The most important 30 seconds of the Super Bowl were not anything that either team did on the field during the game itself. It was not the rousing list of 23 Western Hemisphere countries recited by halftime performer Bad Bunny when framing his pointed proclamation of “God Bless America.” Rather, the most significant half-minute of the weekend was the splendidly touching and stirringly meaningful video drama aired by Robert Kraft’s Blue Square Alliance Against Hate.
Their short-form film (calling it an advertisement would diminish both its art and its impact) offered an inspiring lesson about how to most effectively confront antisemitism. The Alliance website, which provides a link to the video, explains that their goal “is to inspire Americans to stand up to Jewish hate and all hate,” making it clear that those two brands of ugly animosity cannot and must not be separated.
This is the third consecutive year in which they have aired an anti-hate message during professional football’s most visible event and it is by far the most poignant and most effective. While the previous spots talked about fighting all types of hatred in every form, the essence of this film focused specifically on prejudice against Jews. The two teenage protagonists represent the importance of underrepresented communities supporting each other, delivering a message of universality and unity for Jews – but more importantly for non-Jews.
The organization sensibly leaves it to others to lead the fight against the most virulent antisemites and to support American Jews. But while the strategy employed by Kraft and his allies is less frontal, it is potentially longer-lasting. Their emphasis is not on culture or heritage or history. That is where our synagogues and our day schools and our community organizations are so important. The aggressive pushback against antisemitism is the province of the Anti-Defamation League and other similarly fearless organizations. The Alliance’s core message is simply one of friendship and teamwork, how good people who stand together against hate can drive it back into the shadows where it belongs.
New York Times columnist Bret Stephens recently instigated a debate when he suggested that our community prioritize the strengthening of Jewish life above the fight against our antagonists. But this is not an either/or question: we must do both. We must build our future while defending ourselves at the same time. The Blue Square Alliance reminds us that just as important as these two tasks is the need for solidarity. Jews comprise barely 2% of the U.S. population, which means there aren’t nearly enough of us to accomplish these tasks on our own. Our options are to either immediately and dramatically increase our procreation rate (a strategy that the Haredi can tell us has significant limitations), or to become much better at making friends.
We know that friendships come much easier to us when we’re young. We also know that lifelong habits and attitudes develop during our formative years. And the Alliance’s film tells us that “two in three Jewish teens have experienced antisemitism.” So starting our partnership-building exercise with adolescents can have a profound and lasting impact. These are the members of our community most likely to experience antisemitism. While we older Jews can retreat to our neighborhoods, our offices and our restaurants, these young people are on the front lines. To get the education they deserve, they must be willing to traverse high school and college campuses and be prepared to look this hatred in the eyes.
The primary target of the Blue Square message is a younger non-Jewish audience, one that is less likely to be engaged or informed on these issues, and therefore more reachable with a more low-key, personal and non-political message. Those who misunderstand its goal and its priority audience may bristle, but the young people who watch this video will be much more likely allies and partners when we need them.
Kraft is the owner of the New England Patriots, who lost the game decisively. But for the third Super Bowl in a row, he and the Blue Square Alliance were the night’s champions.
Dan Schnur is the U.S. Politics Editor for the Jewish Journal. He teaches courses in politics, communications, and leadership at UC Berkeley, USC and Pepperdine. He hosts the monthly webinar “The Dan Schnur Political Report” for the Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall. Follow Dan’s work at www.danschnurpolitics.com.
