StandWithUs is a non-profit pro-Israel education and advocacy organization based in Los Angeles with fifteen offices across the U.S., and in Israel, Paris and the UK. It describes itself as "an advocacy organization that promotes education and understanding that will bring a secure future for Israel and her neighbors." StandWIthUs has an annual budget of about $4 million.
StandWithUs believes that education is the road to peace and is dedicated to informing the public about Israel and to combating the extremism and anti-Semitism that often distorts the issues. They support people around the world who want to educate their own local campuses and communities about Israel. They believe that knowledge of the facts will correct common prejudices about the Arab-Israeli conflict, and will promote discussions and policies that can help promote peace in the Middle East. Through print materials, speakers, programs, conferences, missions to Israel, campaigns, and internet resources, they ensure that the story of Israel's achievements and ongoing challenges is told on campuses and in communities, the media, libraries, and churches around the world.
StandWithUs is also known as "Israel Emergency Alliance," and has several divisions:
• StandWithUs - working with communities to advocate for a just and secure peace for Israel
• StandWithUsCampus - assisting college & high school students in North America with Israel advocacy & education (see picture of campus poster above)
• StandWithUs International - working with students in Israel, Europe, Australia, and South Africa
• United4Freedom - a speaker's bureau funded by the Jewish Community Foundation
• Stand4Facts - "Stand4Facts is a dynamic web-based tool developed to help students understand and respond to the rash of anti-Israel rallies and speeches on campus."
• LearnIsrael - donates pro-Israel books to libraries.
• Librarians for Fairness - A librarians' association "dedicated to bringing positive programs about Israel to libraries across the nation".[4]
They have organized the following activities:
Durban II protests
In response to the controversial Durban II conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in April 2009, StandWithUs organized protests and rallies around the world against the various conference speakers and the UN.
The Emerson Fellowship
The organization trains U.S. & Canadian student leaders to "act as campus emissaries of the Jewish state." These students are referred to as "Emerson Fellows".
The StandWithUs Fellowship
The organization trains 150 fellows on Israeli campuses, who are "trained to work together for common goals that benefit Israel - within its borders and globally."
Taglit-Birthright Israel trip
StandWithUs runs a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip for Jewish young adults ages 18 to 26 from around the world. StandWithUs’s program is only Taglit-Birthright Israel trip that is geared for students interested in adventure, politics, government, journalism, and diplomacy.
Transit and outdoor Billboard poster campaign
StandWithUs does not let hostile anti-Israel campaigns go unchallenged. When anti-Israel groups initiated ad campaigns, StandWithUs responded quickly.
In May 2007, the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, a pro-Palestinian organization, paid for a poster campaign in the Washington D.C. metro rail system. The posters featured a tank, representing Israel, pointed toward a defenseless child, representing Israel’s Arab neighbors. In response, StandWithUs arranged for their own poster campaign, with some posters showing Palestinian children with military gear.
In January, 2011, they put up signs in BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. BART originally approved a poster but then had StandWithUs take it down in response to a few complaints from people who did not want to see the photo of the Palestinian terrorist that was shown as part of the ad. They felt that the photo of the terrorist was tainting all ordinary Palestinians.
The new poster in February of 2011 was text only, reading “Stop Palestinian Leadership from Teaching Hate & Violence.” The ad directed viewers to a new website, www.sayyestopeace.org.
In June 20- July 20, 2011, StandWithUs launched pro-Israel ads in Chicago train stations to counter anti-Israel posters. The StandWithUs ad reminded Chicago commuters why Americans admire and identify with Israel. "It is breathtaking what Israelis have achieved in just 63 years.
In December, 2010, StandWithUs allied with other local groups and successfully persuaded Seattle's Metro to cancel inflammatory anti-Israel bus ads.
In December 2008, billboards featuring a crying child and saying “PRAY FOR GAZA,” were erected in Houston following the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. They were put up by a local anti-Israel organization, the Houston Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine.
On July 6, 2009, two roadside billboards were installed in Houston Texas, bearing the message: “SAVE GAZA FROM HAMAS. Teach PEACE, not HATE.” The billboards picture an Arab boy and an Israeli boy, arm-in-arm, showing that coexistence is possible. The signs direct viewers to the websites, www.bridgehouston.org and www.standwithus.com, for information about Israel, Gaza and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The billboards were created through a partnership between Bridge Houston, a local Israel-advocacy group established in early 2008, and StandWithUs.
“It was important that we respond,” Ira Bleiweiss, founder of Bridge Houston, said. “The average person on the street needs to know the real facts, because they are the ones who are voting and electing tomorrow’s leaders.”
Roz Rothstein, StandWithUs international director, said: “Organizations that misrepresent the struggle for peace in the Middle East, by inaccurately casting blame on Israel, should be placed on notice that groups like StandWithUs and Bridge Houston will stand up against malicious, one-sided misinformation,” she stated.
Further Reading:
Richard Allen fights Jewish organizational support for the boycott of Israel (BDS)
Israel Law Center Launches Student Hotline to Combat Anti-Israel Hostilities on American Campuses
