Roberta Seid Award Winners for Courage and Leadership
The Roberta Seid Award for Courage and Leadership, in memory of Dr. Roberta Seid, is given to one outstanding StandWithUs Emerson Fellow each year who has demonstrated exemplary courage, leadership, and commitment to Israel activism on campus and beyond. Dr. Seid was the first Director of Research and Education at StandWithUs; this remarkable award is in honor of an incredible visionary who helped people of all ages stand up for Israel with impactful StandWithUs educational materials for over a decade.
Current Award Winners
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First Place: Joel Nasar, Brooklyn College
Feeling inspired by his training as a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow, Joel was determined to be a strong and vocal leader for the Jewish community at Brooklyn College. Joel was no stranger to polarizing, harmful anti-Israel rhetoric and bias on campus and was vigilant to stand up whenever he experienced it – even in the classroom. Upon discovering an anti-Israel article in the syllabus of one of his classes, Joel reached out to StandWithUs and worked with dedicated staff to identify the biases and incorrect information in the reading, point-by-point, and recommend an alternative, balanced source for students to read. Joel even had the courage to gift this professor with Noa Tishby’s book, A Guide to Israel: The Most Misunderstood Country on Earth, for her own reference. Joel is determined to ensure that anti-Israel bias doesn’t permeate the classroom or campus life at Brooklyn College as a whole.
From Joel: "Being a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow empowered me to stand up to antisemitism in the classroom and within student life on campus because I knew that I was not alone in the fight. I enjoyed every minute of working with the amazing staff who supported me day-to-day, and I will always cherish the friendships I made over the past year with other activists and leaders around the globe!"
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Second Place: Sophie Shafran, Indiana University
As a freshman at Indiana University, Sophie started her journey with StandWithUs as a First-Year Leadership Intern (FLI), where she learned the basics of leadership and navigating Israel on campus. Later becoming a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow, Sophie decided to focus her efforts on building bridges between different communities on campus and inspiring tolerance and allyship with the Jewish community. Sophie organized the first-ever Culture Unity Dinner at Indiana University, where over 70 students of different cultures and backgrounds shared their experiences on campus and discussed ways to support each other. As a key leader of her school’s antisemitism task force, Sophie now has 70 new friends to call upon if she or the Jewish community needs support. The event was so impactful that it will be replicated in years to come!
From Sophie: "Participating in the StandWithUs Emerson Fellowship enabled me to make a huge impact on my campus and community. I was able to bridge bridges between different communities and inspire my peers to support Israel and combat antisemitism."
PAST ROBERTA SEID AWARD WINNERS
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First Place: Lindsay Cogan, Carleton University — Lindsay started her journey with StandWithUs as part of the Kenneth Leventhal High School Internship and continued in college as the Emerson Fellow at Carleton University. After experiencing antisemitism in an online class, Lindsay quickly began mobilizing; she published an article in the school newspaper asking her campus to adopt a comprehensive policy to fight antisemitism. She also emailed student government representatives to speak about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) practices at Carleton and built strong relationships with several members. With perseverance, Lindsay got her student government to adopt the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism into their EDI policy manual. Lindsay’s success in creating a safer atmosphere for Jewish students at Carleton is immeasurable and will lead the way for continued positive dialogue.
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Second Place: Skyler Goldberg, Tufts University — Skyler came into the Emerson Fellowship eager to address the tough campus climate at Tufts University and strengthen his community. Skyler started a book club that brought together Zionist students and faculty to read Gil Troy’s The Zionist Ideas and share their experiences with campus antisemitism. As elected President of Tufts Friends of Israel, Skyler organized events and campaigns that promoted education and dialogue with experts in the field. When the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) launched a campaign to boycott groups on campus, including Friends of Israel, Skyler mobilized his community effectively and stayed committed to his goal of pursuing dialogue and education. Through the fellowship, Skyler put together inspiring proactive initiatives while reacting to challenges with the support of StandWithUs resources. Skyler has had a phenomenal impact on Tufts' campus that will be felt for years to come.
2022-2023
2020-2021
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First Place: Sivan Barashy, UC San Diego — As a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow, Sivan approached program-planning and Israel engagement thoughtfully and creatively. Through 14 unique programs, she educated her peers about Israel and recruited new members for her Israel club, Tritons for Israel. Sivan also worked tirelessly to get her campus to adopt the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism. She coordinated efforts with the 10 different schools that make up the UC San Diego system and can proudly say that this resolution passed unanimously!
