JewBelong is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that is known for its billboards featuring slogans celebrating

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

and countering

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

. It is a tax-exempt corporation under

Internal Revenue Code The Internal Revenue Code (IRC), formally the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, is the domestic portion of federal statutory tax law in the United States, published in various volumes of the United States Statutes at Large, and separately as Title 26 ...

section

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

. It is registered since 2017 in Montclair, New Jersey.

History

JewBelong was founded in 2013 by Archie Gottesman and Stacy Stuart, two Jewish marketing professionals who'd previously led Manhattan Mini Storage's viral billboard marketing. JewBelong was founded with the stated mission of welcoming "disengaged Jews" back into Jewish religious and cultural life. Their website, which also hosts a variety of free resources for Jewish holidays, culture and customs, was their primary function until late 2019 and early 2020.

Antisemitism awareness campaigns

Beginning in late 2019 and early 2020, JewBelong expanded its programs to include antisemitism awareness campaigns, citing a rise in antisemitic events like the chants of " Jews will not replace us" at the August 2017 ''Unite the Right'' rally in Charlottesville and the shootings at a Pittsburgh synagogue and at a Jersey City kosher grocery store in October 2018 and December 2019, respectively. One of JewBelong's early antisemitism-related campaigns was a digital display in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

, New York. JewBelong's messages included, "We're just 75 years since the gas chambers. So no, a billboard calling out antisemitism isn't an overreaction. #stopantisemitism" and "3,500 years of antisemitism doesn't make it right."

Controversies

JewBelong has gained some notoriety for its "edgy" advertisements, particularly

billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

s. JewBelong posted the following on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

: "Trust Me. If Israel Wanted to Commit Genocide in Gaza, It Could." ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

'' Emily Tamkin's called the post "menacing." JewBelong ultimately deleted the post the same day. In 2023, JewBelong funded billboard ads that said, "You don't have to go to

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

to know that

anti-Zionism Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palestin ...

." In

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

, the billboards were subsequently vandalized with the phrases, "Jews4FreePalestine" and "Free Palestine". An anonymous anti-Zionist group claimed credit for vandalizing the billboard with anti-Israel graffiti. The

Berkeley Police Department The Berkeley Police Department (BPD) is the municipal police department for the city of Berkeley, California, USA. History Shortly after Berkeley was incorporated in 1878, a town marshal and constables were elected to provide law enforcement ...

investigated the incident as a

hate crime A hate crime (also known as a bias-motivated crime or bias crime) is a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of their membership (or perceived membership) of a certain social group or racial demograph ...

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.jewbelong.com/ Montclair, New Jersey Jewish organizations based in the United States Jews and Judaism in New Jersey Organizations based in New Jersey Non-profit organizations based in New Jersey Zionist organizations in the United States Opposition to antisemitism in the United States Judaism-related controversies Race-related controversies in advertising and marketing