StandWithUs
StandWithUs is a United States–based nonprofit organization that promotes pro-Israel advocacy, education, and opposition to antisemitism and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
StandWithUs, commonly abbreviated as SWU, is a nonprofit pro-Israel advocacy and education organization founded in Los Angeles in 2001. It operates under the trade name StandWithUs and is associated with the Israel Emergency Alliance. The organization was created by Roz Rothstein, Jerry Rothstein, and Esther Renzer during the Second Intifada. Roz Rothstein, whose parents were Holocaust survivors, has described media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the murders of Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran as formative experiences that persuaded her that an organization was needed to explain Israel to American audiences. The group’s principal work is public education and advocacy. It produces informational materials, organizes lectures and events, supports campus activists, conducts media campaigns, and provides legal assistance to students and faculty who report antisemitism or what it characterizes as anti-Zionist antisemitism. Its largest institutional focus has been university campuses, where it trains students to advocate for Israel, respond to anti-Israel activism, monitor campus events, and challenge policies or speech that it views as discriminatory. The organization has maintained operations or programs in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Israel, France, and other countries. StandWithUs is particularly identified with its opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS. It describes BDS as an antisemitic movement whose ultimate objective is the elimination of Israel and Jewish self-determination. The organization supports legislation designed to discourage governmental contracting with entities that boycott Israel and has opposed university divestment resolutions and denominational campaigns targeting Israeli companies or products. It has also participated in anti-BDS conferences and worked with broader pro-Israel coalitions, including the Israel on Campus Coalition and the Maccabee Task Force. Student leadership is central to the organization’s model. Its Emerson Fellowship, established in 2007, is a year-long training program for university students. The program has expanded beyond North America to include students in the United Kingdom and Brazil, and later South Africa. StandWithUs also runs a high-school internship for students in the final two years of secondary education, preparing participants for pro-Israel advocacy in college. Other initiatives have included Shagririm, an ambassador program for young Israeli Americans in Southern California, and educational programming aimed at improving public understanding of Israel and antisemitism. The organization has used advertising and public demonstrations to contest narratives advanced by pro-Palestinian groups. Its campaigns have appeared on buses, in subway systems, at transit stations, on billboards, and in newspapers. Some campaigns have contrasted Israeli and Palestinian children, maps, education, security, or civic values. These tactics have generated attention and criticism, particularly when advertisements or trained activists became involved in contentious campus debates. StandWithUs has also collaborated with Israeli governmental actors and other advocacy organizations; in 2011, then-Israeli deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon credited the organization with creating leverage for Israel’s Foreign Ministry. StandWithUs describes itself as nonpartisan and says that it does not advocate a specific Israeli government policy. Critics and scholars have nevertheless placed it toward the right of the spectrum of American Jewish pro-Israel organizations. Its public positions include support for Israel, opposition to BDS, advocacy for adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, and criticism of groups such as J Street and Breaking the Silence. The organization has also stated opposition to racism, including Kahanism. As of 2022, it reported 18 offices in the United States and branches or operations in several other countries.
History
StandWithUs was established in Los Angeles in 2001 by Roz Rothstein, Jerry Rothstein, and Esther Renzer. Its formation followed the founders’ perception that public discussion of Israel during the Second Intifada was frequently distorted and that existing organizations did not provide sufficient resources for explaining Israel to American audiences. Rothstein became the organization’s executive director and remains its most prominent public representative. During its early development, StandWithUs concentrated on public information, community education, and campus advocacy. It distributed fact sheets and pamphlets, arranged speakers, and supported students responding to anti-Israel activity. The organization gradually developed a structured leadership pipeline. The Emerson Fellowship, launched in 2007, trained university students in communications, event organization, media engagement, and pro-Israel advocacy. A high-school internship introduced similar preparation before students entered university. The organization also created regional and community initiatives, including Shagririm for young Israeli Americans. Campus work became the organization’s defining activity. StandWithUs trained fellows to observe campus controversies, produce video and photographic material, organize pro-Israel events, and respond to demonstrations or claims they considered antisemitic or misleading. It also developed a legal-support network that, according to descriptions of the organization, included approximately 80 lawyers providing pro bono assistance to students and faculty. Critics have argued that the group’s monitoring and confrontational tactics can intensify campus disputes, while the organization presents them as tools for protecting students and documenting discrimination. A second major area of activity has been opposition to BDS. StandWithUs has organized conferences, challenged university divestment initiatives, supported anti-BDS legislation, and condemned boycotts adopted by religious or civic bodies. In 2011 it assisted plaintiffs in litigation connected with the Olympia Food Co-op’s boycott of Israeli goods. The litigation continued for years and produced rulings concerning standing and Washington’s anti-SLAPP framework. StandWithUs has rejected the characterization that it improperly controlled the case. The organization has also used public advertising to contest pro-Palestinian messaging. In 2007 it responded to Washington subway advertisements concerning Palestinian children with its own advertisements focused on education and the teaching of hatred. Later campaigns appeared on buses and transit systems in Chapel Hill and Vancouver. Other campaigns addressed depictions of Israel, Palestinian statehood, security, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2019 it placed a highway billboard in Israel opposing an advertising campaign by Breaking the Silence. In 2022 it ran campaigns in Toronto and Australia on antisemitism and Jerusalem policy. StandWithUs has worked with a range of pro-Israel organizations and has participated in the Israel on Campus Coalition. It has also been associated with the Center for Combating Antisemitism and collaborated with the Israeli government. In 2020, it and the Israeli American Council led a nonpartisan slate in World Zionist Congress elections. By 2022, the organization described itself as having 18 United States offices and international branches or programs. The organization calls itself nonpartisan and says its central goal is education rather than prescribing a particular Israeli policy. Academic and journalistic assessments have often placed it on the right side of the American Jewish pro-Israel advocacy spectrum. StandWithUs rejects that characterization and emphasizes opposition to all racism, including Kahanism. Its advocacy has nevertheless included strong criticism of J Street and Breaking the Silence, support for the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and the view that BDS is antisemitic and seeks to undermine Israel’s existence. It remains an active nonprofit focused on pro-Israel education, campus organizing, legal support, communications, and coalition advocacy.
