. In a statement, she noted that nearly 88 years after Nazi mobs smashed windows of Jewish businesses, the city is witnessing calls to economically target Jewish owners again. She argued that targeting Jews in their livelihoods is a form of discrimination rather than a political stance.