By 
By Stephanie Wells
Have you heard of JewBelong?
This July 2026, when the world turns its eyes to San Diego for Comic-Con, I am working to bring JewBelong’s bold, hot-pink billboards to our city. This is not about politics, nor protest.
This is about presence.
Presence is protection.
Presence is power.
Presence makes us stronger.
Founded in New York City by advertising visionary Archie Gottesman, JewBelong fights antisemitism through high-visibility billboards with messages that are clear, courageous, and impossible to ignore:
“It does not take a Jew to protect a Jew.”
“I need to be able to tell my children I did not stay silent.”
This works because of neuroscience. What we see repeatedly shapes perception. What feels familiar feels safer. A bold, public message of Jewish pride at Comic-Con can shift understanding at scale.
When our children can stand in front of something visible and proud and say, “We were part of this,” it restores dignity. It models courage. It shows the next generation; we did not shrink back.
I started this campaign, not as a professional fundraiser, but as a Jew, a Jewish mother, and a child of the Holocaust. And this is a community-powered effort. Donations of $18 and up allow anyone to participate. Larger sponsorships secure premium placement during Comic-Con week. I’m also hosting bracelet-making, creative gatherings, and speaking across San Diego to bring people into the story—because this isn’t just about funding a billboard. It’s about ownership.
In a world where antisemitism is again rising in alarming ways, let us show the world we refuse to be bystanders in our own history. San Diego can model something stronger—visible courage, collective dignity, unapologetic presence.
If you believe silence is not the answer, join us.
Donate, sponsor, or get involved. Let’s lead with presence.
Contact jewbelonginsd@gmail.com.
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