CINCINNATI — A national nonprofit is confronting growing antisemitism through a bold billboard campaign targeting FIFA Club World Cup visitors.
The billboards' message? That hate is everyone's problem.
JewBelong, a nonprofit combating antisemitism, has deployed eye-catching, bright pink billboards in Cincinnati featuring statements statements like "Whether you call it football or soccer, anti-semitism is foul" and "Kick the **** out of anti-semitism."
"Antisemitism is growing at ridiculously high rates, and yet lots of people don't know it," said Archie Gottesman, JewBelong's co-founder. "Part of solving an issue is making people aware."
The campaign highlights a stark local reality: She says Cincinnati has experienced a 282% increase in antisemitic incidents from 2023 to 2024. With an expected audience of 7 million during the FIFA event, JewBelong aims to spark widespread awareness.
"Even if you don't know anybody who's Jewish, reading about what's happening in our country is scary," Gottesman said. "People are afraid to wear Jewish stars, telling their children to hide their identity."
The billboards' core message transcends religious boundaries.
In other parts of the country other billboards by the nonprofit read, "You don't need to be a Jew to protect Jews" and "Let's be clear, Hamas is your problem too," underscoring Gottesman's claims that extremism threatens everyone.
"The people who hate the Jewish community also hate Americans," she said. "Jews happen to be first in line in this particular experience."
The billboards will remain through July, with JewBelong hoping to transform awareness into action.
You can read more about the organization and the resources they have available by going to their website JewBelong.org
