Today, Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched Britain’s first-ever national billboard campaign seeking the public’s support against antisemitism after the most recent Home Office figures showed that Jews are 500% more likely to suffer hate crime than any other faith group per capita.
The striking digital billboards can be seen right across the country, including in prominent locations in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and other major cities.
We are calling on people to stand with the Jewish community by using the #StandWithJews hashtag on social media. Members of the Jewish community can highlight their own experiences of antisemitism using the #BecauseImJewish hashtag. We may share any posts that tag us using @stasgerlin.
The billboards also challenge preconceptions and prejudices about what it means to ‘look Jewish’ with the models reflecting the diverse backgrounds of Britain’s Jewish community.
All of the Jewish models who appear on the billboards might be targeted for any of the protected characteristics that they possess, or may appear to possess, but what all the models share is that they, like all British Jews, are on average 500% more likely to be the target of a hate crime because they are Jewish, compared to any other faith group.
The models include a Holocaust survivor who has been left sickened by the targeting of Jews in modern-day Britain, recent immigrants to the UK and, it is believed for the first time ever on a British billboard, a member of the Charedi Jewish community, which bears so much of the brunt of violent antisemitic crime.
Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “People are utterly appalled when we tell them quite how much Jews are targeted by hate crime. The UK is a fundamentally decent and tolerant place, and one of the best countries in the world to live as a Jew, but we still suffer racism and attacks every day simply because we are Jewish. Jews make up barely 0.5% of the national population and the solidarity of good people who are willing to stand up to hatred and #StandWithJews means a great deal to our community and shows the racists that they cannot win.”
We would like to express our thanks to Ocean Outdoor for providing the space on these billboards for such an important cause, particularly as we approach Holocaust Memorial Day, and we are profoundly grateful to those who have contributed their time to the making of this campaign, including designers, photographers, makeup and wardrobe. Finally, we would like to thank the models who are all members of the Jewish community who believe in the importance of standing up to antisemitic hate crime.
