PHILADELPHIA – A planned Sunday bike rally targeting Jewish-owned businesses drew a surprisingly small turnout, as counter-protesters from across the region showed up in force, outnumbering participants by at least 10 to 1, according to sources.
Police on the street estimated that supporters of the Jewish community vastly outnumbered the relatively small contingent of “Boycott Ride” participants, most of whom wore masks and sunglasses, concealing their faces.
Allan Domb, owner of Schlesinger’s Deli on Locust Street said: “I can only tell you that the best part of this is the tremendous support of our Philadelphia community and even people outside of Philadelphia. I’ve had people come down from New York, West Chester, Harrisburg, from Maryland and Delaware, the Jersey Shore – drive two or three hours to eat eggs! To show their support.”
According to a flyer that circulated days before the “Boycott Ride” and distributed by a group called Philly Bike on Your Left, participants (or bike riders) were encouraged to target six businesses around Rittenhouse Square: Mac Mart, a mac and cheese eatery, K’Far Cafe, which serves Israeli-style pastries, Goldie, known for its falafel and hummus, Huda, a burger joint, Dizengoff and Schlesinger’s deli.
“Ride around Rittenhouse with us as we show these zionist business owners that we see them for the disgusting humans they are,” it read – a promotional Instagram post that has since been deleted. The group’s Instagram account appeared to be offline or deleted on Sunday.
Jewish- and Israeli-linked groups also condemned the date of the protest, set one day before the anniversary of Kristallnacht, a massive, state-sponsored pogrom against Jewish people carried out across Nazi Germany and surrounding countries in 1938. “When people publish a list of Jewish businesses and organize to drive them out of a city, we know from history what that is. We will not let this happen again,” the Israeli-American Council said in a press release.
By noon, confusion appeared to dominate the scene in Rittenhouse Square. A bullhorn blared over the crowd as a heavy police presence kept watch.
Matt Sheldon said he drove from the Upper East Side of Manhattan to support the Philadelphia Jewish community and went to all six Jewish restaurants and found a two-hour wait at each.
“I guess that boycott didn’t work. It’s kinda like Bob Kraft boycotting Macklemore,” he laughed.
State Rep. Amen Brown, who represents parts of northwest Philadelphia, said he had patronized his third Jewish business on Sunday and was impressed by the numbers of Jewish Philadelphians who outnumbered the “Pro-Hamas Palestinian folks … by 30 to 1.”
“I strongly believe that they were not expecting Philadelphia to show up in support of our Jewish Americans like we did today,” Brown said. “We have to end this hate. I know a lot of these individuals personally, and they do more for this city than any of those folks who are on those bikes.”
Eli R., dressed as a Holocaust concentration camp prisoner and waving the flag of Israel, said he was born in Israel and now lives in Philadelphia. He said that In 1938, his great-grandfather was a German Jew and had a department store in Munich, which was ransacked and burned to the ground. He and his children ended up in the Holocaust.
“These people, they hate Jews. They’re antisemitic. And that’s clear to us,” he said.
A masked member of the boycott ride who declined to be identified, when asked why he had his face covered, answered: “Because Zionists have germs.” The individual said he lived in Rittenhouse Square and what inspired him to join the rally was his opposition to “genocide in Gaza, genocide in the West Bank, genocide in Lebanon.”
Asked why the businesses were targeted, he said: “All these businesses are actively involved in the genocide. They raise money for weapons. They raise money for war criminals – soldiers. The ones that have implicated themselves [in online videos.]”
Earlier in the week, District Attorney Larry Krasner put out a six-minute video on Instagram where he condemned the bike boycott and warned that any acts of violence towards ethnic or religious groups (and by and large) the Jewish businesses, would “come across his desk.”
He also referenced some of the language emblazoned on flyers promoting the bike boycott that shamelessly called the targeted business owners “disgusting humans.”
“When you use language like that, when you use language like zio business – zio business – which sounds a whole lot like something David Duke used to say. And that was ZOG. Look it up, if you want. David Duke was the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.”
Hannah Lorden, who was helping her sister, Mac Mart owner Marti Lieberman, on Sunday, said the business did 20 times its typical daily volume.
“We’re normally not open today, but we will most likely be open next Sunday, as well,” she said.
“At first, it was a lot of unwanted attention, but I guess it has been nice to have a platform to speak up and be proud of our Judaism.”
A protester against Israeli-owned businesses in Philadelphia is confronted by a counter-protester. Photo Credit: Jenny DeHuff for Broad + Liberty.
A protester against Israeli-owned businesses in Philadelphia is confronted by a counter-protester. Photo Credit: Jenny DeHuff for Broad + Liberty.
Counter-protesters gather Sunday in Philadelphia against a planned boycott bike ride by Philly Bike on Your Left protesting Israeli-owned businesses. Photo Credit: Jenny DeHuff for Broad + Liberty.
A counter-protester shows his support for Israel in Philadelphia, Nov. 8. Photo Credit: Jenny DeHuff for Broad + Liberty.
Counterprotest in Philadelphia. Photo Credit: Jenny DeHuff for Broad + Liberty.
Counter-protesters in Philly line up at Schlesinger’s. Photo Credit: Jenny DeHuff for Broad + Liberty.
Two women show their support for the state of Israel to counter an “anti-Zionist” protest by Philly Bike on Your Left. Photo Credit: Jenny DeHuff for Broad + Liberty.
Dizengoff restaurant posts a sign thanking counter-protesters. Photo Credit: Jenny DeHuff for Broad + Liberty.