2026-04-14 11:49:AM <br/> Tags: #AmericanJewry #organization #Lobby ![[image-268.png|688x143]] # JewBelong - JewBelong is a U.S.-based pro-Israel Jewish education and advocacy nonprofit focused on "Supporting Joyous Judaism and Confronting Antisemitism."[^1] - JewBelong, known for its striking billboards, is intentionally provocative in its messaging. #### Activities - JewBelong was founded in 2013 by Archie Gottesman and Stacy Stuart, two Jewish marketing professionals.[^2] - JewBelong is guided by its self-authored "New Ten Commandments" which it describes as "the alt right's nightmare." - The commandments are:[^3] >[!info] JewBelong Ten Commandments >1. Honor those who choose Judaism - *JewBelong supports conversion to Judaism, a break from common Jewish practice.* >2. Jewish Grandchildren - "raise your children to be Jewish. ...If the thought of being invited to your grandchild’s baptism troubles you, do something about it now." *What about our shared Judeo-Christian values!!* >3. Belief in God is not required - "You don’t need to believe in God to be a good Jew. Meaningful Judaism can be about values, tradition, culture and community." >4. Get to Israel - "It’s your responsibility to take your family to Israel unless you really can’t afford it. Sending your kids to Israel on [[Birthright Israel|Birthright's]] dime, when you don’t have to, is like going to the food pantry for a meal when you can afford to buy it. If you insist on Birthright, then at least give them a large donation to pay for your child’s trip." >5. End boring synagogue - "C’mon, rabbis! We are counting on you, and many of you are failing us. Be creative, be humorous, and be spiritual." >6. Give philanthropy to Jewish causes - "More than 80% of Jewish philanthropy goes to non-Jewish causes, which is slowly but surely making Jewish philanthropic institutions disappear...Raising money for the Red Cross or cutting their [Jewish children celebrating their bar/bat mitzvah] hair for Locks of Love is not exactly taking care of our own." *Disregarding the laughable assessment that Jews are not donating enough to Jewish organizations and institutions, notice how JewBelong advocates for a simple principle: taking your own side. Those Christians? Those sick kids? Not Jewish enough, hold your donations. This tribal insularity, colloquially 'keeping it in the family,' is how Jews rise.* >7. Do your Jewish with others - "Judaism is a communal religion and is difficult to do solo..." >8. Shabbat - "Friday night is family Shabbat, period." >9. Send your kids to Jewish summer camp and Hebrew school - "The best way to raise Jewish kids is within a community that they love and feel connected to, and there’s nothing quite like Jewish camp and yes, Hebrew school, to help make that happen. Learning about rituals and history, and even some Hebrew, will help your kids feel like part of something bigger than themselves." >10. End Jewbarrassment - JewBelong calls on Jews to stop referring to themselves as "bad Jews" for not strictly adhering to Jewish law (halacha). - According to its co-founder Stacy Stuart, JewBelong is attempting to mimic Black Lives Matter but for Jews.[^4] - According an article in the *Washington Jewish Week*, JewBelong "has aligned itself with staunchly pro-Israel Twitter personalities, including writers Noa Tishby, Eve Barlow, and Hen Mazzig." - JewBelong has been praised by [[StandWithUs (SWU)]] leader [[Roz Rothstein]] for its work fighting the "virus of hate."[^4] *Jews and their allies commonly equate criticism of Israel or Jews with disease, viruses, contagions, infection, sickness, etc.* - JewBelong's flagship program is its use of pink billboards with provocative messaging. - According to JewBelong, after seeing their billboards:[^20] - 58% believed antisemitism is rising in the United States. - 28% increase in: "combatting antisemitism is an urgent issue." - 16% increase in: "I feel scared for Jewish people in the country." - These billboards are best understood by seeing them. The following are a few JewBelong billboards: ![[image-269.png|902|718x352]] *A very similar billboard to this one was launched by JewBelong in partnership with [[StandWithUs (SWU)]] in 2022 in Toronto.*[^19] ![[image-270.png|727|701x391]] ![[image-271.png|688x388]] ![[image-272.png|509x382]] *Here JewBelong speaks as if they are Israelis talking to American foreigners.* ![[image-273.png|594x396]] *This one is strange* #### Funding and Donors - JewBelong's annual revenue has consistently risen since its founding, with $7.1 million being reported in 2024.[^18] - [[Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation]] [^4] - [[Jewish Communal Fund]] - $179,479 from 2017-2024[^5] - Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (the name for Boston's [[Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)|Jewish Federation]]) - $478,000 in 2024[^18] - [[Bernard Marcus]]' [[Marcus Foundation]] - $300,000 in 2024[^18] #### Notable Figures - Stacy Stuart - Co-founder - Stuart is an alumna of the [[Wexner Foundation|Wexner Heritage Foundation]].[^8] - Archie Gottesman - Co-founder - Gottesman is a "prominent pro-Israel figure who sits on the board of [[Democratic Majority for Israel]]."[^4] - In 2018, Gottesman [commented](https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/a-multi-city-ad-campaign-hopes-to-fight-antisemitism-with-eye-catching-messages-who-is-jewbelong-for/#:~:text=2018%20Twitter%20post%2C-,she%20wrote,-%2C%20%E2%80%9CGaza%20is%20full) "Gaza is full of monsters. Time to burn the whole place." - Gottesman is a board member of the Zioness Movement, an organization that advocates for Zionism on the progressive left.