NEW YORK, NY, March 9, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- JewBelong, a nonprofit organization known for public awareness campaigns addressing antisemitism, said a recent advertising campaign on New York City taxi tops was removed before its scheduled end date. The campaign was launched amid an increase in antisemitic incidents in New York City. According to NYPD data cited by JewBelong, antisemitic incidents rose 182% last month compared with the same period a year earlier.

The campaign, which launched January 14, 2026, featured digital ads on taxi toppers across the city and was scheduled to run through March 10. According to the organization, the message displayed on the taxi toppers read: “Not gonna hide my Jewish star for a free bus ride.” The campaign used sharp, satirical language to underscore a more serious point: the compromises many Jews feel pressured to make about visibility and identity amid rising antisemitism. JewBelong said the ads were taken down the day after a New York Post article about the campaign appeared.

JewBelong co-founder Archie Gottesman said the campaign was intended to raise awareness about the experiences of Jewish individuals amid rising antisemitism.

“Why are Jewish voices being silenced in New York City at the very moment antisemitism is surging?” Gottesman said. “Our taxi campaign was created to start a conversation about the compromises many Jews feel pressured to make about visibility and identity. Pulling it sends a troubling message about when speaking out against hate becomes uncomfortable.”

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), also commented on the issue.

“If acknowledging that Jewish New Yorkers sometimes feel compelled to hide visible symbols of their identity is considered controversial, that should alarm all of us,” Greenblatt said. “The problem isn’t the billboard. The problem is the climate that made the message resonate in the first place.”

JewBelong said it plans to continue its awareness efforts through additional outdoor advertising. The organization is working with another outdoor advertising agency and has two new billboards that were installed this week in Brooklyn and Queens with the messages “Standing against antisemitism is standing with America” and “An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.” The billboards, in collaboration with Larry Huch Ministries, are expected to remain in place for one year.