A deeply troubling antisemitic incident occurred Saturday night at Barstool Sports’ bar in Philadelphia, sparking swift and decisive action from its founder, Dave Portnoy.
According to police and eyewitness accounts, a Temple University student receiving bottle service at the bar requested a waitress to carry a sign displaying the vile message, “F*** Jews.” The offensive act ignited outrage on social media and prompted a criminal investigation.
Portnoy, who is Jewish, expressed his fury and disbelief on X (formerly Twitter), stating he was physically shaking for hours after learning of the event. Initially vowing to “ruin these people” and hold them fully accountable, Portnoy quickly pivoted to a more constructive path.
In a public video, he announced that the individuals involved in the incident had agreed to take part in a no-frills educational trip to Auschwitz, the former Nazi death camp in Poland, to learn about the Holocaust.
“Let’s try to turn a hideous incident into maybe a learning experience,” Portnoy said. “We’re going to send them to Auschwitz and learn a little bit about history and hopefully get educated — not just for them, but maybe for everybody.”
Portnoy confirmed that all staff responsible for enabling the incident were immediately terminated.
Temple University also responded, confirming that some of its students were involved. At least one student has already been placed on interim suspension while a full investigation is underway. The university warned that others found responsible could face expulsion.
University President John Fry issued a firm statement: “In the strongest terms possible, let me be clear: antisemitism is abhorrent. It has no place at Temple and acts of hatred and discrimination against any person or persons are not tolerated at this university.”
As the backlash continues, Portnoy’s decision to confront bigotry not with vengeance, but with historical truth, sets a powerful example of how education can be used to fight hate.
