local
Jewish Federation Joins National
Campaign Against Antisemitism
Jarrad Saff ren | Staff Writer
6 APRIL 13, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
run and display the message at games.

“You’re at the 76ers game. We want
it to be right there on the scoreboard,”
Balaban said.

After the stadiums and arenas,
the CEO wants to see the message
on billboards while he is driving on
Interstate 95 and other area highways.

“We haven’t reached out to any of
the billboard networks, but we will be
moving on to that next, as well as the
city skyline,” he said. “A few roaming
billboards in the city to see if we can
get the message going there as well.”
In its news release about its
decision to join the campaign, the
Federation listed fi ve steps that people
can take to help. They are: Post and
share the blue square emoji along-
side a message of support for the
Jewish community. Tell other people
you know about the campaign.

Tell a story to your social followers
about a time when you experienced
antisemitism or saw someone stand
up to it. Visit StandUptoJewishHate.

org to learn how to identify and
report antisemitism. And follow the
#StandUptoJewishHate campaign on
the @StandUptoJewishHate accounts
on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Antisemitic incidents increased by
36% across the country and 65% in
Pennsylvania in 2022, according to the
Anti-Defamation League. Philadelphia,
The #StandUpToJewishHate symbol distributed by the Foundation to
Combat Antisemitism
Montgomery County and Bucks County
saw 34, 24 and fi ve incidents, respec-
tively. A recent Wunderman Thompson
SONAR survey found that 52% of U.S.

adults do not see antisemitism as a big
problem, but an ADL study discovered
that 85% of Americans believe at least
one antisemitic trope.

“If it’s not front and center in people’s
minds — they very quickly forget about
it and move on to the next item,”
Balaban said. “Being able to reinforce
it during a 76ers game or when you’re
watching HGTV is critical.”
It is, of course, not just Jews who
watch the Sixers and HGTV. So, the
goal of the campaign is to transcend
the Jewish community, according to
Balaban. It is to help non-Jews see the
problem as clearly as Jews do. The
biggest problem, as the CEO explains,
is “complacency.”
“When you’re in line at a grocery
store and someone makes a comment
and you hear it. When a student
witnesses a friend being harassed,
there’s a tendency for people not to
want to get involved,” he said. “We
need people to get involved. And we
need to call it out when it’s hate against
other groups.”
“We cannot let 2.4% of the popula-
tion fi ght antisemitism on its own,”
Balaban concluded.

“The #StandUpToJewishHate
campaign is designed to raise aware-
ness for the fi ght against antisem-
itism, specifi cally among non-Jewish
audiences and to help all Americans
understand that there is a role for each
of us to play in combating a problem
that is unfortunately all too prevalent in
communities across the country today,”
Kraft said in the news release. ■
jsaff ren@midatlanticmedia.com
Courtesy of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism
Jewish Federation of Greater
Philadelphia President and CEO
Michael Balaban
Courtesy of Michael Balaban
J ewish Federation of Greater
Philadelphia President Michael
Balaban already laments how
much his organization and others have
to spend on security in this era. It is
many millions of dollars to protect
against rising antisemitism. Balaban
would prefer to spend that money on
productive, not defensive, endeavors,
like education.

But now, the local Federation is
adding another layer to its defenses
against antisemitism. The Philadelphia
Federation is joining the national
#StandUptoJewishHate campaign,
started by New England Patriots owner
Robert Kraft, who is Jewish.

Kraft began the initiative with
a $25 million investment and the
creation of the Foundation to Combat
Antisemitism, according to a news
release. The national campaign uses
a blue square as a symbolic reminder
to #StandUptoJewishHate, and it
“features digital platforms, billboards
and social media content.” A public
service announcement is also airing on
“The Voice” and “TODAY,” among other
shows. The Philadelphia Federation
announced a local partner campaign
on March 27.

“People have to be aware that this
is growing,” Balaban said of antisemi-
tism. “That awareness is vital.”
Security may protect Jewish build-
ings. But messaging gets into people’s
minds, and that is the campaign's
goal. Kraft’s Foundation to Combat
Antisemitism has provided Balaban’s
team with the content. Now it’s on the
local Federation to work its regional
contacts. Balaban said all the local
news affi liates — ABC, NBC, CBS and
Fox — have agreed to air spots.

“Yesterday, I turned on Channel 6,
and it aired during the news,” he added.

The Federation also is working with
the city’s professional sports teams to