Philly Rep-elect Rabb Silent on Jewish Business Boycott
The newly elected Democrat did not respond to questions about a protest targeting local shops, while fellow party members condemned the event.
By Carlos Rousseau ·
Two hours passed before a staff member at the Harrisburg office of Rep.-elect Christopher Rabb acknowledged a media inquiry, but no substantive response followed. The Democratic socialist, who won a congressional seat covering Northwest Philadelphia, did not answer questions regarding a recent boycott of Jewish-owned businesses in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood.
The protest took place over the weekend, organized by the left-wing cycling group Philly Bike on Your Left. Flyers for the event displayed slogans reading "No business for Zionists" and "Not in our city." The demonstration coincided with the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi attacks on Jewish communities in Germany and Austria. A large counterprotest also gathered in the square to support local residents and businesses.
Rabb has previously described the displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war as an ongoing event. He has called for Pennsylvania and the federal government to divest from Israel and has appeared alongside anti-Israel streamer Hasan Piker. His office confirmed it received emails from Fox News Digital asking if he supported the boycott's objectives and if he agreed with fellow Democrats who criticized the event.
Several prominent Pennsylvania Democrats publicly condemned the rally. Gov. Josh Shapiro, Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson, and Sen. John Fetterman all issued statements against the demonstration. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Democrat representing a different part of the city, called the targeting of local businesses "simply wrong" and "antisemitism." He compared the boycott to Nazi actions in the 1930s.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a progressive Democrat, also criticized the event. He noted the proximity to the Kristallnacht anniversary and described the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack as a terrorist act. Krasner argued that there is a difference between a country's leadership and its people. He suggested that critics should not use terms like "ZioBusiness," comparing that language to rhetoric used by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
The Philadelphia chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America denied official involvement in organizing or endorsing the boycott. However, the group criticized Shapiro, Johnson, and Boyle for what it called a "chorus of bad-faith and dangerous conflation" of antisemitism with anti-Zionism. The group stated that establishment Democrats were using a strategy that cost them the 2024 election.
Rabb will represent a congressional district that includes both the Rittenhouse Square site of the protest and the businesses targeted by demonstrators. The Philadelphia Bike on Your Left group could not be reached for comment on the event or the slogans used in its promotion.
