Socialist congressman-elect Chris Rabb—under fire for failing to speak out against a far-left "bicycle boycott ride" targeting Jewish and Israeli businesses in his Philadelphia district—has a longtime relationship with the groups that organized the event, having cooperated with them in an effort this year to free convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal.
asserted
that → fail → Jamal
In April, Rabb cosigned a letter with Philadelphia Palestine Coalition and Philadelphia Black Alliance for Peace, which urged Gov. Josh Shapiro (D.) to release Abu-Jamal from prison, where he is serving a life sentence for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner.
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he → cosign → Faulkner
The cosigners referred to Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther and NPR reporter, as a "Black freedom fighter" and "elderly political prisoner," and vowed political retribution against lawmakers who opposed his release from prison.
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who → refer → prison
The Philadelphia Palestine Coalition and Black Alliance for Peace are two sponsors of a boycott against "Zionist business owners" to show "solidarity with the Palestinian community and oppressed folk everywhere."
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Coalition → show → community
The protesters had planned to ride their bicycles past Jewish- and Israeli-owned businesses in downtown Philadelphia, wave Palestinian flags, and "show these zionist business owners that we see them for the disgusting humans they are," according to the groups' original Instagram post.
uncertain
they → plan → post
The event, which was largely thwarted by counterprotesters who turned out to defend the targeted businesses, drew widespread condemnation, in part because it was held on the eve of the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass," in which Nazi enforcers attacked Jewish businesses and synagogues across Germany and Austria and rounded up thousands of Jewish men to be sent off to concentration camps.
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enforcers → thwart → camps
It was a watershed moment in the Holocaust, the first time the Nazis rounded up Jews just for being Jewish.
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Nazis → round → Jews
Rabb has faced blowback for being one of the few local leaders to stay silent on the anti-Jew hatefest, which took place in his congressional district.
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which → face → district
"He's going to be my congressman," Allan Domb, the owner of Schlesinger's Deli, one of the restaurants targeted by the protesters, told Jewish Insider.
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Domb → go → Insider
"When an owner of a business in his district, who happens to be Jewish, is threatened by a group of people who say they want to shut me down, it seems to me that my congressman should speak up about that."
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congressman → happen → that
Shanin Specter, the son of the late Sen. Arlen Specter (D.), called Rabb "a sack of shit" for staying mum on the boycott.
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Specter → call → boycott
Rabb's silence is in stark contrast to his recent pressure campaign against his alma mater, Yale University, for negotiating with the Trump administration regarding its admissions practices.
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silence → negotiate → practices
Rabb demanded the university "say 'f— you' to fascists."
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university → demand → fascists
He is poised to be one of the most radical left lawmakers when he takes office in January and has a lengthy history of embracing radical rhetoric, especially on the issue of Israel.
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he → poise → Israel
In December, he blamed a campaign staffer over a post to his official social media pages that blamed "Zionists" for the Bondi Beach massacre, in which ISIS-inspired attackers killed 15 Australian Jews during a Hanukkah event.
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attackers → blame → event
Rabb, who once called for the death penalty for corporate CEOs, boasted during his primary campaign that he is the only candidate in his race to accuse Israel of "genocide" in Gaza.
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he → call → Gaza
"If you can't name the demon, you can't kill it," he said in May.
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he → name → May
Rabb's campaign website called for a "Palestinian right of return," a policy that would let Palestinians take Israeli land and effectively end the existence of the Jewish state.
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Palestinians → call → state
He also campaigned with Hasan Piker, the socialist influencer who said that "America deserved 9/11" and that "Hamas is a thousand times better" than Israel.
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Hamas → campaign → Israel
Rabb's silence also proves embarrassing for the Philadelphia Inquirer, which made a surprise endorsement of the socialist candidate during his primary in April.
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which → prove → April
The paper endorsed Rabb over establishment Democratic candidate Sharif Street, the son of former Philadelphia mayor John Street (I.).
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paper → endorse → Street
The paper said Rabb, a five-time state legislator, "has consistently offered the boldest and most ambitious leadership" of the candidates.
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Rabb → say → candidates
The paper blasted the antisemitic boycott, saying it "must be condemned."
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it → blast → boycott
It noted Rabb's silence on the controversy, though it did not directly call him out for it.
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it → note → it
Rabb's office did not respond to a request for comment.
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office → respond → comment
The Aporia
