Key Takeaways:
- A coordinated, two-pronged Jewish response, filling the targeted restaurants while confronting the riders in the street, turned an intimidation campaign into a public defeat and a model for future action.
- Holding the ride on the eve of Kristallnacht backfired, mobilizing Jews from across the East Coast and Israel and drawing condemnations from Pennsylvania’s top officials.
- In a rare turn, much of the mainstream media accurately reported that the counter-protest outnumbered the anti-Zionist ride.
A win.
A much-needed victory.
A long overdue sign of hope.
These are some of the ways Jewish activists and community leaders described the unprecedented show of force against an organized anti-Zionist bike ride through Downtown Philadelphia this past Sunday. And I can confirm literally from the front lines that this was one intended modern-day pogrom that was not allowed to happen.
The Boycott Ride
For days reports had circulated across both Jewish-focused and mainstream media of a “boycott ride” targeting six Jewish-owned restaurants around Philadelphia’s posh Rittenhouse Square. Some of the restaurants, such as the falafel joint Goldie’s or bakery K’Far, are owned by Israeli-American chef Michael Solomonov; others had supported Israeli charities after the October 7th attacks; others merely belonged to Jews with no direct connection to Israel or Zionism.
Organized by a coalition of five local anti-Zionist groups, the ride was intended “to show these zionist business owners that we see them for the disgusting humans they are,” according to the social media posts of co-organizer Philly Bike on Your Left.
But beyond merely deploying such incendiary language, the bikers chose to hold their terror ride the day before the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Nazi-organized “night of broken glass,” which featured mass burnings of synagogues and other Jewish institutions across Germany, Austria, and the Sudatenland.
Philadelphia’s Jews Stand Up
And this was one step too far. The specter of marauding bikers riding from business to business intimidating Jewish owners and harassing their customers not only evoked images of Kristallnacht itself — but provoked a coordinated Jewish response that should serve as a model for future confrontations.
On Sunday, hundreds — if not thousands — of Jews descended upon Philadelphia where they not only filled those businesses with customers, but directly confronted the anti-Zionist biker mobs themselves. Most arrived from the surrounding areas, but many — including myself — traveled from New York and other East Coast communities; some even flew in from Israel.
While the shops remained busy with Jews and supporters, scores of anti-antizionist protesters gathered in Rittenhouse Square waiting for the bikers. Swathed in Israeli flags and other “visibly Jewish” iconography, they easily outnumbered the riders and literally chased them out of the Square screaming “Nazis,” “never again” and “get out of our town.” These were not Jews with “trembling knees;” the crowd was very loud, very proud and clearly prepared for direct and physical engagement.
The riders — their youthful faces masked and often carrying Palestinian flags — continued on their planned route of harassment beyond the Square, but were trailed and surrounded by Jewish protesters at every stop. Mostly men, but also a handful of equally angry women, the Jews blocked the bikers’ paths, screamed in their faces and served as a buffer between the anti-Zionists’ hate and the Jewish-owned businesses they had targeted. Dozens of Philadelphia Police officers, many also on bicycles, accompanied the entire spectacle, which resulted in just three arrests. Throughout it all, a live bagpiper could be heard playing Hatikva in the background.
Meanwhile, at those Jewish-owned shops, the demand for food was so robust that some businesses began turning away take out orders. As young Jewish kids planted themselves down in Rittenhouse Square to eat Goldie’s hummus and falafel, they helped flip the day from a “boycott” to a “buycott” as many later described Sunday’s counter-actions.
A Model of Success
Although some media parroted the organizers’ spurious claim that they were merely mounting a “bike ride boycott,” Jewish groups were quick to understand that this particular anti-Zionist protest — on this particular day — represented far more than yet another pro-Palestinian escalation.
“We all felt in our bones that this was going too far to not mobilize in a real way,”explained Paige Wolf, founder of the nonprofit ZEV: A Jewish Communications Collective, who traveled to Philadelphia from her home in Southern New Jersey. “It was critical not just for the community support and optics (though the media has widely downplayed our numbers), but for a sense of unity beyond yelling to each other on social media.”
All this came after more than three years and hundreds of anti-Israel marches and encampments have poured through city centers worldwide – And often with scant coordinated pushback from Jews themselves. But this weekend in Philadelphia felt different, and, on both sides, the media performed a crucial part of this equation.
The organizers — some connected with the Philadelphia chapter of the DSA — underestimated the revulsion for their initial social-media blast. The scale of the intended protest, its use of bikes and echoes of Nazi Germany not only outraged Jews, but politicians. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, and State Attorney General Dave Sunday all issued strong condemnations. Pennsylvania State Rep. Amen Brown arrived in person to lend support.
In parallel, many Jewish groups ignored calls by local rabbis to steer clear of the area on Sunday to avoid drawing additional attention to the protesters. Instead, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and the Anti-Defamation League encouraged Jews to show up and eat. The pro-Israel nonprofit JewBelong even installed 14 massive billboards across the city covered in slogans such a “Running Over Jewish Businesses is not a Peace Plan.” And dozens of WhatsApp groups were formed — and social media posts posted — to help Jews coordinate their descent upon Philadelphia.
This two-pronged assault defanged the protesters by exploiting the weaknesses (and outrage) in their game-plan; one group of Jews would target the bikers, another fill the bikers’ targets with celebratory diners. And it worked. Though the anti-Zionist bikers have announced a prescheduled follow up event — dubbed the “ride of return” — this coming Sunday.
Perhaps, most unexpectedly, much of the mainstream media reported the Philadelphia counter-protest for what it truly was — a rare win for Jews, Israel, and Zionism. “The controversial ‘boycott ride’ drew a larger counter-rally in support of Philadelphia’s Jewish-owned businesses,” led The Philadelphia Inquirer. It might not have been the sexiest headline ever. But at least it was true.
Liked this article? Follow HonestReporting on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to see even more posts and videos debunking news bias and smears, as well as other content explaining what’s really going on in Israel and the region. Get updates direct to your phone. Join our WhatsApp and Telegram channels!
© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
