The controversial ‘Boycott Ride’ drew a large rally in support of Philadelphia’s Jewish-owned eateries
Six Jewish-owned eateries in Center City were the target Sunday of a controversial bike-ride boycott — and drew support from hundreds of people who patronized the businesses.
Hundreds turned out Sunday in support of six Center City eateries owned by Jewish restaurateurs — rebuking a bike-ride protest that had roiled social media in recent days and unsettled Philadelphia’s Jewish community.
The dueling demonstrations were the latest local flashpoint in the fraught politics of the Israel-Hamas war. Police estimated there were 300 pro-Palestinian protesters, including 200 on bikes, and 200 counterprotesters, while hundreds of others patronized the businesses in solidarity.
The “Boycott Ride” — described as a protest against what organizers called “Zionist establishments” — had been widely denounced by officials as antisemitic and hateful, eliciting ire and admonishments from City Hall to the U.S. Congress.
As the bikers rode through Center City, the counterprotesters jeered and waved Israeli flags, while hundreds of others rallied in support of the businesses and the mood veered between combative and surreal.
Police said three people were arrested: a woman for assault, a man for disorderly conduct, and a 17-year-old for assault on police. Two officers sustained minor injuries that didn’t require medical treatment. One woman, a counterprotester, said she was assaulted, and no property damage was reported, police said.
Meanwhile, patrons packed the eateries, where lines for milk bun sandwiches and lunch meats wrapped around city blocks. On X, Gov. Josh Shapiro said “the City of Brotherly Love showed up to support our neighborhood businesses and prove once again that hate has no place in our Commonwealth.”
» READ MORE: Planned protest against Jewish-owned Philly restaurants draws ire, security, and feelings of unease
The crowd at Huda was unlike anything owner Yehuda Sichel had seen before.
When he first learned of the bike ride, he was “pretty hurt and pretty upset,” Sichel said. The timing of the protest — on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht — was especially painful for Sichel, who said his grandfather survived the Holocaust and witnessed the dayslong pogrom on Jewish communities in Nazi Germany in 1938. During Kristallnacht, Nazis assaulted and killed Jewish people, imprisoned about 26,000 Jewish men in concentration camps, trashed businesses, and burned more than 1,400 synagogues.
Bike-ride organizers, Philly Bike On Your Left, said in a statement posted to Instagram on Saturday that they stand against antisemitism and that they were boycotting the businesses because of their owners’ support for Israel.
The group said their “ride has been grossly misrepresented,” and that “any suggestions about the timing of our ride are simply false.”
“We firmly stand with indigenous Palestinians in their struggle for freedom and justice,” the organizers wrote in part.
Responding to a list of questions from The Inquirer via Instagram, Philly Bike On Your Left said, “I can assure you we had no idea when [Kristallnacht] was. That’s not something we would ever do.”
It’s unclear who is behind the account. The user direct messaging with The Inquirer declined to identify themselves, saying they feared for their safety. Members of their group have received death threats and been doxxed, the statement said.
Sichel believes he was targeted because he raised a few thousand dollars for injured and traumatized Israeli children after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, when Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Since then, Israel has responded with an offensive that has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The money he raised went directly to the municipality the children were in, Sichel said.
“I didn’t send it to any military,” he said. “I’m an American. I’m a Jew. I’m a proud supporter of the Israeli cause, but that does not mean I’m in the government over there.
“I don’t even have any influence on the government in Philadelphia.”
Mac Mart owner Marti Lieberman said in a text Sunday evening she was “exhausted and overwhelmed in the best way.”
“We successfully overshadowed this act of intimidation and hate, and we did it with love and fun, and above all things humanity and good food,” she said.
‘Boycott Ride’ and a hope for change
A flyer for the “Boycott Ride” began circulating on social media as early as Oct. 30, promoting a bike ride to show pro-Palestinian solidarity and protest six businesses: Mac Mart, K’Far Cafe, Huda, Goldie, Dizengoff, and Schlesinger’s Deli. The widely circulated flyer reads, “No business for Zionists! These Zionist Establishments must go! Not in our city!”
K’Far Cafe, Dizengoff, and Goldie — as well as a handful of other restaurants throughout the city — are owned by CookNSolo, renowned Israeli-born chef Michael Solomonov’s restaurant group. In the wake of the Oct. 7 attack, CookNSolo, Solomonov, and his business partner, Steve Cook, fundraised more than $100,000 for the Friends of United Hatzalah, an Israeli nonprofit that describes itself as a volunteer EMS organization.
