White House condemns protest at Israeli restaurant in Philadelphia
White House and state officials said a protest on Sunday was hateful and anti-Semitic after dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators opposed to Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip chanted slogans accusing “genocide” outside an Israeli-style falafel shop in Philadelphia.
The White House issued a statement Monday calling the anti-establishment protest “unwarranted,” echoing the response from Pennsylvania officials.
A video clip posted on X showed the pro-Palestinian protesters outside Goldie, a vegan falafel shop owned by Michael Solomonov, an Israeli-born chef, and Steve Cook, a former investment banker turned restaurateur, through their Philadelphia hospitality group CookNSolo Restaurants.
“Goldie, Goldie, you can’t hide. We accuse you of genocide,” the group sang in the video recorded on Sunday.
The White House joined Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania in condemning the protesters’ focus on the restaurant.
“It is anti-Semitic and completely unjustifiable to attack restaurants that serve Israeli food over disagreements with Israeli policies,” Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, said in the statement Monday.
“This behavior reveals the kind of cruel and senseless double standard that is a hallmark of anti-Semitism,” Mr Bates said.
He added that President Biden “will always stand up strongly against these types of undignified actions.”
Social media posts from passing accounts The Philly Palestine Coalition And The Philadelphia Free Palestine Coalition on Sunday called on people to “flood Philly for Gaza,” but did not name the restaurant. Their invitation also called for a lifting of “the siege on Gaza” and to “end military aid to Israel.” It was not clear from their social media posts whether these organizations planned to protest against Goldie and how long the demonstration lasted. Messages sent to the groups’ social media accounts had not been returned Monday.
Through a spokeswoman, Mr. Solomonov, who is Jewish and was born near Tel Aviv, declined to comment Monday.
a prominent, award-winning chefMr. Solomonov owns several restaurants serving Israeli food in Philadelphia, including Zahav, which opened in 2008. A group called the Philly Palestine Coalition has called for a boycott of many of its restaurants.
After the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, Mr Solomonov announced that he would donate the proceeds from the sale on October 12 to Friends of United Hatzalaha non-profit emergency medical service in Israel.
Sunday’s protest came amid rising violence as Israel vowed to eradicate Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls the Gaza Strip, and launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people. That attack sparked intense retaliation that killed more than 15,000 people in Gaza, according to Gaza officials.
There have been street demonstrations in Philadelphia, New York, and other cities and towns across the United States by pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Jewish advocacy groups such as the Anti-Defamation League have reported an increase in anti-Semitic threats and incidents in the United States. The group said in October that it had recorded 312 anti-Semitic episodes between October 7 and 23, of which 190 were directly related to the war between Israel and Hamas.
On Sunday and Monday, state leaders in Pennsylvania took to social media to criticize the protest outside Goldie.
Governor Shapiro shared this a video of the protest at X and described it as “a blatant act of anti-Semitism – and not a peaceful protest.”
He added that the restaurant “was targeted and harassed because the owner is Jewish and Israeli.”
“This hatred and bigotry is reminiscent of a dark time in history,” he said.
Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, said on X that demonstrators could instead protest “Hamas’ systematic rape of Israeli women and girls” or demand that “the remaining hostages be released immediately.”
Representative Brendan Boyle, a Democrat whose district includes Philadelphia, said on X that “Philadelphia stands against this kind of intimidation and hatred.”
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said Monday that the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations would investigate the protest.
Pieter Bakker And Kim Severson reporting contributed.