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Jewbelong Continued from Page 1
Antisemitism “has always
been there, just waiting for
air,” Stacy Stuart, JewBelong’s
co-founder, said. “And in May,
it got air.”
Co-founder Archie
Gottesman and Stuart felt as
though it was inappropriate to
continue business as usual —
providing rituals, Shabbat songs
and recipes — during a time
“when people are hating you.”
“If the house is on fire, I
don’t want to talk about
redesigning the staircase,” said
Gottesman. Instead, JewBelong pivoted
to ways to address antisemi-
tism online.

Inspired by
Jewish Partisans, informal Jewish
militias in eastern Europe that
resisted and fought against
Nazis during World War II,
JewBelong awarded “Partisan
Prizes,” monetary rewards to
social media users who were
consistently outspoken about
antisemitism online.

JewBelong also posed
questions on social media,
asking followers to share
instances of when they had
experienced antisemitism.

According to Gottesman
and Stuart, the outpouring
of stories was immense, with
one respondent writing that
“My first grade teacher in
Mississippi checked my head
for horns. She thought we wore
hats to hide our horns.”
Though devastated by the
number and personal nature
of the responses, Gottesman
and Stuart realized that public-
facing discussions about
antisemitism brought oppor-
tunities to not only address
antisemitism on a greater scale,
but also create spaces for Jewish
connection and empowerment.

“It’s human nature that
when people are vulnerable
and tell you something that is
personal and painful, it makes
us open up to them more,”
Gottesman said.

But JewBelong did not
just want to connect Jews by
addressing antisemitism.

Gottesman believed that
while Jews value standing up
for others, they don’t always
advocate for themselves when
experiencing hate crimes and
discrimination. Through a campaign rooted
in witty and playful messaging,
JewBelong is not only trying
to raise awareness of antisem-
itism among non-Jewish
populations; they also hope to
inspire Jewish people to speak
out and against hate.

“JewBelong is fighting back,
and we are giving the energy
to other people to fight back,”
Gottesman said.

Stuart said that the humor
and brevity of their campaigns is
what draws people to JewBelong.

The “nontraditional” ads juxta-
pose ideas like religion and
ritual, which are oftentimes seen
as very traditional.

For individuals who have
A mock-up of a “JewBelong or JewBeGone” sign in New York
Courtesy of JewBelong
JewBelong is fighting back, and we are giving the energy to other
people to fight back.”
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JEWISH EXPONENT
felt intimidated by a religion
steeped in tradition, JewBelong
is attempting to be relatable,
accessible. Both Gottesman and Stuart
had, at some point or another
in their adult lives, experienced
a disconnect from the religion,
apathy about their Judaism or
embarrassment about being
Jewish: After Gottesman’s
husband converted, she had
trouble finding Jewish events
that resonated with her; and
Stuart felt uneducated about
Jewish wedding rituals while
preparing for her wedding.

So after working together
on marketing for Manhattan
Mini Storages, Gottesman’s
family’s business, applying
their waggish marketing style
to grab the attention of disen-
gaged Jews was a natural next
step. They created JewBelong
4½ years ago, with the goal of
“rebranding Judaism.”
“Judaism is a great religion,
but it’s the marketing that
sucks,” Stuart said.

Over the past half decade,
JewBelong’s online presence
has swelled to 150,000
followers. Their “JewBelong
or JewBeGone” campaign has
already launched in New York.

In addition to the Big
Apple, JewBelong selected
Philadelphia, as well as Miami,
San Francisco and Washington,
D.C., as homes for its campaign
against antisemitism.

“There’s just a lot of energy
in the Jewish, Philly experi-
ence and a lot of Jewish pride.”
Gottesman said. “It’s also a
diverse community.”
Gottesman believes the
campaign in Philadelphia and
beyond is just the beginning
of combating antisemitism,
inspiring Jews and their allies
to address antisemitism when
they see it: “Speak about it;
don’t shut up about it.” l
srogelberg@jewishexponent.com |
215-832-0741 JEWISHEXPONENT.COM