New billboards put up near SDSU to fight antisemitism

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — As part of a nationwide campaign to fight antisemitism on college campuses, two new billboards are popping up in San Diego near San Diego State University.

“It’s very hard to get peoples attention,” said Archie Gottesman, co-founder of JewBelong, the nonprofit behind the billboards.

But the nonprofit’s pink and white billboards are hoping to do just that. One on El Cajon Blvd near 58th Street reads: “Dear colleges, American kids are afraid. Do your job!”

The reason?

“The goal is to start conversations,” Gottesman said.

She said the organization started putting up billboards to fight antisemitism in 2021, and fast forward three years later, to Oct. 7, 2023, the Anti-Defamation League said antisemitic attacks have increased nationwide, and in San Diego, following the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel.

“It really makes no sense that with a terrible massacre of innocent people comes a rise of antisemitism in America, so what JewBelong did is we doubled down and we really focused on raising awareness,” she added, grabbing attention and raising awareness is their focus.

“The goal of good marking is to break through the noise,” she said.

“I feel like maybe there could be a better way to really explain what is actually happening,” said Chalom Boudjnah, Rabbi at the Chabad House at SDSU. “Is that actually going to help students right now…”

He said he’s seen the harassments and attacks firsthand, including the several attacks to vandalize the menorah outside the Chabad house.

“I think being the target with the menorah and antisemitism and everything else, I always feel like maybe resources should be better spent on the people on the ground and supporting the actual students that are going to the campuses,” Boudjnah added.

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