{"id":97324,"date":"2026-11-06T16:26:19","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T21:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/?p=97324"},"modified":"2026-11-06T16:26:19","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T21:26:19","slug":"dont-engage-protesters-federation-says-as-lawmakers-decry-philadelphia-boycott-ride-targeting-jewish-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/dont-engage-protesters-federation-says-as-lawmakers-decry-philadelphia-boycott-ride-targeting-jewish-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t engage protesters, Federation says, as lawmakers decry Philadelphia \u2018boycott ride\u2019 targeting Jewish businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By JESSICA RUSSAK-HOFFMAN<\/p>\n<p>(<em>JNS.org) \u2013&nbsp;<\/em>The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia urged people to \u201crefrain from engaging with any protesters\u201d during an anti-Israel boycott bicycle ride targeting Jewish-owned businesses near Rittenhouse Square slated for Sunday, the day before the anniversary of Kristallnacht.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_97325\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/City_Hall_and_Masonic_Temple_Philadelphia-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-97325\" class=\"wp-image-97325 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/City_Hall_and_Masonic_Temple_Philadelphia-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/City_Hall_and_Masonic_Temple_Philadelphia-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/City_Hall_and_Masonic_Temple_Philadelphia-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/City_Hall_and_Masonic_Temple_Philadelphia-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/City_Hall_and_Masonic_Temple_Philadelphia-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/City_Hall_and_Masonic_Temple_Philadelphia-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-97325\" class=\"wp-image-97325 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/City_Hall_and_Masonic_Temple_Philadelphia-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/City_Hall_and_Masonic_Temple_Philadelphia-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/City_Hall_and_Masonic_Temple_Philadelphia-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/City_Hall_and_Masonic_Temple_Philadelphia-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/City_Hall_and_Masonic_Temple_Philadelphia-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/City_Hall_and_Masonic_Temple_Philadelphia-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-97325\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Downtown Philadelphia with Old City Hall and Masonic Temple. (Photo by Peetlesnumber1 via Wikimedia Commons)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>A community-organized <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/news\/u-s-news\/incredible-jewish-support-ahead-of-anti-israel-bicycle-boycott-ride-philly-jewish-eatery-owner-says-we-wont-cower\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-cms-ai=\"0\"><u>food crawl<\/u><\/a><\/span> supporting the businesses, organized in response to the antisemitic boycott, is scheduled for the same time and place, starting at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday at Huda, a Jewish-owned burger restaurant.<\/p>\n<p>The planned <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/news\/u-s-news\/philadelphia-anti-israel-groups-to-stage-boycott-ride-past-jewish-owned-restaurants-on-eve-of-kristallnacht-anniversary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-cms-ai=\"0\"><u>bicycle boycott<\/u><\/a><\/span> ride targets Huda, K\u2019Far Caf\u00e9, Mac Mart, Dizengoff, Goldie and Schlesinger\u2019s. (Goldie, a falafel restaurant, is kosher.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we show up for these establishments, our primary focus must remain on supporting the owners, staff and overall community atmosphere,\u201d the Federation <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/jewishphilly.org\/update-on-boycott-ride-this-sunday\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-cms-ai=\"0\"><u>stated<\/u><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe most powerful response we can offer is not conflict but proudly and peacefully enjoying the food, atmosphere and togetherness that these wonderful businesses bring to Philadelphia,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n<p>The Federation encouraged people to visit or order takeout from the restaurants, buy a gift card, bring along someone new and \u201cmake your voice heard by contacting your local and state elected officials to share your concerns and perspective on these issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pa.gov\/agencies\/phrc\/phrc-news---information\/newsroom\/phrc-condemns-targeting-of-jewish-owned-businesses-in-philadelph\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-cms-ai=\"0\"><u>noted<\/u><\/a><\/span> that the boycott is slated for \u201cthe eve of the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi campaign of violence and destruction directed at Jewish businesses, homes and synagogues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPublicly identifying Jewish-owned businesses, and declaring that they must go, sends a message to Jewish Pennsylvanians that they are unwelcome in the economic and civic life of their own communities,\u201d stated Andrea Martin, a member of the state panel.<\/p>\n<p>The commission cited an Anti-Defamation League audit, which recorded 281 anti-Jewish incidents in Pennsylvania in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnder the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, it is unlawful to discriminate on the basis of religious creed, national origin and ancestry in education, employment, housing, commercial property or public accommodation,\u201d the commission stated.<\/p>\n<p>It urged victims to file complaints.<\/p>\n<p>Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PhillyMayor\/status\/2118366836362248604\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-cms-ai=\"0\"><u>stated<\/u><\/a><\/span> that \u201cfreedom of speech and freedom from fear are not competing values.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone has the right to peacefully protest and express their political views,\u201d Parker said. \u201cBut singling out businesses because their owners are Jewish is unacceptable and has no place in our city.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The mayor said that she has directed the police commissioner to \u201ccoordinate closely with community and partner agencies,\u201d and the Philadelphia Police Department will monitor the demonstration to protect \u201cresidents, businesses and houses of worship and safeguard the constitutional rights of those demonstrating peacefully.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The police department told JNS that it was aware of the boycott ride and had been in contact with organizers of the food crawl.