- 2022
South African fellowship launched
[1]The organization launches an Emerson Fellowship program in South Africa.
- 2020
World Zionist Congress election slate
[1]StandWithUs and the Israeli American Council lead a nonpartisan slate in World Zionist Congress elections.
- 2018
United Kingdom Emerson Fellowship launched
[1]A United Kingdom version of the Emerson Fellowship begins.
- 2016
Anti-BDS strategy conference
[1]StandWithUs organizes a conference focused on strategies to oppose BDS, attended by more than 350 people.
- 2012
High School Internship created
[1]StandWithUs begins a program preparing North American high-school students for pro-Israel advocacy.
- 2011
Olympia Food Co-op litigation support
[1]The organization assists plaintiffs challenging a boycott adopted by the Olympia Food Co-op board.
- 2007
Emerson Fellowship established
[1]StandWithUs launches its year-long university student leadership and advocacy fellowship.
- 2001
Organization founded
[1]Roz Rothstein, Jerry Rothstein, and Esther Renzer establish StandWithUs in Los Angeles during the Second Intifada.
Products and positioning
A pro-Israel nonprofit advocacy and education organization focused on student leadership, campus engagement, public communications, and opposition to antisemitism and BDS.
Student leadership program · 2007
Emerson Fellowship
A year-long program that trains university students in pro-Israel advocacy, public speaking, event organization, media work, and campus engagement. Created in 2007, it began in North America and later expanded to students in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and South Africa.
Youth education program · 2012
StandWithUs High School Internship
A program for North American students in the eleventh and twelfth grades. It introduces participants to Israel education and advocacy and prepares them for campus debates and organizing after they enter higher education.
Legal assistance
Campus Legal Support
Pro bono legal and complaint-support services for students and faculty who report antisemitism, discrimination, or anti-Zionist activity that they believe violates institutional rules or applicable law.
Policy advocacy
Anti-BDS Advocacy
A collection of educational, legislative, conference, and communications initiatives opposing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and university or institutional divestment campaigns targeting Israel.
Controversies
2011
Olympia Food Co-op boycott litigation
StandWithUs assisted five co-op members who challenged the board’s boycott of Israeli goods. Courts later found that the plaintiffs lacked standing, while earlier proceedings addressed whether the case constituted an unlawful SLAPP. The organization’s role and the litigation attracted criticism from BDS supporters and media commentators.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022Toronto anti-antisemitism campaign
Canada
In partnership with JewBelong, StandWithUs launched a billboard campaign addressing antisemitism in Toronto.
- 2022Australian Jerusalem policy campaign
Australia
The organization placed an advertisement in The Australian opposing the Australian government’s decision to withdraw recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and encouraged readers to contact ministers.
- 2019Breaking the Silence counter-campaign
Israel
StandWithUs placed a billboard on a major Israeli highway opposing advertisements by Breaking the Silence that addressed Israel’s control of the West Bank.
- 2007Washington subway response campaign
United States
StandWithUs responded to advertisements by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation with posters emphasizing the effects of teaching children to hate and presenting an opposing pro-Israel message.
- 2007Chapel Hill bus campaign
United States
The organization placed pro-Israel advertisements on buses in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to counter a campaign calling for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.
- 2007Vancouver transit campaign
Canada
StandWithUs ran advertisements on Vancouver buses and light-rail stations in opposition to Palestine Awareness Committee messaging about the changing geography of Palestine.
Brand decisions
2007
Adopt confrontational public-response campaignsOtherBackground
Pro-Palestinian organizations were placing advertisements in public transit systems and other high-visibility locations.
Action taken
StandWithUs answered with its own transit and billboard campaigns presenting pro-Israel messages and criticizing what it described as anti-Israel narratives.
Aftermath
The approach became a recurring part of the organization’s public advocacy and generated both visibility and controversy.
2007
Expand structured student advocacy trainingStrategyBackground
The organization identified university campuses as a central arena for disputes over Israel, antisemitism, and BDS.
Action taken
It established the Emerson Fellowship to train student leaders in advocacy, communications, and campus organizing.
Aftermath
The fellowship expanded from North America to additional countries and became one of StandWithUs’s signature programs.
Recent events
StandWithUs partners with Gerstman Schwartz and a New York state assemblyman[3]
Reported:
StandWithUs, law firm Gerstman Schwartz LLP and New York State Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein announced a partnership to pursue civil legal remedies for antisemitic crimes and raise community awareness about such lawsuits. StandWithUs said it would draw on its pro bono attorney network and help find local counsel for cases outside New York.
Sources3 sources
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