May a Jewish nonprofit talk about something besides Israel and antisemitism?

By Beth Harpaz
February 6, 2025

Dear Bintel,

I run a small Jewish nonprofit that is both non-political and non-denominational, although the population we serve tends to skew progressive. We’re finding it extremely difficult to bring our message in the current climate, which is so narrowly focused on topics around Israel and antisemitism. 

My question is: When is it an appropriate time to talk about other issues important to the Jewish community? We don’t want to appear insensitive, but we also think our mission deserves attention. 

Signed, 
Confused Advocate 

Dear Confused,

You are not alone: Many entities in the Jewish world are wondering if it’s OK to talk about something else while Hamas still holds hostages, ceasefire deals are in flux and antisemitic controversies — like Elon Musk’s salute — are making headlines.

Or, as a colleague put it to me, “There’s a lot of, ‘I didn’t really get into this work to do Israel advocacy, I wanted to do Jewish stuff more broadly — engaging interfaith couples, bringing new people to Shabbat, whatever — and all anyone seems to want is Israel/antisemitism/Zionism programming.’”

From where I sit, I see tremendous audience fatigue when it comes to news about Israel and antisemitism, along with a downturn in activism on campuses and in the streets. I myself got burned out reporting on it when I was writing daily news stories for the Forward last year, and am thrilled to now be writing plays instead, in addition to dishing advice here at Bintel.

Speaking of which: For months after Oct. 7, many of the letters Bintel received were related to the war — like this family dispute over support for Israel, and this advice-seeker upset because their views on Zionism were at odds with their community. Lately, we’ve found ourselves answering queries about boundaries, burials and bashful teens.

So it seems to me you’re not alone in wanting to change the subject.

‘Permission and an obligation’

I gut-checked your letter with a few communications experts, inside and outside the Jewish world, and found a lot of empathy for your dilemma — and for pushing through it to get beyond the latest arguments over Israel and antisemitism.

“You have both permission and an obligation to proudly and unapologetically communicate about your work to the people who should hear those messages and take action,” said Seth Chalmer of Leading Edge, which helps Jewish organizations improve leadership and workplace culture. There are times, he acknowledged, “especially in the initial shock of a crisis, when you just have to hit the pause button on unrelated messages. But those times are not forever.”

Nathan Miller, a public relations strategist at Miller Ink, agreed. While antisemitism “demands our attention,” he noted, “that doesn’t mean that anyone not working on antisemitism should feel like they can’t speak about other issues.”

So don’t feel badly about returning to your regularly scheduled programming — but do know that it may be harder to reach people. Many Jews are devoting all their Jewish attention either to Israel-Palestinian issues or to antisemitism on campus, while others have pushed the mute button on social media, newsletters and cable TV out of exhaustion — not only on this topic, but on U.S. politics as well.

Breaking through

So how do you break through with your message? Susan Dosier, who runs DK Communications Group in North Carolina, had this advice: “Become your own news channel.”

“Be the expert on your subject,” she explained. “Invest in social media,” including TikTok. And offer your expertise to others with bigger platforms — for example, Jewish-themed podcasts with robust followings — who might, like you, be looking to refocus on new topics for discussion.

Sure, you might get criticized for relaunching the conversation around your organization’s raison d’etre when so many post-Oct. 7 issues remain unresolved. But isn’t there an argument to be made that it’s also wrong to neglect the work you’re supposed to be doing?

Don’t forget, there are people who rely on you to advocate for them. People who could benefit from your agenda but whom you haven’t yet reached. Donors who supported your endeavors before Oct. 7 and still care about them. You owe it to all these people to get back to your mission. Will you be able to reconnect with your audience? All you can do is try.

Do you have any additional thoughts for this advice-seeker? Send them to [email protected] or send in a question of your own. And don’t miss a Bintel: Sign up for our Bintel Brief newsletter. 

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