StandWithUs

StandWithUs
Name	StandWithUs
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	2001
Founders	Roz Rothstein, Roz Rothstein
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California
Region served	International

StandWithUs is a nonprofit advocacy organization established in 2001 in Los Angeles focused on supporting Israel and countering anti-Israel activism. The organization engages in campus outreach, media campaigns, educational programming, and legal advocacy related to Israel, Palestinian territories, and Middle East affairs, interacting with a range of institutions, student groups, media outlets, and government bodies.

History

StandWithUs was founded in 2001 during the Second Intifada with ties to activists and community leaders from Los Angeles, engaging with organizations such as American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, and faith-based groups including B'nai B'rith and Christians United for Israel. Early activities coincided with events like the Second Intifada, the Oslo Accords aftermath, and international diplomacy surrounding the Camp David Summit (2000), leading to collaborations and tensions with campus organizations such as Hillel International, Students for Justice in Palestine, and chapters of Alpha Epsilon Pi. Over subsequent decades the organization responded to geopolitical shifts including the Second Lebanon War (2006), Gaza War (2008–2009), Operation Protective Edge (2014), and the Abraham Accords, expanding presence alongside think tanks like Brookings Institution, Council on Foreign Relations, and policy centers such as Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Mission and Activities

StandWithUs states its mission as supporting Israel's image and confronting what it identifies as delegitimization by movements and media. It operates in contexts including university campuses, municipal governments, media organizations, and international forums like the United Nations. Activities intersect with groups and institutions such as Jewish Agency for Israel, Zionist Organization of America, AIPAC, and youth movements including BBYO and Young Judaea. The organization monitors incidents involving actors such as SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine), BDS movement, and media outlets like The New York Times, BBC, Al Jazeera, and engages legal partners and law firms comparable to American Civil Liberties Union in addressing campus disputes, civil rights complaints, and municipal resolutions.

Educational Programs and Materials

StandWithUs develops curricula, pamphlets, and training modules used in settings ranging from high schools to universities, often distributed through networks including Hillel International, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and Jewish day schools affiliated with Orthodox Union and Rabbinical Assembly. Materials cover topics such as the history of Zionism, immigration to Mandatory Palestine, and conflicts involving entities like the British Mandate for Palestine, Yishuv, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and the Six-Day War. Educational initiatives have engaged scholars and commentators associated with institutions such as Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, Princeton University, Harvard University, and Stanford University. Programs include campus ambassador training, media literacy workshops referencing outlets like Reuters, Associated Press, and documentaries screened alongside works such as Exodus (film) or histories of figures like David Ben-Gurion and Chaim Weizmann.

Advocacy and Public Campaigns

The organization conducts public campaigns involving advertising, social media, billboard initiatives, and legal petitions during high-profile events and crises such as the Gaza conflicts, peace negotiations including Oslo Accords, and international actions at the United Nations General Assembly and UN Human Rights Council. Campaigns have targeted narratives promoted by groups such as BDS movement, engaged with municipal bodies in cities like Los Angeles, New York City, London, Toronto, and coordinated with advocacy partners including AIPAC, J Street, Zionist Organization of America, and interfaith allies like Evangelical Christian organizations. Media outreach has interacted with broadcast networks like CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and print outlets including The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

Funding and Organization

StandWithUs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with regional offices and a global network of volunteers and staff. Its funding sources have included charitable foundations, private donors, and philanthropic networks linked to families and foundations active in Jewish and Israeli causes, comparable in landscape to donors associated with Charles and David Koch, Soros family foundations (in broader philanthropic comparisons), and community foundations such as the Jewish Community Foundation. Governance involves a board of directors, executive leadership, and advisory councils often engaging figures from academia, law, philanthropy, and politics, with interactions at events featuring leaders from institutions like United States Congress, Knesset, U.S. Department of State, and municipal councils.

Criticism and Controversies

StandWithUs has been criticized by academics, activists, and media commentators for its approaches to campus speech, framing of Israeli policies, and aggressive public relations tactics. Critics include scholars associated with Noam Chomsky, commentators from The Electronic Intifada, activists linked to BDS movement, and student groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine, who have contested materials and campaigns as partisan or dismissive of Palestinian narratives, including disputes over events tied to the Nakba and the Jerusalem Day debates. Allegations in the public sphere have involved partnerships, donor transparency, and tactics resembling those attributed to political advocacy firms operating in arenas like U.S. presidential campaigns and lobbying practices scrutinized in investigations of groups around instances such as the Iran–Contra affair or media influence controversies. Supporters counter by pointing to legal victories, campus program growth, and endorsements from organizations including ADL and municipal resolutions in cities such as San Francisco and Miami.

Category:Zionist organizations