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Jewish Leaders Protest Development of
Proposed 76ers Arena by Chinatown
Sasha Rogelberg | Staff Writer
6 JANUARY 19, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
Jewish organizers tabling on 10th and Arch streets on
Christmas, protesting the construction of 76 Place near
Chinatown a group to “grow leadership in Asian
American communities to build our
neighborhoods and unite against
oppression.” According to Jonathan Waldman,
a white, Jewish Chinatown resident
married to a Chinese American woman
and co-founder of the Concerned
Citizens of Chinatown Association,
the construction of the arena would
gentrify the neighborhood, driving out
residents and businesses, some of
which have existed in the neighbor-
hood for generations.

Rabbi Linda Holtzman, a spiritual
leader of the Tikkun Olam Chavurah,
led a menorah lighting, drawing paral-
lels between the “small but mighty”
Maccabees who fended off the ancient
Greek army and the protesters of the
76 Place construction.

“It was a group of people who saw
something that they were deeply upset
about, didn’t sit back quietly, and stood
up and spoke out,” Holtzman said. “So
on the eighth day of Chanukah, it’s so
very important as Jews to stand up
and say, ‘No, we’re speaking out, too.

We’re not letting this happen.’”
The Christmas day protest of 76 Place
wasn’t the first time the construction of
the arena was deemed a Jewish issue.

On Oct. 21, NACS members and
Photo by Joe Piette
Photo by Ted Lieverson
O n Dec. 25, Jewish Philadelphians
flocked to Chinatown for more
than just dim sum.

A group of demonstrators, many of
whom were Jewish, brought signs,
a larger-than-life dreidel and electric
menorahs to the Friendship Gate at 10th
and Arch streets, protesting against
the construction of the 175,000-square-
foot, $1.3 billion 76 Place.

The proposed 76ers arena would
occupy the Market East district,
replacing part of the Fashion District
Philadelphia mall and Greyhound
station on Market Street between 10th
and 11th streets, ending less than a
block from Chinatown.

“Let’s save
our Chinatown,
pa-rump-pa dim sum,” protesters sang
to the tune of “Little Drummer Boy”.

According to organizer Debora
Kodish, about 200 people stopped
by the table at 10th and Arch to learn
more about the protest or express
support. “It just seems really important that
we hold on to this, maybe the last
large remaining community of color in
Center City, Philadelphia,” Kodish said.

“We need everybody to stand up for
Chinatown,” she continued. “We don’t
want people in Chinatown to feel like
it’s just their small battle because it
affects all of us.”
The group of Jewish protest-
ers has dubbed themselves the No
Arena in Chinatown Solidarity group
(pronounced as “naches,” the Yiddish
word for “pride” or “satisfaction”). They
are part of a coalition of groups, many
led by Chinatown residents and Asian
American leaders, protesting against
the development of the arena.

“It’s a form of predatory develop-
ment for the city writ large, but for
Chinatown, it would absolutely destroy
the community,” said Debbie Wei,
co-founder of Asian American United,
Rabbi Linda Holtzman (left) at a protest against the 76 Place
construction on Oct. 21
other demonstrators gathered outside
of Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall to
protest while the Jewish Federation
Real Estate group hosted its 10th
annual Legends and Leaders event
inside, honoring Jewish Federation
co-chair and JFRE founder David
Adelman, who is also the chair of
76 Devcorp, the development group
behind 76 Place.

“People have the right to free
speech; they have the right to protest.

They have the right to disagree with
our plan,” Adelman said of the protest.

“I just hope it’s based on a premise of
solid foundation of truth.”
According to Adelman, the plans
for 76 Place would not interfere with
Chinatown and only supplant the
now-defunct entertainment center.

“We’re utilizing existing infrastructure
and placing something there,” he said.

Adelman acknowledged that previ-
ous development projects, such as
the Vine Street Expressway, which cut
Chinatown in half, were detrimental to
the neighborhood.

He also addressed Philadelphia
Chinatown protesters’ concerns
that the development of 76 Place
would result in a similar fate to that
of Washington, D.C.‘s Chinatown,
whose Capital One Arena gentrified
the area and displaced Chinatown’s
immigrant residents. Unlike the Vine
Street Expressway and Capital One
Arena projects, 76 Place is not a result
of eminent domain, meaning that,
according to Adelman, the project will
not displace residents.

Adelman also plans to invest in afford-
able housing and increased security in
the neighborhood. He said 76 Devcorp
has met with 25-30 groups of 20-200
people, most of which are Chinatown
residents or other concerned parties.

“I want to be cognizant of the facts
and always listen to concerns,” he said.

“That’s why we’re unveiling this project
eight years in advance.”
Still, Chinatown residents are
concerned about the implications
of the arena’s construction, which is
slated to last six years.

“The crowding, the pollution and
dust and debris and the traffic for six
years — that will be in Chinatown for
sure,” Waldman said.

He predicts that Chinatown as
residents know it will be gone in the
next 10-15 years anyway. With the
construction of 76 Place, Waldman
worries the neighborhood won’t last
the next six. ■
srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com