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Second Place: Rebekah Man, Kennesaw State University — Rebekah showed exemplary leadership as a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow by planning and executing almost 20 events on her campus reaching more than 600 students! She utilized every StandWithUs resource available to her, including Senior Educator Charlotte Korchak and the StandWithUs Legal Department. Rebekah also worked diligently to make her campus a safer place for Jewish students by bringing IHRA to her campus. Her campaign was adopted unanimously by her Student Government, with endorsement from the Student President and VP.
2019-2020
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First Place: StandWithUs Canada Emerson Fellow Jordana Schiff attends McGill University in Montreal. Within the fellowship, Jordana ran many Israel programs that educated over 900 different students. For example, she collaborated with the Israel group at Concordia University and raised $1,500 for Save a Child’s Heart. Jordana also organized a tabling program with the StandWithUs Canada WordSwap Tour, a program that brings diverse Israelis together to share their stores. She also was one of the few Jewish students who participated in the StandWithUS Canada Insight Israel trip. Lastly, a global pandemic did not discourage Jordana or prevent her from educating her peers. She hosted Zoom webinars that educated students from other universities about the difference between antisemitism and legitimate criticism of Israel, how to answer questions about Israel, and the history of Israel. Next year, Jordana will serve as President of McGill’s Israel on Campus club and will continue doing amazing things.
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Second Place: Ben Carleton, Binghamton University—Ben, our StandWithUs Emerson Fellow from Binghamton University, organized creative programs that engaged hundreds of students. In response to the 500 rocket attacks on Israel in the fall of 2020, Ben and his Israel group educated their campus community by placing 500 red flags at the center of campus. Immediately, Ben was harassed and even spit on by a handful of students who were anti-Israel. Ben worked with the StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department to ensure he and other Zionists on campus were protected.
2018-2019
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First Place: Maggie Kuck, Worcester Polytechnic Institute—As Hillel president and president of the society of female engineers, Maggie led programs that taught students of all backgrounds about Israel’s history, the IDF, Israeli humanitarian aid efforts, and, of course, engineering and tech advancements! After the horrors of the Pittsburgh massacre, Maggie organized and hosted a day-long conference dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry in collaboration with the Black Student Union, the Muslim Student Union, and the Office for Diversity/Dean of Diversity. The program engaged and impacted over 200 people and was awarded “Diversity Program of the Year” by her university.
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Second Place: Francesca Aviv, Ryerson University—Throughout her StandWithUs Emerson Fellowship, Frankie was determined to stand up for Israel and the Jewish community, and it showed through everything she did. Aside from all of her amazing, proactive work to educate her campus about Israel, Frankie encountered various incidents of antisemitism and used them as opportunities to enlighten those around her. The Social Work Union at Ryerson took a pro-BDS stance on campus, but Frankie reached out to involved friends and taught them about the history of BDS and why the movement is so problematic. These friends used what they learned from Frankie to educate their peers. Many Social Work Union members attended Frankie’s workshop about the history of Israel and were empowered with a better understanding of Israel, the Jewish people, and antisemitism.
2017-2018
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First Place: Stephanie Margolis, University of Massachusetts, Amherst—As a former StandWithUs High School Intern, Stephanie arrived at college eager to continue her activism and leadership. When she decided to run for student government vice president, she was slandered with false rumors during the campaign because she openly supported Israel. Rather than becoming dejected, Stephanie proudly stood up as a Zionist and fought back. She organized a variety of Israel education programs focusing on all sorts of topics, giving students of all backgrounds a way to connect to Israel.
Movement Builder Award
for Creativity and Impact
The Movement Builder Award for Creativity and Impact is given to one exceptional StandWithUs Emerson Fellow each year who approached and successfully implemented Israel programming with a specific and dynamic strategy tailored to their campus climate. The award is named after the StandWithUs Movement Builder platform, which is designed to help student leaders assess their campus climate, map out their goals, and develop an effective strategy for Israel education that will maximize their impact.
Current Award Winners
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First Place: Carly Klinger, UC Davis
At UC Davis, StandWithUs Emerson Fellow Carly saw clear patterns of antisemitism both on and off campus and committed herself to making her school a better place for Jewish students by engaging her peers, leaders, and administrators about antisemitism and how they can support the Jewish community. Carly amplified Jewish voices and experiences at Davis through school-wide presentations, administrative meetings, briefings from experts, and more. She also hosted a Jewish Diversity Panel, where she moderated a conversation with five different speakers who shared insights on how to make spaces on campus more inclusive for Jews of all backgrounds.
From Carly: "The StandWithUs Emerson Fellowship allowed me to explore my activism in creative, innovative, and educated ways. Whenever I needed help navigating difficult situations on my campus, planning programs, or even just moral support, StandWithUs was always responsive and compassionate and helped me develop a strong sense of leadership and strategy to continue to share on my campus!"
