Jewish leaders have been working hard to combat the persistent threat that is antisemitism. Robert Kraft’s Blue Square campaign is one such initiative. However, the campaign does not address the root causes of antisemitism and instead focuses on the symptoms. This exposes the hollowness of the current Jewish leadership’s fight against antisemitism.
The Blue Square campaign is well-intentioned, but it fails to address the most pressing forms of antisemitism. Jewish leaders lack the courage to even articulate what constitutes antisemitism, which is why they state they are “promoting awareness” rather than taking concrete steps to combat it. The Jewish community is spinning its wheels and cannot fight antisemitism if they cannot even agree on what it is.
The campaign diverts attention from actual threats and instead focuses on minor issues such graffiti and anti-Jewish social media posts. These attacks are unacceptable, but they are not the highest threat, nor the type that people are most likely to face. More pernicious forms of antisemitism, such as exclusion of Jews from campus admissions, censorship of pro-Israel views, and the mainstreaming of anti-Israel positions by politicians, are more prevalent and worrisome. Thus, the Blue Square campaign actually distracts from the fight against antisemitism by diverting attention to minor incidents and failing to address these more urgent concerns.
Further, the Blue Square does a disservice by portraying Jews as fragile victims that need condolence from the rest of America. But this distorts the Jewish experience in the United States and Israel. Despite antisemitic flyers and even deadly synagogue shootings, Jews are a proud people who have largely succeeded in establishing America as a place to enjoy religious freedom in America. Further, we have prevailed in establishing a homeland in the state of Israel and while threats remain, we have secured our existence as a people. While we appreciate support from other communities, we will survive regardless of the way society decides to view us. We are prepared for antisemitism, yet we have always thrived.
Many of the mainstream Jewish organizations like the Federation immediately jumped on board the Blue Square campaign in their usual manner of moving forward without any debate or discussion. But this campaign shows that the Jewish community cannot even agree on what antisemitism is, let alone agree on how to respond to it. If you can’t even agree on what antisemitism is, how can you fight it in a unified manner?
The $25 million dollar Blue Square campaign was immediately adopted by legacy Jewish organizations.
Despite its $25 million dollar budget, the best thing about the Blue Square campaign is it will run out of funds soon.
Despite its $25 million dollar budget, the best thing about the Blue Square campaign is it will run out of funds soon.
