StandWithUs

StandWithUs is a pro-Israel advocacy organization based in Los Angeles. It has recently opened offices in New York, Detroit, and in Jerusalem. SWU also has staff / affiliates in Chicago, Buffalo, San Francisco, and in Orange County, CA.

It describes itself as "an advocacy organization that promotes education and understanding that will bring a secure future for Israel and her neighbors."

tructure

StandWithUs is also known as "Israel Emergency Alliance". It has several divisions: [ [http://www.standwithus.com/disclaimer.asp StandWithUs.org disclaimer page] ]
* [http://standwithus.com StandWithUs] - working with communities to advocate for a just and secure peace for Israel
* [http://standwithuscampus.com StandWithUsCampus] - assisting college & high school students in North America with Israel advocacy & education
* [http://standwithus.co.il StandWithUs International] - working with students in Israel, Europe, Australia, and South Africa
* [http://united4freedom.org United4Freedom] - a speaker's bureau funded by the Jewish Community Foundation
* [http://stand4facts.org Stand4Facts] - "Stand4Facts is a dynamic web-based tool developed in collaboration with recent college graduates, academics, and student activists, to help you understand and respond to the rash of anti-Israel rallies and speeches on campus."
* [http://learnisrael.org LearnIsrael] - donates pro-Israel books to libraries. "one of our initial objectives will be to ensure that the story of Israel is accurately represented in our nation’s libraries through books, films, online resources and other programs."
* [http://librariansforfairness.org Librarians for Fairness] - A librarians' association that advocates for academic balance in our libraries.
* [http://israelb2b.org IsraelB2B] - "The goal of this project is to match Israeli companies with businesses in your community and to promote sales of Israeli made products. ... While in some instances prices for some Israeli goods may not be as competitive as similar products made in other countries, let us not forget that our objective is not the profit which may be gained."

The executive director and founder of StandWithUs is Roz Rothstein. [Internal Revenue Service Form 990, "Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax", for "Israel Emergency Alliance", 2004, part V, retrieved from [http://tfcny.fdncenter.org/990_pdf_archive/010/010566033/010566033_200412_990.pdf] ]

Activities

Emerson Fellow program

The organization trains and pays US student leaders to "act as campus emissaries of the Jewish state." These students are referred to as "Emerson Fellows". In 2007, 38 students were chosen and trained for this program. [cite news | title=Pro-Israel Group Puts Emissaries on Campuses | location=New York | publisher=New York Sun | date = December 10, 2007 | author= Karni, Annie | url=http://www.nysun.com/article/67761 ]

Click For Israel

StandWithUs uses a system called "Click For Israel", an automated phone dialing system. Users are presented with a web form which automatically dials the offices of political leaders and guides the user through a message to be read to them. [http://standwithus.clickforisrael.org/]

Transit poster campaign

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. subway system. In response, StandWithUs arranged for their own poster campaign, with some posters showing Palestinian children with military gear. "Teaching children to hate will never lead to peace," one ad reads. [cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/30/business/main2867890.shtml|title=Mideast Conflict Spawns D.C. Ad Battle|publisher=CBS News|location=Washington, D.C.|date=May 30, 2007] [cite news | publisher=International Herald Tribune|title=Middle East conflict spawns advertising battle in Washington subways | url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/30/america/NA-GEN-US-Palestinian-Israeli-Posters.php|date=May 30, 2007] [* cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3400283,00.html|title=Pro-Israel group fights back with ads|author=Lappin, Yaakov|publisher=Ynetnews|date=May 15, 2007 "Images of StandWithUs posters."]

Megaphone desktop tool

"Main article: Megaphone desktop tool."

StandWithUs, in conjunction with the Foreign Ministry of Israel, promotes the Megaphone Desktop Tool, an on-line tool which allows users to easily send messages promoting their positions to online polls and blogs. [http://www.standwithus.com/news_post.asp?NPI=914] BBC History Magazine was forced to remove an online poll after it was targeted by a project aimed at influencing internet opinion in Israel's favour. [cite news|publisher=The Register|location=London|url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/06/giyus_megaphone/|title=Pro-Israel lobby targets BBC online poll|author=Williams, Chris|date=September 6, 2006]

References

ee also

* AIPAC
* Christians United for Israel
* Israel lobby in the United States

External links

* [http://www.standwithus.com Organization website]
* [http://www.standwithuscampus.com Campus website]
* [http://www.standwithus.co.il Organization website - International]
* [http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=7024 "Searching for a Response"] , Mike Levy, Jewish Journal, June 8, 2001.
* [http://www.worldjewishnewsagency.org/jewish_society2.htm "StandWithUs Premiere"] , Jewish Journal, October, 2005. Premiere of StandWithUs documentary "Tolerating Intolerance: Hate Speech on Campus." Photo coverage of StandWithUs leaders.