Antisemitic sign at Barstool Philadelphia bar goes viral; Temple University student suspended

WPVI

By Tom Ignudo, Scott Jacobson, Raymond Strickland

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — A Temple University student has been placed on interim suspension after an antisemitic sign was displayed at Barstool Sansom Street in Philadelphia on Saturday night in a video that’s gone viral on social media. The Temple student’s identity isn’t known publicly at this time.

StopAntisemitism, a nonprofit, posted the video on X on Sunday of an employee at the bar holding a sign that said “[Expletive] the Jews.”

Barstool Sports owner and founder Dave Portnoy, who is Jewish, said in an expletive-laden rant after the video surfaced that he’s already fired the employees involved.

“Who the [expletive] would do that sign in my [expletive] bar? You think I’m just going to sit here?” Portnoy said in the first video, addressing the incident.

Portnoy said in a second video hours later that the two people who ordered the sign during bottle service have agreed to go to Auschwitz, a former Nazi Germany concentration camp during World War II, to learn about the Holocaust, and he’s hoping the incident will serve as a teachable moment.

“My initial reaction was like I’m going to [expletive] burn these people to the ground, their families, everything, and it’s like you know what? Maybe that’s not the best course of action,” Portnoy said. “Maybe I can use this as a teaching moment, and like before, people just are like [expletive] the Jews or any group, and the hate, let’s try to like turn a hideous incident into maybe a learning experience, as cliche and very unlike me. But I talked to both the culprits, who I know are super involved in it, talked to the families. I’m sending these kids to Auschwitz. They’ve agreed to go, that’s of course, the Holocaust concentration camps. Been in touch with the Krafts, who run the anti-hate group. We’re going to send these kids to Auschwitz, and they’re going to do a tour of the concentration camps in Germany and hopefully learn something. And maybe like their lives aren’t ruined, and they think twice, and more importantly, other people like see it’s not just like words you’re throwing around. So to me, that’s a fair outcome of this event.”

Barstool Sansom Street was closed on Sunday after the antisemitic sign went viral. Portnoy said that he would pay for the trip to Europe.

In a statement on Instagram, the bar wrote in part: “We are saddened, embarrassed, and frustrated by the deplorable actions of a customer and misguided staff acting outside the scope of their duties, which resulted in anti-semitic hate speech last evening at our establishment. Unfortunately, several employees ignored all of their training and the organization’s written policies regarding our zero tolerance policy for discrimination and hate. Instead, the employees complied with a customer’s request for a sign in connection with ordering bottle service.”

Temple President John Fry called the incident “deeply disturbing” in a letter to the University. One student has been placed on interim suspension.

“In the strongest terms possible, let me be clear: antisemitism is abhorrent,” Fry wrote in part. “It has no place at Temple and acts of hatred and discrimination against any person or persons are not tolerated at this university.”

“Our Division of Student Affairs is conducting an investigation related to last night’s incident, and they have identified one Temple student who is believed to have been involved,” he added. “This individual has already been placed on interim suspension.”

Any other Temple students involved in the incident will face disciplinary action, including possibly being expelled, Fry said.

Fry said that any students impacted by the incident could seek support at Tuttleman Counseling Services and IDEAL’s Interfaith Inclusion Center.

Anyone with information about what happened at Barstool Sansom Street is asked to contact the Office of the Dean of Students at Temple.

The Philadelphia Police Department said it’s looking into the incident.

“We are working to gather more information and will provide an update as soon as possible,” the police department wrote in a statement.

Antisemitic incidents have been on the rise since the terror group Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the American Jewish Committee, a civil rights and Jewish advocacy group.

According to the AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report, roughly one in seven Jewish adults reported experiencing antisemitism online or on social media. The report also says 77% of Jewish people in America said they feel less safe as a Jewish person in the United States because of the Oct. 7 attacks.

Jason Holtzman, of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, called what happened unacceptable.

“Ever since then, we really seen an uptick of hate against Jewish people, vandalism of Jewish institutions,” Holtzman said.

“It’s really a disturbing sign of the times,” he added.

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