Ii2nmd / Wikimedia Commons / CC0
Supporters lined up outside Philadelphia restaurants targeted by a boycott ride Sunday as opposing crowds gathered around Rittenhouse Square and police stepped between people during a physical confrontation. The Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce called for state authorities to hold lawbreakers accountable, describing the targeting of Jewish businesses as illegal incitement and demanding law enforcement action.
The campaign named six neighborhood restaurants: K’Far Cafe, Huda, Mac Mart, Goldie, Dizengoff and Schlesinger’s. For their owners, workers and customers, a dispute over Israel brought pressure directly to the places where people earn a living and buy their meals.
An October 30 flyer from organizers announced an 11:30 a.m. gathering and noon departure from Rittenhouse Square on November 8. It crossed out the restaurants’ names and declared: “NO BUSINESS FOR ZIONISTS!” and “THESE ZIONIST ESTABLISHMENTS MUST GO! NOT IN OUR CITY!”
By Sunday morning, people were lining the sidewalk beside restaurants. A video posted at 11:11 a.m. by videographer Oliya Scootercaster showed the line; her caption described those waiting as supporters of the boycotted businesses. Her noon video showed a dense crowd and uniformed police separating people during a tense physical confrontation.
Duvi Honig, founder and CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, demanded accountability rather than a response limited to expressions of support. “They should be locked up by the law,” Honig said. The chamber called on the highest state authorities to address what it described as illegal incitement and urged law enforcement to identify and prosecute anyone who breaks the law.
David Kushner, the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce’s Philadelphia ambassador, said in an earlier statement: “Philadelphia must be a city where everyone can live, work, and operate a business without intimidation or discrimination.” He added: “HATE HAS NO HOME IN PHILADELPHIA.”
Mayor orders police coordination
Ahead of the ride, Mayor Cherelle Parker said on November 5 that she had directed the police commissioner to coordinate with the community and partner agencies. Her announced plan was for police to maintain safety and order, protect residents, businesses and houses of worship, and safeguard peaceful demonstrators’ constitutional rights. Sunday’s posted footage showed uniformed officers intervening between people in the crowd.
“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest and express their political views. But singling out businesses because their owners are Jewish is unacceptable and has no place in our city,” Parker said.
“Let me be clear: safety is non-negotiable,” she said, warning: “Anyone who engages in threats, intimidation, or unlawful conduct will be held accountable.”
The Shapiro administration also said ahead of the ride that Pennsylvania State Police were engaged with local partners to ensure neighbors’ safety. In a November 5 statement posted by press secretary Rosie Lapowsky, the administration called the planned ride “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.”
State commission condemns exclusion of Jewish businesses
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission condemned the targeting on November 5, expressing solidarity with owners, employees and customers. Commissioner Andrea J. Martin said: “Publicly 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.”
The commission recognized peaceful protest and boycotts as fundamental democratic rights, while warning against discriminatory intimidation. Organizers, in a separate statement, described their cycling group as nonviolent, said it opposed antisemitism and said the boycott targeted the businesses because of their support for Israel.
The announced ride fell on the eve of the November 9-10 anniversary of Kristallnacht. The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia said the historical significance made the targeting particularly painful, while noting that the circumstances were different. The organizers rejected suggestions that their timing was deliberate.
Reggie Jackson: “We have to speak up”
Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, who was born in nearby Wyncote, urged leaders to condemn antisemitism in a November 7 post. Recalling racist exclusion he experienced in the 1960s, he wrote: “I remember what that hatred looked and felt like. We cannot accept it in any form, directed at any people.”
“Leaders should speak plainly and consistently: antisemitism and hate have no place in our communities,” Jackson wrote, ending his appeal with: “What the hell? We have to speak up.”
What the law says
Pennsylvania law distinguishes protected expression from criminal conduct. Under Section 2709, harassment includes striking, shoving or threatening physical contact with intent to harass, annoy or alarm another person. The law expressly excludes constitutionally protected activity. Section 5503 covers fighting or threatening behavior committed with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating that risk.
The ethnic intimidation statute, Section 2710, requires an underlying covered offense committed with malicious intention toward another person’s race, color, religion or national origin. Participation in a ride or advocacy of a boycott does not by itself establish that offense. The chamber’s demand for prosecution is its position, not a finding that any named participant committed a crime.
The law also provides a route to court protection and compensation. Under 42 Pa.C.S. Section 8309, someone suffering personal injury or property damage or loss from conduct described in the ethnic intimidation or institutional vandalism statutes may seek damages, an injunction and reasonable attorney fees and costs. When qualifying conduct has occurred, the district attorney, or the Attorney General after consulting the district attorney, may seek an injunction or other equitable relief needed to protect people or property.
Section 5(e) of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act separately prohibits aiding, abetting, inciting, compelling or coercing an unlawful discriminatory practice covered by that section. Its application depends on a covered discriminatory practice, not merely offensive political speech.
A demand for accountability, and support for livelihoods
Alongside the demand for enforcement, business and community groups urged sustained support for the restaurants. In an advance appeal signed by its president, David Baker, the Philadelphia-Israel Chamber of Commerce asked residents to buy meals, order takeout or delivery, bring friends and show appreciation to staff. “Please do not confront the ride or its participants. The best response is simply to show up, eat well, and support our neighbors,” it said, cautioning that not every restaurant might be open Sunday.
In its November 5 statement, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia said it and Secure Community Network were working with law enforcement and community partners to prioritize the safety of businesses, patrons and community members.
Friday’s November 6 solidarity lunch at Dizengoff brought together Pennsylvania First Lady Lori Shapiro, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, state Senators Sharif Street and Judy Schwank, state Representatives Ben Waxman, Amen Brown and Tarik Khan, City Councilmember Anthony Phillips, Pastor Carl Day and Andrew Goretsky of ADL Philadelphia, according to the Federation’s account of the lunch.
The Jewish Federation asked out-of-town allies to support businesses through online gift cards, cookbooks and merchandise rather than travel into the city that weekend. After a November 6 solidarity lunch at Dizengoff, it also urged supporters to respect owners’ concerns about large crowds and potential confrontations.
In its own advance response, JewBelong said it was putting up 14 digital billboards across the Philadelphia area and urged: “In Philly? Eat there. Order takeout. Show up.” The Anti-Defamation League’s support pledge said: “This protest is an attempt to intimidate a Jewish community that has faced generations of violence, exclusion and antisemitism.”
The Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce’s call went beyond patronage: law enforcement should identify and prosecute anyone who violates these laws, and the highest state authorities should hold offenders accountable. Its demand is that protecting Jewish businesses mean both defending their right to operate and enforcing the law against those who cross the line into criminal conduct.
Kushner put the chamber’s message plainly: “HATE HAS NO HOME IN PHILADELPHIA.”
Archive photograph: Rittenhouse Square in February 2024, not Sunday’s ride.
JBizNews Desk | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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