What do you think a Jew looks like? It’s a question thousands of people are now contemplating thanks to an eye-catching billboard in Times Square that challenges Jewish stereotypes while celebrating the beauty and diversity of the Jewish people.
The two-panel billboard is part of a new public awareness and social media campaign by the Orthodox Union (OU), the umbrella organization and voice for American Orthodox Jewry. The OU is at the forefront of advocacy work on both state and federal levels, and outreach to Jewish teens and young professionals through NCSY, Teach Coalition, Israel Free Spirit Birthright, JLIC, and Yachad, among many other divisions and programs.
The campaign, which has been shared by Jewish social media influencers Lizzy Savetsky, Melinda Strauss, Dalia Oziel, Alyssa Goldwater and others, encourages people to help combat antisemitism by seeing “beyond the stereotypes” they might typically ascribe to Jews. Rotating images featuring Jews of various ages and ethnicities underscore that there is no single Jewish typecast.
The campaign also inspires Jews everywhere to take control of the Jewish narrative by posting pictures and sharing stories of themselves accompanied by the hashtag #IAmAJew.
“Now, more than ever, as Jewish values and beliefs are being challenged on the international stage and the Jewish community is feeling particularly vulnerable, this campaign attempts to not only counter antisemitism with indisputable facts,” says OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Mosher Hauer. “It also serves to remind us, as a community, of our beauty and resilience as a nation whose tapestry comprises Jews of all denominations, colors and ethnicities.”
CONTACT: Ilana Weinberger, assistant director of public relations, Orthodox Union, (347) 514-0184, weinbergeri@ou.org.
