• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, March 27, 2023

A foundation created by the entrepreneur and philanthropist Robert Kraft has launched a $25 million campaign to combat antisemitism.

The idea behind the campaign is to raise awareness—particularly among non-Jews--of antisemitism and the disproportionate hate faced by Jewish people and to take steps to see that the issue becomes part of the national conversation around social justice.

Leading the effort is the Foundation To Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) which Kraft founded in 2019. This campaign is its largest to date. The foundation worked with Wunderman Thompson, Mindshare, Weber Shandwick and influencer shop Noun.

Central to the campaign is the establishment of the blue square emoji as a “simple, yet powerful symbol of solidarity and support for the Jewish community.” The blue square emoji is already available on most smart phones.

The campaign kicks off this week starting with a rollout across NBC-owned channels. Hosts from shows including Today, Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and The Kelly Clarkson Show, will discuss the rising threat of antisemitism.

The effort includes the creation of #StandUpToJewishHate.

FCAS points to an FBI statistic that Jews make up 2.4% of the U.S. population but are targets of more than 55% of all religious hate crimes in the country.

As part of the effort to highlight that disparity, the campaign intends to take up 2.4% of TV and digital screens, billboards and social feeds.

Creative spots in the campaigns include:

• · “The Blue Square” - The introduction of  (Blue Square) from Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.
• · “Tony” - Inspired by the fact that nearly 70% of Jewish Americans faced antisemitic hate online last year.
• · “Son” - Inspired by the fact that “Hitler was right” was posted over 70,000 times last year.
• · “Isaiah” - Inspired by the fact that 1 in 4 Jewish Americans were the victims of hate last year.