4 Years Ago We Protested Outside of 30 Rock. Today, We’re Making Change in the Room Where It Happens.

Four years ago, Jew in the City stood outside 30 Rockefeller Plaza with a simple message: Orthodox Jews deserve fair representation. At the time, NBC’s Nurses had aired an episode that grotesquely and inaccurately depicted Hasidic Jews. The portrayal sparked outrage across the Jewish community. But instead of simply protesting, we chose to do something else as well: we spoke about who Orthodox Jews actually are.

Standing outside 30 Rock, we shared the reality of our lives, values, and community. We explained that the problem wasn’t just one offensive episode. It was a much larger pattern of the absence of authentic Jewish voices shaping how Orthodox Jews are portrayed in entertainment. That moment marked the beginning of a new chapter for Jew in the City.

In the four years since, what began as a protest has evolved into something much bigger: a growing effort to bring accurate representation for all Jews, across all streams and denominations, directly into the entertainment industry. Like other minority communities that have long advocated for accurate representation in Hollywood, we now use all of the same mechanisms to ensure Jewish voices are part of the storytelling process. Indeed, less than a year later, that moment led to something unexpected: We went from Tweeting to meeting – sitting down with major Hollywood studios to discuss how Jewish stories are told on screen and partner with them to foster narrative change.

In late 2021, we formally launched the JITC Hollywood Bureau: the Jewish Institute for Television & Cinema, an initiative dedicated to improving Jewish representation across the entertainment industry for the entire Jewish community.

Today, JITC HB partners with every major studio, and professionals across the industry to promote a deeper understanding of what it means to be Jewish and promote more authentic content that focused on lived experiences and Jewish pride, not harmful stereotypes.

We collaborated with researchers at the Norman Lear Center at USC, one of the most respected institutions studying media and entertainment, to produce groundbreaking research demonstrating what we had long been saying: Hollywood’s portrayals Jews are limited, distorted, and often harmful. Armed with that data, we’ve been able to move the conversation forward in meaningful ways.

We now provide trainings for entertainment professionals, helping writers, producers, and studios better understand the diversity of Jewish identity, culture, and religious life and the ways in which harmful stereotypes and misrepresentations contribute to rising antisemitism. We’ve also created fact sheets and educational resources used within the industry to ensure creators have access to accurate information when telling Jewish stories and that Jewish professionals are supported within the workplace

To help nurture authentic Jewish voices in Hollywood, we launched the Jewish Roots Screenwriters Collective, bringing together Jewish writers who want to create nuanced and compelling portrayals of Jewish life and identity.

We know that creatives and executives want to get it right and care about our stories. That’s why each year, we celebrate the media that gets it right at our Media Awards, a glamorous night in New York City where celebrities, creators, and industry leaders come together to honor film and television that portray Jewish characters and communities with dignity, depth, and authenticity.

Four years ago, we stood outside 30 Rock asking Hollywood to do better. They listened, and today, we’re collaborating with decision-makers across the industry to makeit happen.

If you found this content meaningful and want to help further our mission through our Keter, Makom, and Tikun branches, please consider becoming a Change Maker today.