In a JNS column, Steve Rosenberg argues that Philadelphia's answer to a bike-ride boycott of six Jewish- and Israeli-owned restaurants is a model for Jewish communities across America.
The ride, organized by Philly Bike On Your Left with Boycott CookNSolo and Philly Solidarity Calendar, targeted Huda, K'Far Cafe, Mac Mart, Dizengoff, Goldie and Schlesinger's and was set for Nov. 8, the eve of the Kristallnacht anniversary. Instead of issuing statements and waiting it out, Rosenberg writes, the community organized: the National Jewish Advocacy Center, the NAGEN Project, StopAntisemitism and others mobilized, and as many as 2,000 people filled the streets around Rittenhouse Square, lining up outside the targeted restaurants before they opened.
The original ride ended early, and on Thursday the organizers canceled a second ride planned for Nov. 15, saying they had received death threats and feared for their safety. Rosenberg notes that the Philadelphia Police Department said that was not the case, and he calls the reversal absurd: the people who singled out Jewish businesses now claim to be the ones intimidated. Any credible threat should be investigated and condemned, he writes, but a peaceful crowd that "was there mainly to eat" is not intimidation.
His lesson: prepare early, coordinate organizations, bring in legal help, mobilize ordinary people and stand with whoever is targeted. "The second ride may be canceled," he concludes. "The 'Philadelphia Playbook' is just getting started."
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