Fighting antisemitism with a bold message
Ahead of solidarity rally, Times Square billboard turns heads in fight against hatred
Last week’s brutal attack in Boston of a Chabad emissary kept the rising tide of antisemitism in the US in the headlines. And Jewish groups and individuals are mobilizing in various ways.
A coalition of organizations, including the ADL, B’nai B’rith International and both Democratic and Republican Jewish bodies are organizing a demonstration under the banner “NO FEAR: A Rally in Solidarity with the Jewish People,” on July 11 in front of the US Capitol.
Buses to the event were being provided from major East Coast cities, including Boston, Philadelphia and New York City.
In New York, a different kind of awareness campaign has been taking place. As Times Square welcomes back a surge of tourists this summer, a massive hot pink billboard with a bold message has grabbed the attention of many.
“We’re just 75 years since the gas chambers. So no, a billboard calling out antisemitism isn’t an overreaction,” the digital memo reads.
The minds behind the eye-catching campaign are Archie Gottesman and Stacy Stuart, founders of JewBelong, an online platform that delivers easy-to-follow Jewish content for disengaged Jews.
WITH BACKGROUNDS in marketing, Gottesman said the duo is not afraid of a billboard, no matter how striking the message may be.
Before founding JewBelong, Gottesman and Stuart spent 20 years as the geniuses behind clever one-liner billboards for Manhattan Mini Storage, including the unforgettable “Why leave a city that has six professional sports teams, and also the Mets?” and “NYC: tolerant of your beliefs, judgmental of your shoes.”
Gottesman told The Jerusalem Post that JewBelong pivoted from humorous content to combating antisemitism in May, following the Israel-Gaza conflict and subsequent rise of anti-Jewish hate crimes across the US.
“To me it’s just the most obvious and critical thing,” she said. “My question is why didn’t everybody else do the same? I’m still stunned by how many Jewish organizations haven’t been screaming it from the rooftops.”
Before the monumental sign went up in Times Square on June 28, JewBelong launched a series of 800 digital LinkNYC ads in May, which are connected to Wi-Fi and provide passersby a place to charge their phones throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.
“Here’s an idea,” the witty message, also in hot pink, reads, “Let’s ask everyone wondering if antisemitism is real to wear a yarmulke for a week and then report back.”
Gottesman, a mother of three who lives in New Jersey, noted that the organization had some setbacks in launching the campaigns. Billboards are typically
privately owned, and not everyone was receptive to the idea.
“I do believe it could be because of the Jewish message,” Gottesman said.
“We always get hate for everything we do. Messages range from the far Right to the far Left: ‘Burn in an oven’ to ‘Free Palestine.’”
She also expressed worry that the signs would be vandalized.
But since the rollout, feedback has been positive, Gottesman said.
“The Jewish community in New York, and our allies, were so happy to see that there is a light shining on this. Of course, antisemitism is real, and pretending that it’s not is absurd gaslighting that the Jewish community even does to itself sometimes,” she said. “It feels good to have people speaking up and showing Jewish pride. Jews want to speak up more and louder.”
FOX 5 New York reported that Times Square onlookers have been receptive.
“I think it’s wonderful,” said one. “I think everyone should reach out and love one another instead of hating each other.”
Another commented, “I think the idea is great for New York, especially since it’s such a diverse area.”
The undaunted message calling out antisemitism will remain through the end of July. After that, JewBelong plans to launch its next witty campaign in the same area.
The nonprofit is also expanding the billboards into other cities across the country this summer, including Philadelphia, Miami and San Francisco.
“You’re not going to change the world with a billboard,” Gottesman said. “But it could be enough to get someone’s attention.