Hundreds Rally in Philadelphia Against “Boycott Ride” Targeting Jewish-Owned Eateries

Hundreds of people 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. Many of them patronized the businesses in solidarity.

The dueling demonstrations were the latest local flashpoint in the politics of the Israel-Hamas war. Police estimated there were 300 pro-Palestinian protesters, including 200 on bikes, and 200 counterprotesters. Hundreds of others patronized the businesses that day.

The “Boycott Ride,” which organizers described as a protest against what they called “Zionist establishments,” had been widely denounced by officials as antisemitic and hateful, drawing criticism from City Hall to the U.S. Congress. As the bikers rode through Center City, counterprotesters jeered and waved Israeli flags, while others rallied in support of the businesses. Witnesses described the mood as shifting 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 did not require medical treatment. One woman, a counterprotester, said she was assaulted. Police reported no property damage. Meanwhile, patrons packed the eateries, where lines for milk bun sandwiches and lunch meats wrapped around city blocks. Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote on X that “the City of Brotherly Love showed up to support our neighborhood businesses and prove once again that hate has no place in our Commonwealth.”

One of the targeted owners, Sichel, said that when he first learned of the bike ride, he was “pretty hurt and pretty upset.” The timing, on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, was especially painful for him, he said, because his grandfather survived the Holocaust and witnessed the 1938 pogrom against Jewish communities in Nazi Germany. Kristallnacht, the Inquirer noted, saw Nazis assault and kill Jewish people, imprisoned about 26,000 Jewish men in concentration camps, trashed businesses, and burned more than 1,400 synagogues. Sichel’s family history, carried into the present, reflects the weight of remembering what came before (Deuteronomy 32:7).

The bike-ride organizers, Philly Bike On Your Left, said in an Instagram statement posted Saturday that they stand against antisemitism and that they were boycotting the businesses because of their owners’ support for Israel. The group said its “ride has been grossly misrepresented” and that “any suggestions about the timing of our ride are simply false.” The organizers wrote in part that they “firmly stand with indigenous Palestinians in their struggle for freedom and justice.” Responding to questions from The Inquirer, the group said, “I can assure you we had no idea when [Kristallnacht] was. That’s not something we would ever do.” The Inquirer reported that it is unclear who is behind the account, as the user who messaged the paper declined to identify themselves, saying they feared for their safety. The group’s statement said its members had received death threats and been doxxed.

Sichel believes he was targeted because he raised a few thousand dollars for injured and traumatized Israeli children after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, in which, according to the account, Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Since then, Israel has conducted an offensive that has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Sichel said the money went directly to the municipality where the children were. “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.”

Mac Mart owner Marti Lieberman said in a text Sunday evening that she was “exhausted and overwhelmed in the best way.”

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