In life, there are not often days like we saw yesterday where two important announcements were made in two countries that could have as significant an impact as these two possibly have.

During an appearance on the Today Show yesterday, New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, shared that the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS), a foundation he founded, was launching a brand-new media campaign to try and eradicate antisemitism. Later during a commercial break, NBC aired the commercial Kraft mentioned. And later that evening, during The Voice, Carson Daly took a few moments and spoke about the Blue Square that NBC placed on the screen. This is what we need more stations to do in order to draw greater attention to this issue.

Along with the commercial, FCAS also launched a new symbol, the blue square, that they are hoping people will use to show their support; in a similar way, the rainbow has become THE symbol of allyship for the LGBTQ+ community. FCAS’ hope is that the people will also use #StandUpToJewishHate as a rallying cry to help find more allies to stand with the Jewish community. This national effort will fit perfectly with what the first steps the Jewish Federation has begun in asking our local elected officials to stand with us against antisemitism and all forms of hatred. 

I encourage everyone in our community to share this information on any social media platforms you use and also help us spread the word about this campaign. Share the powerful commercial with others and ask them to share it as well. We need EVERYONE to see this. This is one of those instances where we all can help make a difference by doing a small act and helping to spread the word. Our actions today can and will help make our community stronger.

And in Israel yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a national address to the country and announced that his administration would be putting a freeze on the remaining two necessary votes on judicial overhaul laws until after Passover to allow both sides to find a compromise. While the tens of thousands of protestors who have been taking to the streets breathed a sigh of relief at this announcement, they know that their battle is far from over. The Jewish Federations of North America released this statement in response to the announcement.

Two announcements that we will need to patiently watch and see how impactful they are in affecting change. It is unclear how things will proceed in either situation, but I am optimistic about what is possible.