Philly Officials Condemn Boycott of Jewish Restaurants

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday are condemning a planned boycott of Jewish-owned restaurants in the city. On Oct. 31, a group called ‘Philly Bike On Your Left’ posted a flyer announcing a boycott of what it described as “Zionist establishments” in Rittenhouse Square for Nov. 8, 2026, in solidarity with the Palestinian community.

The boycott is scheduled for the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, an antisemitic riot coordinated by the Nazi Party on Nov. 9 and 10, 1938, during which thousands of Jewish businesses and properties were damaged and an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 Jews were killed.

Boycott Targets Six Philadelphia Restaurants

The boycott targets six Philadelphia restaurants: Mac Mart, K’Far Café, Huda, Goldie, Schlesinger’s, and Dizengoff. The group, which describes itself as an “anti-fascist, anti-Zionist social cycling collective,” stated its action is in solidarity with the Palestinian community.

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Officials’ Condemnation

Attorney General Dave Sunday condemned the boycott in a Facebook post. By explicitly targeting businesses because their owners are Jewish, the organizers are engaging in a form of discrimination that falls back on some of the oldest antisemitic tropes and tactics in history, Sunday wrote. This is not simply a protest directed at the policies of Israel, rather it singles out our fellow Pennsylvanians based on their Jewish identity, targeting them for policies they have nothing to do with and no ability to affect because of their faith.

Mayor Cherelle Parker also condemned the boycott in a statement on her Instagram page. Everyone has the right to peacefully protest and express their political views, Parker wrote. But singling out businesses because their owners are Jewish is unacceptable and has no place in our city.

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Community Response

In response to the boycott, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) posted a pledge calling on people to dine at the targeted businesses and other Jewish-owned restaurants. This protest is an attempt to intimidate a Jewish community that has faced generations of violence, exclusion and antisemitism. It’s the latest in a string of incidents that hold Jewish businesses responsible for events in the Middle East, the ADL wrote. That’s antisemitic, plain and simple. But we refuse to let hate win.