By Shaun Ryan
Members of the community gathered Thursday, Jan. 22, at Christ Church in Ponte Vedra Beach for the kickoff of the third annual Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate campaign. The goal is to promote tolerance and understanding among people from different backgrounds. Throughout the campaign, volunteers will encourage local residents to sign a pledge to combat hate and keep the community safe and welcoming.
“Antisemitism and hate don’t disappear on their own and there’s more work to be done in educating, connecting and standing up for one another,” said Karen Freedman at the start of the program.
Founded in 2020 by UF Hillel to combat antisemitism and all forms of bigotry, Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate, a trademark of UF Hillel, employs an unusual incentive to promote its cause. Those who sign the pledge have an opportunity to receive a bagel and cream cheese, which is a vehicle to help break the ice, start a conversation and build a coalition of people working together toward this common goal.
Local campaign launches in previous years featured speakers, but this time, attendees broke into small groups to discuss and answer questions key to the central issue. Participants were tested on their knowledge of the Jewish people, the state of Israel and the sources of racism, antisemitism and other prejudices.
Some of the statistics revealed by the questions surprised some attendees. For instance, only 0.2% of the global population is Jewish, and 21% of Israel’s population is Arab, Muslim, Christian and Druze. Israel grants full freedom of worship to people of all faiths.
Facilitators were Josh Martino, president and CEO for Home Team Restaurant Group and Bono’s Pit Bar-B-Q, and Donna Orender, CEO of Orender Unlimited and Generation W.
A large group of teen volunteers presented a video production they created to address the many types of bigotry and the importance of taking a stand against it.
The theme of the evening was unconscious bias, which is more difficult to see in oneself than overt forms of antisemitism, racism and other bigotry. By learning how unconscious bias finds its way into one’s opinions, a person can make an effort to overcome it.
In presenting this campaign, Beth El The Beaches Synagogue partnered with Palms Presbyterian, Christ Church, AME Church, JaxTHRIVE, local high school students and the Together Strong Community Fund, which provided a grant to fund the effort.
The Jan. 22 kickoff followed a related Nov. 16 event on “Why Words Matter: Fighting Hate With Truth.” That program, held in Jacksonville Beach, was facilitated by Isaiah Oliver, president of the Community Foundation of Northeast Florida, and Hannah Oberholtzer, executive director of Thrive Scholars.
Another program, focused on “finding joy and resilience amid relentless war,” was held in Jacksonville on Sunday, Jan. 25.
Members of the community can sign the pledge at https://form.jotform.com/infobethelbeaches/2026-spread-cream-cheese-not-hate-p.