New billboards urge people to ‘boycott the boycott’ of Jewish-owned businesses

New billboards are appearing across Philadelphia to push back against a planned boycott of Jewish-owned restaurants in the city.

The nonprofit organization JewBelong put up billboards at 14 locations across the city that read, “Running over Jewish businesses isn’t a peace plan,” urging people to “boycott the boycott ride” of Jewish-owned businesses on Sunday.

On Oct. 31, Philly Bike On Your Left, a group that describes itself as an “anti-fascist, anti-Zionist social cycling collective,” posted a flyer announcing a boycott of what it described as “Zionist establishments” in the city’s Rittenhouse Square neighborhood.

The group plans to boycott the Philadelphia restaurants Mac Mart, K’Far Café, Huda, Goldie, Schlesinger’s, and Dizengoff on Nov. 8, 2026, in solidarity with the Palestinian community.

The planned boycott occurs on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, aka the “Night of Broken Glass,” an antisemitic riot against Jews in Germany, Austria, and Sudetenland that was coordinated by the Nazi Party on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10, 1938. During the attacks, thousands of Jewish businesses, homes, schools and synagogues were damaged. An estimated 1,000 to 2,000 Jews were killed in the attacks and an estimated 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps.

Several officials, including Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday took to social media to condemn the planned boycott. Baseball legend and Wyncote, Pennsylvania, native Reggie Jackson also condemned the boycott in a post on X, comparing it to the racism he experienced in the 1960s.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) posted a pledge called on people to dine at the targeted businesses as well as 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.”

In a statement published on Instagram, Philly Bike On Your Left said in part that the ride has been “grossly misrepresented.”

“We stand firmly against racism and oppression of all forms, including fascism, antisemitism, islamophobia and colonialism.”