For generations, the Jewish community has learned to stand alone. History has taught us that when things turn ugly, help rarely comes. So we built our own institutions and our own safety nets, and we cultivated hyper-vigilance.

These instincts made sense. But in 2025, they might also be blinding us.

Courtesy/JewBelong

An example of a JewBelong billboard.

Because while antisemitism is surging on campuses, online and in real-world violence, something else is also happening: allies are showing up — and often, we’re missing it. 

Jews are only 2% of the U.S. population. We can’t fight antisemitism alone, which is why JewBelong is actively partnering with the Christian community, including the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and Larry Huch Ministries. You should have heard the skeptics when we first started: Aren’t they anti-choice? Trump supporters? Gun advocates? Maybe. But here’s what actually matters: Christians make up over 60% of the U.S. population. If even a fraction speak out against antisemitism, the world becomes safer for Jews.

For too long, the Jewish community has written off potential allies because of political differences. But antisemitism doesn’t ask your political party for permission before it strikes. It doesn’t care who you voted for, or where you stand on social issues. And fighting it requires courage and numbers, not purity tests.

On a recent visit to CBN and Regent University, a Christian university, everyone I met was deeply committed to the safety and security of a Jewish homeland. People wore yellow ribbons, shared stories of their trips to Israel and planned to return. Not once did anyone ask me about abortion, Trump or my stance on gun laws. Instead, what I felt was unwavering support for the Jewish community, here and in Israel, backed not just by words, but by action. Several students told me they pray daily for the people of Israel. One young woman said she had started a campus group to educate her peers about Jewish history because “if we don’t tell the truth, the lies win.” That kind of moral clarity should not be dismissed; it should be embraced.

CBN is currently helping to fund a major JewBelong campaign across 13 Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools, with billboards declaring: You don’t have to be a Jew to protect Jews. This is a public declaration of conscience near college campuses, where Jewish students often feel isolated and unsafe.

Christian voices reach places Jewish voices don’t, and their solidarity makes it clear that this fight isn’t just a Jewish issue: it’s an American one. It’s understandable that some Jews may feel wary when outsiders speak up for us. We’ve been conditioned to assume there’s a catch. But what if there isn’t? What if we’ve been so used to going it alone that we don’t see the hands already reaching out? Building a coalition starts with recognizing that help is not only needed, but already here.

The truth is, allyship is rarely perfect. But perfection is not the goal; progress is. We don’t ask for ideological agreement when we march with other communities against hate, and we should not demand it now. Our fight is not about left or right; it is about right and wrong. If we want to change hearts, we have to be willing to meet people where they are. That is what partnership looks like. That is what progress requires.

We don’t have to agree on everything to agree on this message, which is also on JewBelong billboards: Standing against antisemitism is standing with America. Because fighting antisemitism is not just about protecting Jews; it is about protecting the moral backbone of a free society. Every generation gets tested on whether it will look away from hate or face it head-on. This is ours. And the good news is, we don’t have to face it alone.

We can’t make a better future for our children until more of us have the courage to find our common cause and know that is enough, and it is a blessing. Sometimes, the strongest act of self-preservation is allowing others to stand beside you and believing them when they do.

Archie Gottesman is the co-founder of JewBelong.