The next time you drive on the Vine Street Expressway into Philadelphia past Broad Street, look up and you’ll read something unexpected: “Were you late when this expressway was shut down by an anti-Israel mob? Who’s behind this chaos?”
Those are the words on a billboard at 11th and Vine streets, courtesy of the U.S. Forum for Israel, whose goal is to educate the public that antisemitism goes beyond hatred toward the Jews.
“The forum has sponsored a series of billboards across the country to highlight the nature of many of these violent, radical and disruptive protests,” said spokesman Nathan Miller, who’s based in Los Angeles where three of the billboards have gone up near Los Angeles International Airport. “They want to bring focus to the very destructive impact these protests had on communities.
“The pernicious lies and hate they’re spreading. The way they’re interfering with everyday Americans’ ability to go to work, school, drive down the freeway, get on a flight to the airport or meet a friend for lunch. This is not about human rights. It’s about hate. We’re calling them the Hate Brigade. What we’ve seen in the polling — people are fed up with it. They don’t support these hateful pro-Hamas, anti-Israel groups.”
The campaign got underway a few months ago, but it took until now to come to fruition.
“Candidly, they’ve had challenges with many of the billboard companies refusing to run ads about antisemitism,” said Miller, a former chief speechwriter and communications director for the Israel Permanent Mission to the United Nations. “It’s been a huge challenge. Many of these companies will run anything. This issue they know these same people will come after them, and they’re afraid. It’s a sad state of America.”
The forum is working with the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, whose founder said it’s essential to get the word out.
“We need to remind people of the teachings of Elie Wiesel,” said Charles Asher Small, ISGAP’s executive director. “Antisemitism may begin with the Jews, but it doesn’t end with the Jews. The antisemites are also now attacking American values. We can see it in Taylor Swift’s concert and in the Democratic convention. Antisemitism is not just a threat to Israel. It’s a threat to democratic society, American values and human decency.”
So far, only Philadelphia and L.A. have been designated, though more billboards are planned.
“Philadelphia has had a lot of issues, with people disrupting freeways,” said Miller regarding the Dec. 14 protest on the Schuylkill Expressway that resulted in 32 arrests. “They had the issue at Penn. It’s just a place where there’s been a lot of radical groups, and it’s an important state in the country.”
Having witnessed a steady rise in protests and antisemitic incidents since Israel responded to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, the forum and ISGAP believe it’s vital the public understand what’s at stake.
“It’s important to remind Americans we always have to safeguard our democratic principles,” said Small, just days after protesters shut down a busy LA freeway for more than an hour. “These are the people burning American flags, blocking our streets, closing our airports and having encampments on our best universities.”
What bothers him even more is the support they’re getting from unexpected sources.
“We have people at universities and in Congress associated with Hamas,” Small said. “But I haven’t heard a peep from the progressives. I haven’t seen a protest, letter, article or an op-ed in a major newspaper. Where are the professors of gender study who support rape and pillage of innocent Jewish people?
“I never thought I’d see the day.”
The billboards urge viewers to learn more at hatebrigade.com, which offers a detailed history and breakdown of the situation. It seems to be working.
“The campaign has landed,” said Miller, whose younger brother, Sam, just moved to the Main Line. “We’ve seen a tremendous amount of traffic to the website. People are saying thank you for running these billboards. As long as our streets, schools and synagogues are being overrun and attacked by these radical groups spreading lies and hate targeting the Jewish community, this campaign will continue.”
Philadelphia will continue to be a focal point.
“The hate brigade that is blocking roads, disrupting campuses and interrupting airports reflect the views of a small minority,” said Amy Holtz, Philadelphia-based representative of the U.S. Forum for Israel. “But they continue to cause significant disruptions in communities across the country, including Philadelphia. The vast majority of Americans reject their hateful message and violent tactics.”
Jon Marks is a Philadelphia-area freelance writer.