The Ruderman Family Foundation (RFF), a Newton-based non-profit, is suing Jubilaria Media LLC, over Jubilaria Media’s decision to not work with them due to their stance on Israel.

RFF approached Jubilaria Media, a media consulting firm, to purchase their services in creating a podcast. However, when RFF said they did not want guests who would hold “antisemitic viewpoints or who denied the right of existence for the Jewish people or the State of Israel,” Jubilaria Media backed out because of the company’s views on the Israel-Palestine conflict. RFF is suing over what they believe is anti-Semitic discrimination.

Jay Ruderman, an employee of the RFF, has hosted a podcast since 2021 where he has guests speak about various activism-related topics. While he has guests speak about Israel and topics related to anti-Semitism, he has also had many guests from other backgrounds and viewpoints, such as climate activist Erin Brockovich and Iranian princess Noor Pahlavi. Many of the episodes are about issues related to the experiences of people with disabilities, which is one of the causes of the RFF.

In February 2025, RFF began looking for a new producer, and Jubilaria Media expressed interest in working with them. “It’s rare to find teams working toward the same type of mission, and it was energizing to hear how aligned we are on values, storytelling, and impact,” said Jubilaria Media principal Greg Haddock, according to the lawsuit filed by RFF. The two entities produced a test episode, and RFF expressed a desire to have a longer-term contract with Jubilaria Media to produce its podcast. This is when RFF explained the vetting they wanted for potential guests, namely, no one with anti-Semitic views or who denied the rights of the State of Israel.

Jubilaria Media responded by saying they decided to not continue to work with RFF, because they “must take a stance on the occupation of Palestine and its people.” They also said that justice will bend toward those “who will not remain silent in the midst of the destruction of the native people and culture of Palestine.”

RFF stated that they did not say they planned to have any episodes hostile to Palestinians or people who live in Palestine. They view it as anti-Semitic that Haddock considered no anti-Semitism or anti-Israel language to be anti-Palestine, as well as Haddock’s belief that Jews are not native to Israel.

RFF state in their lawsuit that “[a]s demonstrated by the content on its website and the Podcast, RFF has not engaged in specific advocacy concerning Palestine. However, RFF is guided by its Jewish values and supports connections between the American Jewish community and Israel.”

In fact, some podcasts do talk about the Israel-Palestine conflict. One recent podcast guest was Lizzy Savetsky, and the description of this episode states: “Prior to October 7th, Lizzy had advocated for Israel alongside other causes, including supporting Jewish women who experienced miscarriages and sobriety, but after October 7th, she turned her focus entirely to Israel advocacy.”

RFF is suing Jubilaria Media for damages under Section 1981 of the US Civil Rights Act, stating: “Section 1981 guarantees that all persons within the United States have the equal right to make and enforce contracts without regard to race.” They say Jubilaria Media declined to enter into a contract with them because of the Jewish race of RFF staff.