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Combating rising antisemitism in the United States has proven challenging in recent months.
President Trump and Jewish students have reached legal settlements with some of the country’s most prestigious universities. But what more can be done to counter anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hate?
A small Jewish organization, along with CBN and Regent University, has launched a billboard campaign to raise awareness about antisemitism.
New York marketing executive Archie Gottesman developed the campaign. She believes that antisemitism has become so severe in the United States that many Jews are afraid to openly discuss or display their faith. She stopped a conversation about planning a trip to Jerusalem when she realized her Uber driver was listening.
“I never, ever would have thought that I would be scared to mention that I was going to go visit my sister, you know, in New York City. It’s scary. It’s scary. Not to mention not being able to be who you are,” she explained.
Gottesman is co-founder of JewBelong, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting antisemitism and making Judaism easier to understand.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents in the United States have increased by 900% over the past 10 years. They surged to over 10,000 incidents during the first year following the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.
Gottesman is deeply concerned about the rising anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses and its impact on Jewish students and their non-Jewish friends.
“Maybe you’re a Christian and you’re an ally to Israel and you feel like, ‘Well, I better not say that because the kids down the hall might, you know, hate me and they might not want to, you know, be friends or they might, you know, say terrible things about me.’ Or for a Jewish student, same thing if they’re like, ‘Well, I can’t be a proud Jew because I have to hide my identity,'” she said.
The Christian Broadcasting Network, CBN Israel, and Regent University have partnered with JewBelong to amplify the organization’s voice through social media, web advertising, and a nationwide billboard campaign.
“We need to be more than, you know, this little group. And the only way to do that is to work with allies in the Christian community,” Gottesman explained. “And by speaking in ways that are like, get a lot of eyes, millions and millions of eyes….a connection that is based in faith and based both in faith and tradition. And a real need, I just, I can’t say enough about it. It’s really meant everything to us. It’s changed the tenor sometimes of us, you know, it just feels less lonely.”
Some of the billboards are strategically placed near Harvard, Yale, Brown, and the University of Pennsylvania.
So, how does Gottesman respond when people suggest billboards cannot possibly change antisemitic views?
“They would never take someone who’s a real hater, like someone who hates Jews, is not going to see your billboard and say, ‘Oh, great, now I like Jews,'” she explained. “It can’t change deep hatred. But what they do is they make people who are not as aware speak up… it just maybe gives people the bravery to say something. Things don’t change in America unless awareness is raised.”
For now, it’s all about shining light on hate, bringing change to America, one billboard at a time.
© 2025 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc.
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