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Fourteen Billboards Across Philadelphia Counter Planned Boycott of Jewish-Owned Restaurants
JewBelong has erected 14 billboards urging residents to 'boycott the boycott' of Jewish-owned restaurants ahead of a Nov. 8 protest organized by a cycling collective. City and state officials, along with the ADL, have condemned the planned boycott, which falls on the eve of the Kristallnacht anniversary.
PHILADELPHIA â Fourteen billboards have gone up across the city urging residents to push back against a planned boycott of Jewish-owned restaurants, as a local cycling collective prepares to target six establishments in Rittenhouse Square on Sunday.
The nonprofit organization JewBelong placed the billboards, which read, "Running over Jewish businesses isn't a peace plan," and call on people to "boycott the boycott ride" of Jewish-owned businesses on Nov. 8.
The planned boycott was announced on Oct. 31 by Philly Bike On Your Left, a group that describes itself as an "anti-fascist, anti-Zionist social cycling collective." The group said it would boycott what it called "Zionist establishments" â Mac Mart, K'Far Café, Huda, Goldie, Schlesinger's, and Dizengoff â in solidarity with the Palestinian community.
The timing has drawn particular concern: the boycott falls on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass," when Nazi-coordinated mobs attacked Jewish businesses, homes, schools, and synagogues across Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland on Nov. 9 and 10, 1938. An estimated 1,000 to 2,000 Jews were killed in the attacks, and roughly 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday both took to social media on Friday to condemn the planned boycott.
The Anti-Defamation League also weighed in, posting a pledge calling on people to dine at the targeted businesses as well as other Jewish-owned restaurants.
"This protest is an attempt to intimidate a Jewish community that has faced generations of violence, exclusion and antisemitism. It's the latest in a string of incidents that hold Jewish businesses responsible for events in the Middle East," the ADL wrote. "That's antisemitic, plain and simple. But we refuse to let hate win."
In a statement published on Instagram, Philly Bike On Your Left said the ride has been "grossly misrepresented."
"We stand firmly against racism and oppression of all forms, including fascism, antisemitism, islamophobia and colonialism," the group said.
The dispute has thrust a neighborhood known for its restaurants and foot traffic into a broader debate over how political activism around the Middle East conflict plays out on city streets â and who bears the cost when businesses become targets.
The billboards are expected to remain up through the weekend as the boycott date approaches.