» READ MORE: Pro-Palestinian writer’s coalition reignites boycott calls against Philly celebrity chef Michael Solomonov
For rider Carmen Guerrero, the demonstration was meant to draw attention to people who she said have helped finance Israel in the war. Guerrero, of Montgomery County, wore the words “Stop Genocide” on her headband.
“I’m here because I am Native American,” she said. “The blood of my people had disappeared on this land. Now they are trying to disappear the people of Palestine.”
James Ray, 28, said the ride was more about supporting fellow activists and raising awareness than attacking individuals.
“I hope [the business owners] look at this and reflect on their own positions,” Ray said. “My hope is for positive change. Not focusing on the stores so much as using it as an opportunity to educate the community.”
Allan Domb, owner of Schlesinger’s Deli, said it was heartwarming to see so many people support the businesses.
“They didn’t come for the food — they came to show their support, which was really amazing,” Domb said. “The Philadelphia community really stepped up.”
A spokesperson for CookNSolo did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Sunday.
Officials rebuke protest and community steps up
In recent days, many had thrown their support behind the restaurants and the broader Jewish community. A nonprofit, JewBelong, bought billboards across the city, urging people to “boycott the boycott ride” as reactions and commentary continued to flood social media. Others came to Philly Bike On Your Left’s defense: Philadelphia Democratic Socialists of America called the trove of statements of politicians “bad-faith condemnations,” and nearly 20 pro-Palestinian organizations had signed onto a statement of solidarity as of Sunday morning.
“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest and express their political views,” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said in a statement last week. “But singling out businesses because their owners are Jewish is unacceptable and has no place in our city.”
U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D., Philadelphia) said the proximity to Kristallnacht’s anniversary “evokes the darkest chapters of history,” while Sen. John Fetterman called it a “sick parade of rank antisemitism.”
In a video, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told people who denounce the Israeli government or the war: “[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s your target, the leadership of the Israeli government is your target, ... as opposed to blaming all Israelis, or all Jewish Israelis, or all Jews all over the world for their beliefs, for their faith, for their ethnicity.”
Counterprotester Alexa Epstein, 37, was elated to see so many people defending the restaurants. Epstein, who is Jewish, said she doesn’t support some of what has happened in Gaza. But she is a proud Zionist, which she said means supporting Jewish people’s right to a homeland. The bike ride’s attack on Zionism, she said, feels like broad disapproval of Jewish people.
“We’re not here for any sort of violence,” Epstein said. “We’re just here to stick up for what we believe — and these restaurants, which have nothing to do with anything in the Middle East.”
Alan Reisberg, 66, who came from Baltimore, joined the crowd outside Huda after reading about the bike ride on social media. He believes American Jews should not be made to answer for Netanyahu’s decisions.
“I don’t love every leader of our country. I don’t love Bibi Netanyahu and the way he’s orchestrated his government but certainly this antisemitism and hate is not the answer,” he said.
Even after waiting an hour-and-a-half outside Schlesinger’s, Phil Duncanson, of Logan Square, wasn’t close to the front. Duncanson, 49, said he’d never been to Schlesinger’s, but after learning of the bike protest on CNN he felt he had to support the restaurants.
“I just don’t think the tactic of targeting individual businesses is the right approach to advance any movement, regardless of what it is,” Duncanson said.
Duncanson said he defends pro-Palestinian protesters’ right to say what they feel. But from growing up in the United Kingdom — where World War II’s devastation could still be seen firsthand — Duncanson was quick to think of how calls to “shut down” restaurants could escalate.
Nearby in line, Reese Revak, 39, of Roxborough, said protesters may have good intentions in opposing the Israel government. However, the professional piano player, who teaches music at Curtis Institute of Music, said there’s a big difference between intent and how it affects people.
“And I think this protest has a terrible impact on the Jewish community,” Revak said.
Revak was encouraged by the long line — a sign to him that the counterprotest has far overshadowed the bike rally. The longtime Schlesinger’s fan said it’s was worth the wait.
“Even if I don’t get a sandwich I’m happy to be here.”
Staff writer Michael Klein contributed to this article.
