BILLINGS — If you have driven on Interstate 90 in recent weeks, you may have noticed striking pink and white billboards with messages that demand attention.
The two billboards are visible from the interstate, one heading west off of King Avenue East and another heading east off of Frontage Road near Laurel. They take strong stances against antisemitism, saying "Standing against antisemitism is standing with America," and "I need to be able to tell my children I did not stay silent."
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The billboards were put up by JewBelong, a nonprofit that focuses on celebrating Judaism and combating antisemitism.
“The pink and white billboards are entirely about antisemitism and creating awareness for a problem that we think a lot of people don't know about," said Stacy Stuart, the organization's co-founder.
The organization has placed thousands of billboards across the county since 2021 to spark dialogue around rising hate crimes against Jewish individuals. The new billboards, installed last week, are the first in Montana.
“Hate crimes against the Jewish community in the United States are at all-time high, and what is happening overseas is certainly affecting the Jewish community here," said Stuart. “Jews make up 2% of the population in the United States, which means that 98% of the population is not Jewish, and this is just not something we can fight on our own.”
The message has been highlighted since the start of the war in the Middle East, both in Israel and the Gaza strip, with victims on both sides.
“It's fair to say that throughout the country, and the data support this, FBI data, that hate crimes, or at least hate incidents, are on the rise,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Jesse Laslovich.
The U.S. Department of Justice defines a hate crime as an act of violence done out of hate committed against someone based on protected class status, including race, religious beliefs, gender, sexual orientation and or disability. Between 2021 and 2023, Montana saw 43 reported hate crimes.
“I think our trend has been steady, unfortunately, and I wouldn't be surprised if the '24 numbers were similar to what we saw in '23 and '22,” said Laslovich. “We're kind of a microcosm of what has happened nationally, where the numbers of hate incidents have been on the rise.”
According to Laslovich, while there has not been a case that has been prosecuted in Montana for antisemitic violence, there have been instances of antisemitic displays. For example, in 2023, the Great Falls Public Library found neo-Nazi stickers in several of its books, prompting the creation of the campaign, “Hate Has No Home Here.”
“Those people who are doing that, if they then act out on their antisemitism, they will be prosecuted," said Laslovich.
Hate crimes are on the rise nationwide, according to the FBI. In 2023, there were 2,699 reported incidents based on religion. Anti-Jewish hate made up more than half of those numbers, with 1,832 reported incidents. Anti-Muslim incidents were second with 236.
“The fact is, antisemitism is hate, and when people are getting away with antisemitism and hate, there are lots of other marginalized groups that come next," said Stuart.
While the focus of JewBelong’s campaign is to raise awareness about antisemitism, it also encourages solidarity among all communities affected by hate. Anti-Muslim hate crimes have also skyrocketed in America in recent years. Most Palestinians are Muslim, and according to the Council of American-Islamic Relations, anti-Muslim bias incidents have hit a 30-year high. More than 8,000 anti-Palestinian incidents were reported in 2023, with nearly half of those complaints reported in the final three months of the year following the Oct. 7 attacks.
The bold billboard campaign is just one example of the growing efforts to address hate crimes across the U.S. The majority of hate crimes, Laslovich notes, go unreported, but by standing up for what is right, he hopes the numbers can be brought down.
“That's what we're determined to do and that is to hold people accountable, not only because they deserve to be held accountable but also to show the public that we're here to try to protect them," said Laslovich.