<\/p>\n<p>A spokeswoman for Gov. Josh Shapiro <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.phillyvoice.com\/philly-bike-protest-zionist-cherelle-parker-josh-shapiro-dave-sunday\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-cms-ai=\"0\"><u>said<\/u><\/a><\/span> that the \u201cbike 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, and there is no place for that in our commonwealth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shapiro, who is Jewish, was the victim of an antisemitic attack in 2025, when Cody Allen Balmer firebombed his home on the first night of Passover due to the governor\u2019s support for Israel. In 2026, another man, Richard John Franklin, was arrested for threatening to burn down Shapiro\u2019s home while hurling antisemitic slurs.<\/p>\n<p><b>\u2018An atmosphere of fear\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n<p>State representative Dan Frankel and state senator Judy Schwank, co-chairs of the Pennsylvania Legislative Jewish Caucus, <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepDanFrankel\/status\/2118350661977010266\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-cms-ai=\"0\"><u>said<\/u><\/a><\/span> jointly that the aim of the boycott organizers is to kick Zionist business owners out of the city.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLegitimate political protest is aimed at power: a government or a decision-maker,\u201d they wrote. The boycott \u201cis aimed at shop owners and the people who work for them, targeted because they are Jews,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n<p>Schwank recently introduced legislation adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance\u2019s working definition of Jew-hatred, which includes holding Jews responsible for Israeli actions, into state law. She told JNS that she expects Shapiro to sign the bill if it passes in the next legislative session.<\/p>\n<p>A spokeswoman for Frankel told JNS that the state representative will not be at the food crawl on Sunday because he lives on the other side of the state. But \u201che\u2019s been to many of those restaurants before,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe looks forward to supporting them again next time he\u2019s in town,\u201d she told JNS.<\/p>\n<p>Boycott organizers defended their plans on social media as \u201canti-Zionist,\u201d not Jew-hatred, they said. All the business owners are either Israeli or Jewish. There are more than 30,000 self-identified Christian Zionists in the United States, according to the Religion Media Centre. The boycott does not target Christian-owned restaurants.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one would think to target a Chinese restaurant over Beijing\u2019s policies or a French bistro over decisions made in Paris,\u201d Jim Berk, CEO of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told JNS.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYet Jewish businesses are being held responsible for the actions of a government thousands of miles away, regardless of their actual beliefs or affiliations,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is not a legitimate political protest. That is antisemitism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHistory rarely announces itself with shattered glass. It begins quietly, with boycotts and whispered exclusions, with the slow narrowing of who belongs,\u201d he said. \u201cKristallnacht was not the beginning but the culmination of a process that started with the simple act of deciding that Jews were outsiders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>State representative Ben Waxman said that people have the right to criticize Israel and protest foreign policy, but \u201cthose decisions are made in Washington, not in the kitchens of Center City restaurants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHolding your Jewish neighbors responsible for a foreign government\u2019s actions is antisemitism,\u201d Waxman <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepBenWaxman\/status\/2117803237877149911\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-cms-ai=\"0\"><u>said<\/u><\/a><\/span>. \u201cNo one should have to pass a political test to run a restaurant, earn a living or feel welcome in the neighborhood we share.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust one day before the anniversary of Kristallnacht, anti-Israel groups in Philadelphia have planned a \u2018boycott ride\u2019 aimed at forcing Jewish and Israeli-owned businesses out of the city,\u201d <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepJoshG\/status\/2118097208562090386\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-cms-ai=\"0\"><u>said<\/u><\/a><\/span> Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who is Jewish.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe must stand proudly with these businesses and reject antisemitic hate in our communities, plain and simple,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenMcCormickPA\/status\/2118471886505902547\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-cms-ai=\"0\"><u>called<\/u><\/a><\/span> the boycott a \u201cvile display of antisemitism\u201d and said that \u201cwe can\u2019t allow antisemitic intimidation to be normalized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>State representative Amen Brown said that the boycott ride \u201cis not just disturbing\u201d but also \u201cdisgraceful, hateful and completely unacceptable.\u201d Philadelphia Council president Kenyatta Johnson condemned the targeting of Jewish-owned businesses and said it would create \u201can atmosphere of fear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>JNS asked the lawmakers if they would be participating in Sunday\u2019s food crawl.<\/p>\n<p>Many have flooded social media with comments supporting the businesses, and some have said that they already ordered takeout and catering. A restaurant owner told JNS that people have sent her Venmo payments without ordering anything.<\/p>\n<p>Actor and Jewish activist Michael Rapaport called boycott organizers \u201csick animals\u201d and <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MichaelRapaport\/status\/2118343241527669234\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-cms-ai=\"0\"><u>said<\/u><\/a><\/span> he would be in Philadelphia next week \u201cwith cash to spend.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Don%E2%80%99t%20engage%20protesters%2C%20Federation%20says%2C%20as%20lawmakers%20decry%20Philadelphia%20%E2%80%98boycott%20ride%E2%80%99%20targeting%20Jewish%20businesses\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":97325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[8790,8795,8788,1021,2794],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97324"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97326,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97324\/revisions\/97326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}