[^6][^7] - Zioness was founded in 2017 as an offshoot of [[The Lawfare Project]]. - Gottesman is an alumna of the [[Wexner Foundation|Wexner Heritage Foundation]].[^6] - Gottesman is a board member of [[Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC)]]. - Alison Lebovitz - Board member - Lebovitz is a board member of the [[Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)|Jewish Federation]] of Greater Chattanooga, Tennessee Holocaust Commission, and the Fiedler [[Hillel International|Hillel]] at Northwestern University.[^9] - Lebovitz is a graduate of [[Brandeis University]].[^9] - David Robinov - Board member[^10] - Robinov is a managing director at Ackman Ziff, a New York commercial real estate company. - Ackman Ziff was led by Simon Ziff and Lawrence "Larry" Ackman. - Lawrence Ackman is the father of [[Pershing Square]] founder and CEO [[Bill Ackman]].[^11] - Kevin Bright - Board member[^12] - Bright, a Jewish producer, was behind the anti-white 1985 comedic-documentary series "The History of White People in America."[^13] - Noa Tishby - Board member[^14] - Tishby, who is Israeli, is an [[Hasbara|Israeli propagandist]] and former Israeli [[Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism]].[^15] - Pamela Paresky - Board member[^16] - Paresky is a senior fellow at the [[Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI)]]. - Rabbi Danielle Eskow - Board member - Eskow is a graduate of [[Brandeis University]] and the [[Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS)]].[^17] #### References [^1]: JewBelong, “About Us,” [https://www.jewbelong.com/about-us/](https://www.jewbelong.com/about-us/). [^2]: Lilly Maier, “Meet the Women Who Use Snarky Ad Campaigns to ‘Save Judaism,’” _The Forward_, January 11, 2017, [https://forward.com/life/351743/meet-the-women-who-use-snarky-ad-campaigns-to-save-judaism/](https://forward.com/life/351743/meet-the-women-who-use-snarky-ad-campaigns-to-save-judaism/). [^3]: JewBelong, “New Ten Commandments,” [http://jewbelong.com/topics/new-ten-commandments/](http://jewbelong.com/topics/new-ten-commandments/). [^4]: Eliyahu Kamisher, “A Multi-City Ad Campaign Hopes to Fight Antisemitism with Eye-Catching Messages. Who Is JewBelong For?,” _Washington Jewish Week_, August 5, 2021, [https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/a-multi-city-ad-campaign-hopes-to-fight-antisemitism-with-eye-catching-messages-who-is-jewbelong-for/](https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/a-multi-city-ad-campaign-hopes-to-fight-antisemitism-with-eye-catching-messages-who-is-jewbelong-for/). [^5]: ProPublica, “Jewish Communal Fund,” _Nonprofit Explorer_, [https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/237174183](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/237174183). *Yearly Jewish communal fund sources can be found in the footnotes of its page. The sources for JewBelong are all JCF 990 forms*. [^6]: JewBelong, “Archie Gottesman,” [https://www.jewbelong.com/team/archie-gottesman/](https://www.jewbelong.com/team/archie-gottesman/). [^7]: “Zioness Movement,” _Wikipedia_, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zioness_Movement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zioness_Movement). [^8]: JewBelong, “Stacy Stuart,” [https://www.jewbelong.com/team/stacy-stuart/](https://www.jewbelong.com/team/stacy-stuart/). [^9]: JewBelong, “Alison Lebovitz,” [https://www.jewbelong.com/team/alison-lebovitz/](https://www.jewbelong.com/team/alison-lebovitz/). [^10]: JewBelong, “David Robinov,” [https://www.jewbelong.com/team/david-robinov/](https://www.jewbelong.com/team/david-robinov/). [^11]: “Lawrence D. Ackman,” _Wikipedia_, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_D._Ackman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_D._Ackman). [^12]: JewBelong, “Kevin Bright,” [https://www.jewbelong.com/team/kevin-bright/](https://www.jewbelong.com/team/kevin-bright/). [^13]: “The History of White People in America,” _Wikipedia_, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_History_of_White_People_in_America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_History_of_White_People_in_America). [^14]: JewBelong, “Noa Tishby,” [https://www.jewbelong.com/team/noa-tishby/](https://www.jewbelong.com/team/noa-tishby/). [^15]: “Noa Tishby,” _Wikipedia_, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noa_Tishby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noa_Tishby). [^16]: JewBelong, “Pamela Paresky,” [https://www.jewbelong.com/team/pamela-paresky/](https://www.jewbelong.com/team/pamela-paresky/). [^17]: JewBelong, “Rabbi Danielle Eskow,” [https://www.jewbelong.com/team/rabbi-danielle-eskow/](https://www.jewbelong.com/team/rabbi-danielle-eskow/). [^18]: Cause IQ, “JewBelong Inc.,” [https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/jewbelong%2C813739789/](https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/jewbelong%2C813739789/). [^19]: StandWithUs, “JewBelong and StandWithUs Launch Campaign Against Antisemitism in Toronto,” February 14, 2022, [https://standwithus.com/news/jewbelong-and-standwithus-launch-campaign-against-antisemitism-in-toronto/](https://standwithus.com/news/jewbelong-and-standwithus-launch-campaign-against-antisemitism-in-toronto/). [^20]: JewBelong, “Billboard Impact Data,” [https://www.jewbelong.com/billboard-impact-data/](https://www.jewbelong.com/billboard-impact-data/).