PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Lines were long on Thursday at four Philly restaurants donating all proceeds to help on the ground in Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas.
“We’re watching a horrific human tragedy unfold and if we say nothing, we are complicit,” said Shanny, a regular at K’Far in Center City, who was waiting in line for a seat in the cafe around lunchtime. She was one of many lining the block, there to show support for Israel.
K’Far was one of the four Philly restaurants owned and operated by Israeli chef Michael Solomonov that donated 100% of its sales on Thursday to United Hatzalah, a citizen-run organization providing on-the-ground emergency medical support in Israel. The other participating restaurants were Goldie, Laser Wolf and the James Beard Award-winning Zahav.
Solomonov and his business partner Steve Cook announced the fundraiser on the chef's personal Instagram on Wednesday. “We are very much looking forward to you attending, to you donating, and to you participating in what we think is something that will be very meaningful to our friends and family back home,” he told KYW Newsradio.
For Samantha, who works nearby, the fundraiser was also a chance to support loved ones that still live in Israel.
“I have family that lives there, my grandmother lives there,” she said. “We woke up Saturday to some pretty awful news, but thankfully everyone is safe and could really use our support here, as other areas of the world are not showing support.”
Shanny echoed that sentiment of being far away from the conflict, but still looking for ways to make an impact.
“I think a lot of people have been feeling really helpless and we have very few ways to answer a call to action,” she said, “and donating and showing up and using our words is all we have when we’re so far away.”