Support Moshava – Israeli food truck in Philly
A few weeks ago, a Philadelphia organization called Eat Up the Borders (EUTB) “which seeks to break down our everyday barriers through shared experience through language, food, and culture” partnered with an organization called Sunflower Philly “focused on providing access to art, music & sustainable resources through a curated series of events and programs in North Philadelphia” to plan a food truck festival where immigrant-owned vendors from all over the world could offer meals to patrons as part of a Father’s Day celebration.
EUTB invited Moshava, an Israeli-American owned food truck, to attend, only to be met with feverish outcry from pro-Palestinian activsts who threatened to boycott the event along with threats of violence. Displaying blatant cowardice and antisemitism, EUTB rescinded Moshava’s invitation, only to be met with justified outrage from the Jewish community in Philadelphia and nationwide. After this, the entire food truck festival was canceled.
Moshava’s team took the high road, indicating that while it is clear that EUTB was caving to antisemitism, they did not believe that the decision to cancel their appearance came from a place of antisemitism. Nonetheless, by creating an environment where antisemites get to call the shots as to who can and cannot conduct business at an event, EUTB created a hostile environment for Moshava and any Jews and Israelis who would have attended this and any future EUTB event. EUTB later issued an apology in which they indicated that Moshava would be invited back to a future event as part of their “A Taste of Home” series, along with some as-of-yet unnamed Palestinian food vendor so as to not “alienate any members of [their] community” and to “promote inclusivity.” This message then proceeded to apologize to both the Jewish and Palestinian communities, despite the reality that at no point were Palestinian-Americans or their businesses marginalized, canceled, boycotted, otherized, or in any other way attacked during the events leading up the cancelation of the June EUTB food truck festival.
We at New Zionist Congress are determined to show support for Moshava and other Jewish and Israeli businesses like it as part of our fight against antisemitism. We are inspired by the outpouring of love Moshava has seen from Jews and allies not only in Philadelphia, but across the United States and the world over the past week, with their Instagram growing from just a few hundred followers to over 6,000 in a matter of days. With this newfound attention, Moshava’s future has never been brighter. Despite the best efforts of antisemites to drive this business into the ground, the Jewish people are standing together behind the Moshava team more strongly than ever.
Israeli and Jewish cuisine holds a special place in the Philadelphia food scene thanks to Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook’s CookNSolo family of restaurants (unaffiliated with Moshava), which includes the world-renowned Zahav, along with other incredible restaurants. We know that Moshava’s contributions to this thriving Israeli food culture in Philadelphia have only just begun. We want to help.
By raising money to support this Israeli-American catering service, we seek to provide a sense of strength and unity for Jews and Israelis living across the United States and the world. We will not tolerate bigotry, xenophobia, or discrimination against our community in any form.
100% of the proceeds of this fundraiser will go to Moshava. Please consider making a donation to show support for Moshava, the Jewish people, and Israel.