What is Project Blitz and why should Jews care?

Project Blitz is a coordinated effort by Christian Nationalists to inject religion into public education, attack reproductive healthcare, and undermine LGBTQ equality using a distorted definition of “religious freedom.”

Watch the state legislatures of more than twenty states and you’ll notice a nefarious trend: in Texas, Florida, Missouri, and more states, conservative, evangelical lawmakers have introduced nearly identical bills that would impose Christian theology and values on U.S. citizens. These bills are the product of Project Blitz, a well-organized and well-funded program of several Christian Nationalist and extremist groups, including the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation (CPCF).

In 2017, the CPCF published a playbook—updated annually—full of sample legislation for right-wing lawmakers to introduce in states across the country. Among these proposals are bills requiring public schools to display the words “In God We Trust,” declaring the United States to be a Christian nation, rejecting sexual orientation and gender identity as civil rights, and allowing child welfare adoption and foster-care agencies to discriminate against same-sex couples.

After proponents of secular government discovered Project Blitz in 2018, a coalition of nine national civil rights and religious freedom organizations including Jews for a Secular Democracy formed the BlitzWatch Coalition to monitor and respond to Christian Nationalist legislation. Together with our coalition partners, JFASD is committed to defeating the hateful dogmatic bills introduced in state legislatures across the nation.

Make no mistake: the organizations behind Project Blitz might claim to stand for religious freedom, but their true motivation is imposing regressive and fundamentalist Christian beliefs on our nation. These groups could not care less about the freedom for Jews to practice our religion or culture, and they certainly do not align with our values, as American Jews overwhelmingly support LGBTQ equality, reproductive freedom, and science-based policy. Only by defending secular government at the federal level and in all 50 states can we prevent the Christian Nationalist agenda from advancing and defend equality for all Americans.

Since the formation of the BlitzWatch Coalition, the parent organizations of Project Blitz have reduced the visibility of their operation even as their influence efforts grow in state capitols from coast to coast. They’ve even deceptively renamed Project Blitz as “Freedom for All.” But it’s far too late for Christian Nationalists to hide their intentions. JFASD and our fellow BlitzWatch Coalition members will continue to actively challenge harmful legislation and defend the constitutional separation of church and state.