(LOS ANGELES, CA) — On September 18, 2024 , StandWithUs announced a new criminal justice division within its StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department, a division of StandWithUs, which supports Israel and fights antisemitism through legal action.
After a decade of being a leader in the legal fight against antisemitism in the US by handling thousands of intake incidents, StandWithUs is now adding a criminal expertise to its legal team: criminal justice support and advocacy for victims of antisemitic hate crimes; criminal defense for those targeted for standing up for Israel and the Jewish people; and a rehabilitative justice curriculum and education option available to judges sentencing perpetrators of antisemitic hate crimes. StandWithUs’ Saidoff Legal Department is one of the only groups in the US now to provide free legal criminal justice services to the Jewish and Zionist community.
Since October 7, StandWithUs has received an unprecedented rise in intake of antisemitic incidents, with 15% of all intake now involving requests for help with hate crimes and other criminal issues from college students, community members, and even K-12 victims. New cases are coming in daily and many involve antisemitic-motivated assaults.
StandWithUs’ new criminal justice division, led by Senior Counsel and Victim Advocacy Attorney Sarena Townsend and Saidoff Legal Department Director Yael Lerman, will focus on:
“We are excited and ready to provide much-needed criminal justice resources to help Jewish, Israeli, and student allies that unfortunately find themselves in the criminal justice system, either as victims or as the accused,” said Roz Rothstein, StandWithUs co-founder and CEO. “This new criminal justice division underscores our commitment to fighting antisemitism and rising to meet the newfound challenges that our community faces after October 7.”
“It is an honor to join the StandWithUs legal team in its heroic and ceaseless fight to combat antisemitism,” said Sarena Townsend. “This partnership signifies that we will not cower in response to society’s newest virulent strain of modern antisemitism. To the contrary: I plan to arm our community – and our allies – with every possible legal resource and strategy available to combat and prevail over those who seek our demise. Justice, Justice We Shall Pursue.”
StandWithUs is an international, non-partisan education organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism. StandWithUs empowers and energizes students and communities with leadership training and educational programs on hundreds of college campuses, high schools, and middle schools. StandWithUs informs through social media, print and digital materials, films, weekly newsletters, and missions to Israel. StandWithUs takes legal action through the StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department and the help of over 400 pro-bono attorneys and firms in its network. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization has chapters and offices on six continents, including throughout the U.S., Israel, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Australia, South Africa and the Netherlands More at www.standwithus.com .
