Hymie’s, the Philly Jewish deli featured in a Trump ad, is now the setting for a Harris spot

Hymie’s, a popular Jewish deli in Philadelphia, raised some Jewish hackles when it served as the stage for Closing announcement of the Republican Jewish Coalition — featuring Jewish actors playing elderly women who, after supporting the Democrats, switch their votes to Donald Trump.

So, 10 days later, a Democratic organization stepped in to film a pro-Kamala Harris ad for the same deliwith real Jews in Pennsylvania — one of seven swing states that both parties are focusing closely on ahead of Tuesday’s close election.

Former Gov. Ed Rendell, the state’s Democratic governor from 2003 to 2011, launches the Harris commercial sitting in a booth and contemplating Hymie’s favorite offering, a turkey special. “They’re the best,” he says.

Lita Cohen — who served as a Republican in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1993 to 2002 — says her preference is lox and bagels, but quickly adds, “I’m very upset about that recent Trump ad stereotyping Jews.” reference to the local deli unhappiness for allowing RJC to use its premises.

“Me too, it was really offensive,” says Silvi Specter, whose grandfather was U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, a longtime Republican who late in his career became a Democrat to help push President Barack Obama’s health care reform.

Ken Davis, former chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party, leans in from another booth. “It’s been years!” He mentions Trump’s response to the neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville in 2017, in which Trump said they were “very good people on both sides.”

“We can’t have four more years of Trump embracing anti-Semitism, chaos and violence,” says Rendell. “It’s not good for our country and it’s certainly not good for Israel.”

The Patriot Majority ad was shared by Michael Smerconish, a Pennsylvania political commentator on CNN and Sirius XM. “It was inevitable – here’s Kamala Harris’ line to a pro-Donald Trump RJC ad airing in swing states, shot in the same suburban Philadelphia deli (Hymies), but with locals including Gov. Ed Rendell,” said Smerconish.

The ad is being paid for by Patriot Majority USA, a political action committee founded 14 years ago to counter the rise of the Tea Party, which was then in the early stages of becoming very influential within the Republican Party. PAC did not return requests for comment; nor Spectre, who is now a marketing consultant.

Each ad seeks to identify the other party’s candidate with extremes: the RJC links Vice President Kamala Harris to anti-Israel protesters roiling campuses. “Oy vey,” says one of the three actors. “Trump I never cared for, but at least he’ll keep us safe.” The ad ends with the three women raising their mugs to vote for Trump.

The RJC acknowledged that the women, whom it called “bubbies,” were actors, but said they were all Jewish and voting for Trump. They would not make them available for interviews.

The Patriot Majority ad ends similarly with all four people in the ad united in purpose. “I’m glad we’re all on the same page, Harris for president,” Rendell says as he reaches across the table and shakes Cohen’s hand.