Pittsburgher joins push for Peloton to address Jewish users’ concerns over anti-Zionism

Pittsburgher Julie Paris considers herself a “die-hard Peloton fan.”

“I own every piece of Peloton equipment out there,” she said.

Because of that devotion, Paris, along with several other Jewish community members who regularly use the workout equipment (some have even gone as far as creating a Facebook page, the “Official Jewish Peloton Riders”) felt betrayed after an incident involving Adrian Williams.

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Williams is a high-profile Peloton instructor who collaborated on an Instagram post with Ayat, a Palestinian restaurant chain that has spread anti-Zionist messaging.

The post showed Williams displaying a “Discover Palestine” page on the restaurant’s menu, with a map of Israel labeled as “Palestine.”

Ayat’s owner has a long history of spreading “anti-Zionist libel,” talking about settler colonialism and genocide, according to Paris, the Mid-Atlantic regional director of StandWithUs.

The restaurant previously faced backlash for printing on its menu the words “From the river to the sea,” an anti-Zionist phrase calling for the elimination of the state of Israel.

Williams deleted his controversial Instagram post and created a new post, which said: “My last dining series post had an unintended, opposite effect, so I removed it.”

And while he stopped short of issuing an apology, Williams wrote that he had been “reflecting” since his original post.

“To everyone who approached me in the spirit of love and education I am grateful. I am listening closely and learning. I promise to keep growing and to stand firmly against hatred, and I hope you will join me. Let’s communicate moving forward in the spirit of love. My commitment is entirely to our shared growth, never to limiting or shrinking our potential or who we are,” he wrote.

Paris said this wasn’t the first time Peloton instructors posted “problematic” content, including lies accusing Israel of genocide and amplifying people like social media influencer and preschool teacher Ms. Rachel, who has used her platform to promote anti-Israel messages. Some Peloton instructors have argued online with pro-Israel advocates like Michael Rapaport, Paris noted.

It’s the same type of dangerous misinformation and propaganda, Paris said, rooted in anti-Jewish bigotry that “is causing the harassment, threats, discrimination and physical violence that many Jews are experiencing today in their communities.”

Paris wasn’t alone in her outrage. Jewish Peloton users took to Facebook, Instagram, Substack and TikTok, among other platforms, to voice their concerns.

Paris said Peloton’s customers are looking for the organization to enforce its stated policies, which prohibit hate and discrimination in all forms, and which apply to both official Peloton content and community content created by users, including Peloton team members, instructors and content creators both on and off the platform.

That’s important, she said, because instructors like Williams maintain robust media platforms, attracting large followings.

Paris took to social media to voice her concerns and StandWithUs created a letter writing campaign urging Peloton to enforce its community guidelines.

Paris was pleasantly surprised, she said, to receive an invitation from the company to come to New York and, along with 29 other people, meet with Peloton’s executive leadership.

She said it took some work for everyone to attend the meeting, “but it showed how important it was for us to be heard, and also how much it meant that Peloton leadership was willing to take this first step to hear from us.”

Peloton, Paris noted, even hired “an incredible” mediator, who spoke with individuals before the meeting.

And while she said that those who attended the meeting felt heard, and that the meeting was productive, Paris is interested in next steps.

“We want Peloton to be successful,” she said. “I’m a member. We want it to do well. We just want them to do better. We want to make sure that they’re treating their Jewish members equally, that everyone feels welcome. So, I think this was a good first step. I felt like they listened and cared. The question is, what comes next,” she said.

Peloton told the group that it would follow up after the meeting, according to Paris. She hopes the situation has created an opportunity for education, which she called “the most critical step.”

The Peloton experience has offered some hope, Paris said, but noted that it isn’t unique. She said that Peloton is only one of thousands of companies that need education on contemporary antisemitism, anti-Jewish bigotry, anti-Zionism and Jewish identity.

“The failure,” she said, “is to connect the dots on why this matters so much.”

If there are any take-aways this far into the narrative, Paris said, it’s that the Jewish community is united to standing up against antisemitism and anti-Zionism.

“We’re not going to allow our story to be taken from us,” she said. “We’re going to continue to stand up and stand proud. I hope we never need to do one of these campaigns again.”

The Chronicle reached out to Peloton for comment. PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.