MLB legend Reggie Jackson condemns rising antisemitism in Pennsylvania ahead of protest targeting Jewish businesses

Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson condemned rising antisemitism in his home state of Pennsylvania on Saturday, comparing it to the racism he experienced in the American South during the 1960s and citing data showing hundreds of antisemitic incidents in the state.

Jackson referenced Anti-Defamation League (ADL) figures documenting 465 antisemitic incidents in Pennsylvania during 2024, including 189 in Philadelphia and 51 in Montgomery County, which includes Wyncote, where he grew up.

"The numbers show this is not an abstract concern," Jackson wrote, adding that he was "angry and ashamed to see hatred tolerated there."

"Hateful expression harms more than its immediate target," he added. "A research review also found that exposure to hate is associated with worse psychological well-being, more negative stereotypes, and less trust between groups."

Drawing on his own experiences with racism in the 1960s, Jackson concluded: "I remember what that hatred looked and felt like. We cannot accept it in any form, directed at any people. Leaders should speak plainly and consistently. Antisemitism and hate have no place in our communities."

Jackson's statement came ahead of a planned protest in Philadelphia on Sunday organized by an alliance of anti-Israel groups, including the Philly Bike On Your Left group. Flyers circulated by the organizers called for a demonstration targeting Jewish-owned businesses in the city's upscale Rittenhouse Square neighborhood.

In a recent Instagram post, the organizers declared that they wanted to “show these zio business owners that we see them for the disgusting humans they are.”

Another flyer declared: “No business for zionists! These zionist establishments must go! Not in our city!”

The protest is scheduled for Sunday evening, Nov. 8, the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the November 1938 pogrom against Jews in Nazi Germany and Austria.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday condemned the planned demonstration, saying it “singles out our fellow Pennsylvanians based on their Jewish identity.”

“It is Jew-hatred, plain and simple,” said a joint statement by the Anti-Defamation League’s Philadelphia chapter and StandWithUs. The groups added that the protest was “an attempt to intimidate, marginalize and exclude members of the Jewish community from the economic and civic life of our city.”