‘These Zionist establishments must go!’ Organizers of upcoming Philly ‘Boycott Ride’ target Jewish-owned eateries

As a former two-term Philadelphia City Councilmember and one of the city’s most prominent real estate developers, Allan Domb has been a fixture in Philadelphia’s civic and commercial life for decades.

So he was “surprised,” he told City & State on Tuesday, to discover that one of his businesses – Schlesinger’s, a Center City Jewish deli – had been singled out for harassment by an anti-Israeli and antisemitic movement whose purported aim, according to a now-deleted Instagram post, is to “show these zio business owners that we see them for the disgusting humans they are.”

Schlesinger’s is one of a half-dozen restaurants in Philadelphia’s Center City targeted by this Sunday’s pro-Palestinian bike ride apparently called “Boycott Ride” in Rittenhouse Square, which aims to oust Jewish- and Israeli-owned businesses from the city. The others targeted by the rally are Huda Burger; Mac Mart; and Goldie’s, K’far Café and Dizengoff, all of which feature the Israeli cuisine of their acclaimed chef-restaurateur, Michael Solomonov.

Aside from Solomonov, all the other businesses are owned by American Jews, a distinction not evident in the rally flyer, which – in language reminiscent of Nazi propaganda against German Jewish businesses like “Kauf nicht bei Juden!” (“Don’t buy from Jews!”), declares: “No business for Zionists! These Zionist establishments must go! Not in our city!”

Jewish media initially reported that flyers had been circulated by the group Philly Writers Against the War on Gaza, but it appears that the main organizer is Philly Bike On Your Left, an activist group, with Philly Solidarity Calendar and Boycott CookNSolo listed on the Instagram announcement as “collaborators.” The latter group is devoted to organizing against CookNSolo, the Philadelphia restaurant group behind Solomonov’s establishments. None of the organizations listed as being “collaborators” responded to requests for comment.

The date of the action, Nov. 8, is a suggestive choice: It is the eve of the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, a sweeping orgy of state-sponsored anti-Jewish violence across Nazi Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland (part of modern-day Czechia) on Nov. 9-10, 1938, when more than 7,000 Jewish businesses were damaged or destroyed, along with thousands more homes and synagogues, and 30,000 Jewish men were deported to concentration camps.

Domb, for one, found the modern-day action unnerving. “I almost cannot believe that they were targeting myself and other entrepreneurs who own businesses who happen to be Jewish … It just seemed very antisemitic to me,” he said on Tuesday.

Elizabeth Berney, the director of research and special projects for the Zionist Organization of America – a 129-year-old organization that advocates for Israel and the Jewish people – was less surprised. “Unfortunately, we’re not shocked because this has been going on at universities, at K-12 (schools), at the libraries,” she said. “The anti-Israel forces will do anything to try to harm Jews and discriminate against Jews and make Jews unwelcome in Philadelphia.”

These include recent attacks on Jewish-owned businesses around the country, she added. “There are businesses in New York City that they’ve tried to oust, and broken windows and so on,” Berney noted. “This is very serious.”

The Anti-Defamation League Philadelphia, American Jewish Committee Philadelphia/Southern NJ, The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and StandWithUs released a joint statement “strongly condemning” the rally. “Let’s be clear: This is antisemitism.  It is Jew-Hatred, plain and simple,” the statement said.

“Marking businesses for removal from Philadelphia is an attempt to intimidate, marginalize and exclude members of the Jewish community from the economic and civic life of our city … The public targeting of Jewish businesses should alarm every person of conscience,” it went on. “There is a profound difference between criticizing a government and targeting businesses because their owners are Jewish or perceived to be connected to Israel.” 

The groups called on Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, Gov. Josh Shapiro, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and other civic leaders to speak out against the campaign, and urged Philadelphians of all backgrounds to support the targeted businesses and counter the boycott with “visible solidarity.”

Asked for comment, Renee Chenault-Fattah, the executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, responded by email that the city’s civil rights agency “reaffirms its 75-year commitment to fighting racism, antisemitism and in recent years, islamophobia. Acts of bigotry, violence and hate cannot be tolerated and we will never stand by and allow businesses, individuals or jobs to be run out of our city, full stop.”

While all the businesses spotlighted for this weekend’s rally are eateries, the campaign did not make explicit its rationale for targeting restaurants in particular. In an Instagram post, an organizer responded to suggestions for additional Jewish-owned businesses to boycott by clarifying that the Jewish-owned eateries were chosen for their biking proximity to Rittenhouse Square.

Given the Kristallnacht connection, many cited safety as a concern. “For the Jewish people, (the date) really heightens the distress that this is happening,” said Berney, the daughter of a refugee from Nazi Germany. “A lot of this can turn to violence.”

Domb said he had reached out to both the captain of his local police district and to the Pennsylvania State Police, and added that both were “very supportive,” with extra troop officers promised locally for protection.  

A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department told City & State that while they could not discuss specific details, they were aware of the planned rally and would “take appropriate measures … to ensure the safety of everyone involved.”

Domb said that since word got out about the rally online, “the support of local Philadelphians has been pretty amazing. People are really upset,” he told City & State. “People want to be supportive – and it’s nice to see that, not just for myself, but for my colleagues also targeted.”

This is a developing story.