Less than 80 years ago, there were small, scrappy groups of resistance fighters called Jewish Partisans who hid in the forests of Europe and fought the enormous power of the Nazis. They were heroes. Today, the fight looks different, but the antisemitism is the same. The hate and misinformation against Jews and Israel is overwhelming. We are grateful to the brave social media influencers who are working day and night to call out antisemitism and protect Israel’s right to defend herself. They are making a difference but like back in the 1940s, the enemy is enormous. A few influencers reached out to us privately to tell us they feel lonely, exhausted, furious, and scared. We wanted to do more than commiserate, and suddenly, the Jewish Partisan Prize was born. We tried to pick the voices who seem to be mostly independent people working their asses off in the fight against antisemitism. So far, we have awarded the $360 prize to 23 young peace warriors! And we’re going to keep going because these young people need to feel supported!  Jewish or not, we’re all in this together.

Here at JewBelong, we’ll continue to use our voice to fight antisemitism, but our main mission is to welcome the hundreds of thousands of disengaged Jews and Jewish allies out there! Remember, you belong no matter how you practice (or don’t practice) Judaism; please don’t listen to anyone telling you otherwise. We focus on the joy and relevance of the religion because there’s a lot more to being Jewish than just fighting the haters. Stay strong.