Last week we wrote about Philly Bike On Your Left’s “Great Ride of Return” targeting six Jewish-owned businesses around Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia.
The bike ride is set to take place today – but not before earning more condemnation, this time from political leaders:
Meanwhile, Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson – who was born in Wyncote, just outside Philadelphia – compared the antisemitism he is witnessing to the anti-Black racism he personally experienced in the 1960s:
It is heartbreaking to see antisemitism in my hometown. I was born in Wyncote, near Philadelphia, and it makes me angry and ashamed to see hatred tolerated there.
The numbers show this is not an abstract concern. The Anti-Defamation League recorded 465 antisemitic incidents across Pennsylvania in 2024, an 18% increase over 2023. It tracked 189 incidents in Philadelphia and 51 in Montgomery County. These reports include harassment, vandalism, and assault; they are not all classified as crimes. (http://adl.org, http://philadelphia.adl.org)
Hateful expression harms more than its immediate target. In a 2025 survey of Jewish Americans, 79% said they were concerned about antisemitism, and 52% said they had worried about their personal safety because of their identity. Nearly half reported taking steps to increase their security. A research review also found that exposure to hate is associated with worse psychological well-being, more negative stereotypes, and less trust between groups. (http://philadelphia.adl.org, http://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
It takes me back to the racism I experienced in the 1960s: signs throughout the South declaring that Black people could be refused service, along with separate “white” and “colored” signs on bathrooms and drinking fountains,”no niggers”. I remember what that hatred looked and felt like. We cannot accept it in any form, directed at any people.
I wish I could be there to stand with those protesting HATE. I am asking elected officials and other leaders in Philadelphia: Where are the clear statements condemning antisemitism? When hateful language is excused or repeated, it can make hostility seem acceptable and deepen fear and division. Leaders should speak plainly and consistently: antisemitism and hate have no place in our communities.
What the hell? We have to speak up.
Eighty-eight years after Kristallnacht, nobody should need Reggie Jackson – a man who endured the ugliness of segregation himself – to explain why this should set off alarm bells.
But we’re glad he did.
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© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
