New York City’s Latest Tactic To Combat Anti-Semitism: An Ad Campaign Featuring Diverse Jewish New Yorkers

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Top left, clockwise, Yosef Rapaport, Laura Shaw Frank, Marques Hollie and Dana Sussman appear in a New York City campaign in the wake of recent anti-Semitic attacks. (NYC Commission on Human Rights)

NEW YORK (JTA) — New York City is hoping that a new ad campaign will make Jewish New Yorkers feel comfortable despite a recent spate of anti-Semitic attacks.

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The campaign, launched Wednesday by the city’s Commission on Human Rights, consists of four ads each featuring a photograph of a different Jewish New Yorker and a bold proclamation: “Jewish New Yorkers belong here. Anti-Semitism does not.”

The ads will appear online and in three Orthodox publications — Hamodia, Jewish Press and Mishpacha Magazine — but feature Jews from diverse backgrounds.

“I think it’s undisputed right now that Jewish communities, both those who are visibly Jewish and those who are not, are feeling particularly vulnerable and are looking for allies, for solidarity, for support and we hope that this campaign addresses some of those concerns and that fear,” said Dana Sussman, a deputy commissioner who helped develop the campaign.

Sussman appears in one of the ads. The other New Yorkers featured are Yosef Rappaport, a Hasidic Brooklyn resident and community activist; Laura Shaw Frank, a Bronx resident and Orthodox feminist; and Marques Hollie, a Manhattan resident and queer Jew of color.

Orthodox feminist Laura Shaw Frank is among those featured in the campaign. (NYC Commission on Human Rights)

Rappaport said he had agreed to participate in the campaign after criticizing the city for excluding visibly Jewish New Yorkers from previous ads on other topics.

“I’m active on social media and I also sometimes rightfully or wrongfully complain when New York City has promotional material ads for all kinds of stuff, tourism and all, showing the diversity of people, [but] they hardly ever show Hasidic children, men or women,” he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in a voice message on the WhatsApp messaging platform. “Now that they asked me it was kind of difficult for me to say no.”

Rapaport said he hoped the campaign “will have the desired effect of making us visible, that we belong.”

In addition to running the ads in the three Orthodox publications, the commission will also promote the images on social media and in digital ads on the New York Jewish Week website. The campaign cost $50,000, city officials said.

Shaw Frank wrote in an email to JTA that she had been concerned about recent anti-Semitic attacks and that participating in the campaign “felt like something concrete I could DO, instead of just feeling helpless.”

Marquis Hollie hopes the campaign can increase awareness of diversity in the community and bring Jews together. (NYC Commission on Human Rights)

The commission has run similar campaigns to combat racism, Islamophobia and discrimination against the LGBTQ community. The city is also responding to the recent spate of anti-Semitic incidents in other ways, including by launching an education campaign in schools and creating an Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes.

Hollie said he hoped the campaign would yield benefits even beyond combating anti-Semitism.

“The Jewish people are a racially and ethnically diverse group of people,” he said in an email. “My hope is that this campaign will not only remind the public about this, but also remind us that our community is multi-faceted and that we, collectively, are pillars of support for one another in times of joy as well as times of adversity.”


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triumphinwhitehouse
triumphinwhitehouse
4 years ago

that Rapoport and his son are ALWAYS doing de blasio’s bidding, someone tell this guy he hates you and doesn’t give your Masbia org any more $$$$$, despite Masbia serving 90% goyim.

Bernie
Bernie
4 years ago

You wanna fight antisemitism? Stop being a schlep and FIGHT BACK!
What would happen if 2 white teens tried to scare/ assault a minyan of 10 black men? Would they all run? Pull out their cell phones? Get the idea?

Far Rockaway Guy
Far Rockaway Guy
4 years ago

Why is this normal? Does anyone think it’s a big chiddush that anti semitism doesn’t belong in NYC? As if it belongs ANYWHERE? We need a commercial to say that? that’s some pretty messed up liberal GARBAGE.

Voice of Reason
Voice of Reason
4 years ago

When perpetrators of anti-Semitic hate crimes incur zero consequences for their actions, they are emboldened to repeat them. They become role models for others, and you get the spike we are observing today.

The defunct JDL cleaned our streets. They took the vermin and made sure they became models of what happens when you commit these crimes. Quiet became the norm. But our current mayor refuses to allow these animals to be charged with crimes or convicted. He rewards them, and sends them back to do it again. These politicians need to forced into retirement. If our courts will not be allowed to provide consequences, then we need to return to street justice, and make sure the criminals will never walk again (use your imagination to guess how that is achieved).

jihad
jihad
4 years ago

eisav is now going to be nice.lhahahaha

Out of Africa
Out of Africa
4 years ago

Um, has it occurred to the organizers of the ad campaign that readers of Hamodia, Jewish Press and Mishpocha Magazine are not the demographic launching violent attacks against Jews? Sorry, this a politically correct way of placating the Jewish community that the powers that be care and are “doing” something about the problem, while actually addressing the wrong audience and achieving nothing.

Liam K. Nuj
Liam K. Nuj
4 years ago

Hmmm… for some reason, I doubt that the publications mentioned are going to run these ads in the fashion decribed above.

Heshy
Heshy
4 years ago

So we so called Orthodox Jews are lumped together with feminists and homosexuals. Very nice. Our ancestors must be proud. Did this chassidic looking guy ask the gedolim if it’s ok to pose with these anti Torah individuals. Did the so called frum publications ask rabbonim if it’s ok to take these ads. Chutzpah.

Barry
Barry
4 years ago

Black Jews should be in those ads too.

The_Truth
The_Truth
4 years ago

This ad will NOT be in the jewish media as it features women (although maybe that is the point, that women should not be discrimated against? hmm)

DC
DC
4 years ago

Pandering politically correct puking pabulum.