The Blue Square Commercial: Sometimes The Experts Are Wrong

I didn’t comment on the Stand Up To Jewish Hate Super Bowl commercial right away because I didn’t want to pile on. It takes guts to put yourself out there, and projects don’t always land where you hope they would. I also don’t doubt Robert Kraft’s good intentions. I heard him speak at a Yeshiva University graduation several years ago. His words and commitment to the Jewish people were sincere and heartfelt. That being said – Kraft’s recent Super Bowl commercial fell short in many ways. And a leader with considerable means and a desire to do good for the Jewish people is more rare than we’d like to believe it is. So it’s important that we discuss what could be better next time, so hopefully it will be.

“Sticky Note” was the name of the Super Bowl commercial Kraft sponsored, where a high school boy is called a “dirty Jew” on a sticky note and a non-Jewish ally steps in and “stands up to Jewish hate.” The experts – including the ADL – had research which proved this message would make a meaningful impact, but we should not always trust the experts. And we should certainly not trust them when the people have spoken and disagreed.

Case in point – our recent viral  “Like a Jew” commercial, which was made on a $5,000 – not $15M budget – was panned by the few marketing experts I spoke to before we made it. They are all smart, and I respect them all. Each of them independently feared that Like a Jew would not be good for the Jewish people for the same reason. They worried that showing examples of tropes on screen might increase Jew hatred. But the thing is, Like a Girl – the commercial that inspired our take – showed anti-female messages on screen, but the viewers weren’t left with that takeaway. They were left remembering what the children said. The little girls spoke the truth and even years later that’s what stuck.

When the experts told me not to make Like a Jew, my gut told me they were wrong, so we made it anyway. Then the public sounded off. The response was more effusive than I ever could have dreamed. The video didn’t just go viral on Instagram and Facebook (it barely got any traction on YouTube – I have no idea why). It was the diversity of the audience – from non-Jews to Hasidic Jews. It was celebrities like Jessica Seinfeld and Selma Blair liking it, to a non-Jewish director of the Academy Awards sharing it. It was also the quality of the comments. Regular people and entertainment insiders felt shame at what Hollywood does to Jews and inspired and deeply moved when they heard how proud Jewish children spoke and acted while engaging with their identity. In fact, when Nancy Spielberg first saw it, she told me that it should air on the Super Bowl. Maybe next year!

Now – why did both sets of experts get it wrong for both commercials, yet the people got the messages loud and clear? I believe the answer is in the Torah. In our age of diversity and inclusion, watching a scrawny kid get picked on by classmates should arouse the compassion of the public. But according to the ADL’s research, only 8% of people who saw the commercial now believe that antisemitism is a serious problem, 10% are more likely to support antisemitism education in schools and will fight it themselves. 13% will interrupt someone saying something antisemitic. That is not exactly a resounding win.

Why is convincing non-Jews to “stand up to Jewish hate” a losing proposition? Because the Torah says so.

“Halacha hi b’yadua she´Eisav soneh l’Yaakov.” In Rashi’s commentary in the book of Genesis, he quotes Rabbi Shimon who explains that it is a known fact – Esau hates Jacob. Or in other words, during exile, non-Jews will predominantly hate Jews. Why must this be the state of the world? So Jews don’t get too comfortable and forget who we are.

I have a confession to make right now. As a formerly secular Jew who spent a lot of time with non-Jews throughout my life, when I heard this saying when I became religious, I was a bit turned off. It seems a bit too pessimistic. Sure, there is always antisemitism out there, but most people are good people. Most people are fine with Jews.

I noticed members of the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community were especially keen on this saying. Well, I have to admit – something changed in me after October 7. On October 6 I knew people hated Jews. On October 8, I began to realize quite how much they do. Even in an age of diversity and inclusion. Even in a time when everyone is marching in the streets in solidarity with the oppressed, the Jew – even after a splashy Super Bowl commercial – will not get as much solidarity from non-Jews as we wish he would.

Why did Like a Jew work so well? Also because of Torah.

The children in the video made Kiddushei Hashem. They sanctified God’s name through their actions and words, behaving as Jews are meant to behave – with kindness, honesty and generosity. And everyone who saw it – I was actually floored at how few negative comments there were – like the Jew haters didn’t even come out. Everyone who saw it was uplifted and strengthened and united around the message.

The new motto of Kraft’s movement of helping the Jewish people in these terrifying times should be – stand up for Kiddush Hashem. That will strengthen our people in ways we can’t even grasp. Why? Because the Torah says so.

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