Banner Reading “Free USA from Israel” Appears Over I-71 on Shabbat
CINCINNATI – On the morning of Saturday, September 26, a banner reading “Free USA from Israel,” alongside signs promoting LeavingMaga.org and the word “Honk,” was hung above the Exit 8C overpass on northbound I-71. According to the photo, a man with glasses was seen near the signs. Concerned residents reported them, and the Ohio Department of Transportation removed them by that afternoon.
“After three years of misinformation, it’s a rude awakening at the start of the Jewish new year to see the conspiracy theory that Israel controls the United States displayed in my hometown,” a Jewish community member said. “It goes deeper than geopolitics. It draws on the trope that Jews control everything. To see it go unchecked here is heartbreaking.”
Leaving MAGA is a nonprofit founded in 2024 by Rich Logis, who left the MAGA movement after becoming disillusioned with it. The organization runs billboard campaigns across the country. It has not claimed responsibility for the Cincinnati banner.
Based on lettering, coloring and size, the banner appears to match one displayed in April 2026 next to a sign reading “No Kings.” The organizers of the No Kings protest movement in Cincinnati did not claim responsibility for the signs.
The display comes as the anniversary of October 7 approaches. Last year, seven signs appeared across Cincinnati bearing messages including “Stop Israel’s Genocide,” “Viva la Resistance Palestine” and “Liberation Now.” Some hung over freeway overpasses for more than 12 hours before Jewish residents took them down themselves.
The Israelite recommends that readers who see antisemitic banners on freeways or overpasses photograph them, note the location, and report them to the Jewish Community Relations Council.
