It’s philosemitism and exposing the truth.
asserted
It → ’ → truth
I learned about the protests targeting Jewish-owned restaurants in Philadelphia on Nov. 8 when my friend Ari Engel posted on social media about going out to eat to support those establishments.
asserted
friend → learn → establishments
In Philadelphia, anti-Israel protesters organized a bicycle demonstration targeting six Jewish-owned restaurants and calling for a boycott.
asserted
protesters → organize → boycott
They wanted to discourage people from patronizing these businesses.
asserted
They → want → businesses
Instead, the community turned their boycott upside down with a deluge of support and patronage for those Jewish-owned businesses.
asserted
community → turn → businesses
The timing of the protest was chilling as it took place on the eve of the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, when Nazis attacked Jewish businesses, shattered storefronts and terrorized Jewish communities across Germany and Austria.
asserted
Nazis → take → Germany
Jewish organizations mobilized supporters in Philadelphia.
asserted
organizations → mobilize → Philadelphia
The ADL encouraged people to eat at the targeted restaurants.
asserted
ADL → encourage → restaurants
JewBelong erected billboards urging residents to boycott the boycott.
asserted
JewBelong → erect → boycott
Hundreds of people showed up, packed restaurants and formed lines around city blocks.
asserted
Hundreds → show → blocks
One restaurant worried it wouldn’t have enough food to serve everyone.
asserted
it → worry → everyone
The protesters wanted to drive customers away.
asserted
protesters → want → customers
Instead, they drove customers in.
asserted
they → drive → customers
The protesters exercised their freedom to call for a boycott.
asserted
protesters → exercise → boycott
The community exercised its freedom to reject it.
asserted
community → exercise → it
Rather than demand censorship, ordinary citizens used their voices, their presence and their purchasing power to challenge prejudice.
asserted
citizens → demand → prejudice
That’s how a free society should work.
asserted
society → ’ → ?
We don’t need to silence hateful ideas to defeat them.
asserted
We → need → them
We can expose them, challenge them and let them lose in the marketplace of public opinion.
asserted
them → expose → opinion
Censorship can turn extremists into martyrs.
asserted
Censorship → turn → martyrs
Public rejection can reveal just how little support their ideas command.
asserted
ideas → reveal → support
And when non-Jewish neighbors stand alongside Jewish neighbors, antisemitism loses something essential: the illusion that it speaks for the majority.
asserted
it → stand → majority
Of course, criticizing Israel or advocating a political boycott isn’t inherently antisemitic.
asserted
criticizing → criticize → boycott
But targeting Jews because of their identity or holding them collectively responsible for Israel crosses a moral line.
asserted
them → target → line
We can defend the right to peaceful protest while vigorously confronting prejudice.
asserted
We → defend → prejudice
We need more than opposition to antisemitism.
asserted
We → need → antisemitism
We need proactive philosemitism: people of every background celebrating Jewish culture, supporting Jewish neighbors and embracing Jewish life.
asserted
We → need → life
The protesters exercised their freedom to call for a boycott.
asserted
protesters → exercise → boycott
The community exercised its freedom to reject it.
asserted
community → exercise → it
Rather than demand censorship, ordinary citizens used their voices, their presence and their purchasing power to challenge prejudice.
asserted
citizens → demand → prejudice
And solidarity shouldn’t end when the protesters go home.
asserted
protesters → end → ?
The answer to people who want Jewish businesses to disappear isn’t to silence the protesters.
asserted
businesses → want → protesters
It’s to fill those businesses with customers.
asserted
It → ’ → customers
They organized a boycott.
asserted
They → organize → boycott
Philadelphia organized a food crawl.
asserted
Philadelphia → organize → crawl
That’s how you turn hatred into solidarity and let antisemitism defeat itself.
asserted
antisemitism → ’ → itself
The Aporia