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Second Place: Gabriela Lefkovits, University of Georgia
As a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow at the University of Georgia, Gaby set the goal of strengthening and expanding her community on campus. Following a successful Israel educational course she led through Chabad, Gaby inspired this new group of students to invite their friends to get involved and learn about Israel. Through her own efforts, Gaby successfully connected with the Catholic Center, the Pride Center, and other groups and communities through collaborative events and initiatives to cultivate support and interest in Israel. Gaby also played a crucial role in planning and recruiting for Hillel of Georgia’s “Meeting the Challenge” Israel Conference, where student leaders from across the state of Georgia gathered to discuss Israel on campus and ways to lead on campus.
From Gabriela: "I am so thankful to StandWithUs for giving me the resources and support to speak out for Israel on campus. Knowing I had a community behind me, I felt empowered to reach out to other religious and minority groups to collaborate with. It is so rewarding to share my love for Israel and show others how they can form a bond of support and mutual values, whether that be through sustainable energy, pride, or religion.
PAST MOVEMENT BUILDER AWARD WINNERS
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First Place: Lila Caplan, Indiana University — As an Emerson Fellow on campus, Lila was eager to connect with new communities on campus. She used her fellowship training to engage students of all backgrounds and organized 14 successful and impactful programs with various student clubs and organizations like ROTC, Greek life, and more. When she noticed a rise in antisemitic incidents on campus, Lila joined Indiana University Hillel’s Antisemitism Task Force to help mobilize and support her community. Lila also represented StandWithUs within the ICC National Council of Fellows, where she worked on national campaigns for students across the country. Lila’s leadership exemplified everything StandWithUs stands for – Israel education, empowerment, and standing up to antisemitism. Lila is also an alumna of the StandWithUs Kenneth Leventhal High School Internship, which gave her a strong foundation for campus leadership.
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Second Place: Zach Pearlstone, Emory University — While only a sophomore at Emory University, Zach signed up for the Emerson Fellowship and was ready to make an impact within his community and beyond. Through his time as a fellow, Zach hosted important events with experts like Neil Lazarus, Gil Hoffman, and Michael Eisenberg to educate his community. Zach also organized a very successful Israel Latin Night, which brought together almost 80 students from the Jewish and Latinx communities. Students in attendance learned about Israel’s relationship with the Latin world and celebrated each other’s cultures. Representatives from the Israeli and Honduras consulates joined as well. Zach’s accomplishments within the fellowship, of both fortifying his own community and connecting to others, have had a tremendous impact at Emory.
2022-2023
2020-2021
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First Place: Ron Levy, San Jose State University — As the StandWithUs Emerson Fellow, Ron’s strategy focused on providing his peers with different opportunities and avenues to learn about and connect with Israel, from the Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival to a workshop about how to answer the toughest questions about Israel. Ron stands out not only for the impact he made on his own campus but how he supported two other campuses in their fight against antisemitism. IHRA campaigns at both De Anza Community College and Foothill College were met with tremendous resistance from the community, and detractors tried to push misinformed, antisemitic resolutions instead. Ron took the lead on organizing and mobilizing these campus communities and recruited student leaders around the country to show support virtually.
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Second Place: Paige Weisburg, Muhlenberg College — As the StandWithUs Emerson Fellow at Muhlenberg, Paige developed a clear strategy on how to engage her peers with Israel, planning tangible goals and then faithfully executing them. She accomplished this by creating Israel Depth Project (IDP) programs, recurring events that provided her peers with a baseline foundation and understanding of Israel's history, diversity, and current affairs. Paige completed 11 diverse cultural and political programs that impacted her peers of all backgrounds. Recognizing the importance of collaborating with other groups, she also assigned members of her group to be liaisons with other clubs and communities on campus, opening the door for successful relationship-building and collaboration.
2019-2020
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First Place: Lioz Grunberger, Florida State University—Lioz effectively implemented his Israel-programming strategy on campus and was able to meet any adversity he faced. He organized a StandWithUs strategy workshop about BDS to help prepare FSU students for a possible BDS resolution and also led the front to remove FSU's student senate president from his position for his antisemitic remarks. Lioz has been spearheading these efforts with passion and dedication and has galvanized his community in such a powerful way!
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Second Place: Shachaf Zahavy-Mittelman, Western Washington University—Shachaf started out the year with a hostile campus environment regarding Israel, but she turned it around by creating her own Israel club—Vikings Heart Israel. Through her new organization, Shachaf organized events with speakers like Neil Lazarus, facilitated a guided discussion about antisemitism with the frisbee club, and led several tabling endeavors. She strategized in the most effective way for her campus environment, all while making an immense impact on campus!