Our Story

As early as 2014, our co-founder and CEO, Oren Jacobson, began noticing a troubling shift in conversations about Israel and Palestine. People who otherwise shared values and goals were becoming quickly polarized, while ideas and rhetoric that undermined Jewish inclusion and safety increasingly went unchallenged. Other Jewish leaders privately described similar experiences of exclusion, both formal and informal, from communities they had long helped build. Many later helped launch Project Shema. These dynamics have become more visible since October 7, 2023, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, and the subsequent global rise in antisemitism. Many people are struggling to hold the reality of rising antisemitism alongside the devastation in Gaza. At the same time, trust eroded, dialogue broke down, and the coalitions and institutions that depend on pluralism and shared progress were weakened. Non-Jewish peers and leaders often saw the strain but felt unequipped to engage without causing further harm. ​ It became clear that this was not simply a matter of disagreement, or even intent. People lacked shared context, language, and skills to engage across difference with empathy. And because the social and professional costs of engaging felt high, silence, avoidance, and rigid positions became more common. 

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Project Shema was created to address two interconnected challenges: the rise of global antisemitism, including the ways anti-Jewish ideas and biases can travel within discourse about Israel and Palestine; and the fracturing of diverse coalitions and institutions committed to progress and pluralism.