Kanye, Kyrie, & Kash.
Sounds like partners in a law firm. Often, a good partner spurs the other to action, and in this case, Kanye’s and Kyrie’s antisemitic comments were the catalyst that lit the fire for this “partner” to “use all of my soul, all of my breath, to praise God.”
No, I haven’t shown up at Shabbat services more, nor do I attend religious-oriented activities at the temple more often. What I have been doing since Kanye’s and Kyrie’s antisemitic remarks in October 2022 is working to change the way Jews fight antisemitism here in the U.S. and abroad.
This may not meet the strict interpretation of Psalm 150 which states “all of my soul/breath will praise God;” but by developing a totally new strategy that can result in greater acceptance of Jews and help mitigate anti-Jewish feelings and actions, perhaps I am meeting the spirit of the verse.
Here’s the story. After Kanye’s and Kyrie’s antisemitic rants, I was struck by the lack of outrage in our country from non-Jews (with a few notable exceptions), especially in contrast to the many, many who were not Asian who protested the naming of the pandemic virus The Chinese Flu.
This sparked a thought that it was time to consider a different approach to combat antisemitism. While providing Holocaust education to the public remains critically important, it was apparent to me, that by itself, this wasn’t sufficiently compelling to have many stand up for us.
As a marketing strategist, I approached the issue as a brand problem, and whether you have considered it or not, Jews are a brand in peoples’ minds. What defines a brand is the totality of what people think, feel, and experience with your entity. In our case, how too many non-Jews perceive us is driven by Marjorie Taylor-Greene rants, Kenye and Kyrie, television and movie portrayals, non-Jewish religious leaders for some, and social influencers.
While most of us lead meaningful lives and practice Tikkun Olam, antisemitism has been fueled by generations of misinformation, negatives, and a lack of knowledge about Jews. Plus, we must recognize there are bad actors among us plus the notoriety of celebrities like Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, and Bernie Madoff that hurt our brand.
All of this results in too many having negative perceptions of Jews, and there is nothing being shared with non-Jews to counter these attitudes. Why should someone stand up for us? There has been little or no recognition of the significant number of positive contributions Jews have made to society and so many individuals across the globe. Yes, we’ve all seen the email naming all the Jewish Nobel Prize winners, but don’t we generally send them to fellow Jews?
The reality is there is very little, if anything, positioning Jews in a positive manner to counter the too many that are positioning us negatively.
This led me to the concept of Prosemitism, which is based on the core marketing principle of making your brand personally relevant and motivating for your target audience. To do so we need to understand the deeper attitudes and feelings shaping this new, rising round of antisemitism. Armed with this understanding one can create messaging that will, in time, help shift attitudes, and ultimately promote and sustain acceptance of Jews and the Jewish faith. It is not about bragging, it is about understanding how we, as a brand, have impacted their lives. This concept was “endorsed” in John Mellencamp’s speech at his Rock and Roll introduction of Allen Grubman in November 2022.
Am I using all of my soul, all of my breath, to praise God? I’m not sure. I do know I am using all of my soul and all of my breath to create a world where our grandchildren can feel safe and proud to say, “I am a Jew.” Stay tuned, this partner is just beginning.