On Thursday, January 30th, members of the community joined together at Christ Episcopal Church in Ponte Vedra Beach for the 2nd annual Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate kickoff meeting and dinner.
Beyond its catchy name and the incentive of a complimentary bagel with cream cheese, this campaign empowers the community to stand against antisemitism and all forms of hate through education and unity.
“I really enjoy the initiative because it brings everyone together to try to eradicate hate in our community,” said Ayak Akech, a teen volunteer with Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate. “We can do that by educating each other and talking about the different forms of hate that we’ve seen. Hate generally comes from a lack of education, and I think it’s the only way we can make a change.”
Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate was founded in 2020 by the University of Florida Hillel group, an effort designed to combat antisemitism and hate by encouraging community members to make a pledge and engage in important conversations. Last year, local community leaders from diverse backgrounds kickstarted the Jacksonville division of the campaign with about 50 volunteers. For year two, the Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate kickoff saw 80 volunteers and even more attendees, including a passionate group of teen volunteers from Paxton High School. Stanton High School, Ponte Vedra High School, Episcopal High School, Terry Parker High School, Bolles High School, and Landrum Middle School.
The teens opened the evening by introducing themselves, sharing personal insights on the importance of combating hate, and explaining their reasons for signing the pledge.
“I volunteered because I had my bat mitzvah last year and I’ve seen a lot of hate going around,” said Iyla Vaughan, a middle school volunteer. “I really wanted to get involved because I think it’s important to learn more about it.”
In its second year, the Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate campaign in Ponte Vedra has grown from Christ Episcopal Church, Beth El The Beaches Synagogue, Palms Presbyterian Church, and JaxTHRIVE members to include Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church and African Methodist Episcopal Church members, as well.
“I hope that the resounding message is that we can only be strong when we stand together – with the greater community,” said Laurie Berger, Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate committee member and Membership Chair at Beth El The Beaches Synagogue. “The more that people understand what hate and antisemitism looks like, what people’s stories and experiences are, if that could shift somebody’s mindset to understand what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes… that’s worth everything.”
The Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate campaign’s dinner last week was the kickstart to a year of post education programs and meetings. The campaign set an ambitious goal of 2,000 signatures for the Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate pledge, surpassing the amount from last year. The campaign’s grant this year was founded through the Together Strong Community Fund.
“We’re getting to know each other as human beings,” said Rabbi Benjamin Dyme of Beth El The Beaches Synagogue. “Once we’re familiar with one another, it’s so much easier to have a picture of a person in our heads and not this unidentified, anonymous ‘other.’”
The meeting saw a moving presentation from Donna Orender, CEO of Orender Unlimited and Generation W, about the impact of antisemitism and the effect of hatred on a community. Dr. Rudy Jamison, Executive Director of the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission, spoke about the necessity of creating “just spaces,” an ecological context between us and our environments that’s occupied by justice.
“The whole idea [of Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate] is to gather people from different parts of the community to share ideas and stories,” said Reverend Helen Jackson of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. “We come together to share stories and give hope because without hope we might as well give up. But we all know that there is hope, and hope is what brought us together here in unity.”
Members of the community not affiliated with the participating churches can still take the pledge online at https://form.jotform.com/250075050312138.
