StandWithUs International Conference

PAST SPEAKERS

Debra Messing

Debra Messing is an Emmy Award-winning actress, producer, and social justice & human rights advocate.

She is best known for her Emmy & SAG Award-winning role as “Grace Adler” on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning comedy series “Will & Grace,” and starred in “The Mysteries of Laura,” and “SMASH,” both on NBC. Notable film credits include the award-winning “Searching,” “Along Came Polly,” “The Wedding Date” “Nothing Like The Holidays,” “The Women,” and “The Dark Divide.” Messing has been honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Women In Film’s Lucy Award, The Gracie Allen Award, American Comedy Award, among 50 more nominations.

Most recently, Messing filmed the Warner Brothers mob drama, “Wise Guys,” opposite Robert De Niro.

Messing can be seen in Universal’s feature film, BROS, alongside Billy Eichner. Messing can also be seen in the feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical, “13,” from the producer of “Chicago,” which is currently available for streaming on Netflix.

Messing returned to Broadway to star in the Spring 2022 limited run of Noah Haidle’s new play, “Birthday Candles.” She last starred on Broadway in John Patrick Shanley’s Tony Award-nominated, “Outside Mullingar.”

Messing has worked as Global Health Ambassador for PSI focusing on HIV/AIDS, and has traveled extensively in Africa in support of the organization. She has testified before the House Foreign Affairs sub-committee on Africa and Global Health and spoke at the International AIDS conference. She is now on the founding board of a new organization called The Body Agency Collective, a non-profit that drives healthcare accessibility for women, education, job creation, advocacy, and innovation around the world.

Messing supports the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Moms Demand Action, ERA Coalition, ACLU, ADL, The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Marley’s Mutts, amongst many other organizations. She has been honored by the HRC as one of the world’s greatest supporters of the LGBTQ+ community both on screen and off screen, and by The Trevor Project with The Trevor Life Award in recognition of her contributions to the LGBTQ+ community. Messing is also a founding member of the nonpartisan civic engagement organization, i am a voter, and co-hosted the activism-focused podcast, “The Dissenters,” which spotlighted 22 individuals who have made an impact.

Messing grew up in Rhode Island, received her BA from Brandeis University and earned her Masters of Fine Arts from NYU’s The Tisch School of the Arts. She resides in New York City with her son.

Roz Rothstein

Roz is a co-founder and CEO of StandWithUs. The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Rothstein and her husband Jerry, along with community leader Esther Renzer, sought to strengthen Israel’s image by empowering Israel’s supporters worldwide with innovative educational materials, conferences, fellowships, campaigns, missions to Israel, social media, educational videos, and programs. Since the inception of StandWithUs, the Forward has twice named Rothstein one of the 50 most influential Jews in America, and the Jerusalem Post has twice named her one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world.

Michael Dickson

Michael Dickson is Executive Director of StandWithUs Israel. Michael leads a dynamic team at StandWithUs in Jerusalem which includes pioneering innovative Israel educational initiatives, running campaigns to counter discriminatory BDS boycotts of Israel, oversight of digital operations and hosting delegations of politicians, diplomats, academics and other people of influence in Israel. Born in the UK, Michael made Aliyah to Israel in 2006 from London as the Second Lebanon War ended, together with his wife and two young children – they now have five children and live in central Israel. Michael regularly addresses audiences and broadcasts on issues pertaining to Israel and public diplomacy. He is an accomplished writer, with many published articles, TV appearances and and is the author of the bestselling book: ISRESILIENCE — What Israelis Can Teach the World. Under Michael’s leadership, StandWithUs’s operation in Israel has grown exponentially, empowering people in Israel and internationally to be active advocates for Israel and countering efforts to impose commercial, academic and cultural boycotts on Israel. Michael oversaw the construction of the new StandWithUs Educational Center in Jerusalem, opposite the King David Hotel. The site hosts tens of thousands of students and tourists each year, participating in educational programs. Michael is a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Communication (CIC) of Bar Ilan University, is an Honorary member of Alpha Epsilon Pi, and was appointed to the Spectrum Forum of leading Executive Directors in Israel under the age of 40. He was named by JTA as the 14th most influential Jew on Twitter and also one of the “30 Israelis Making a Difference” by Channel 10 TV at a ceremony at the President of Israel’s Residence. Michael was cited in the Top 30 of "The Aliyah 100 List" of British immigrants to Israel, as one of the "flag bearers who shaped the state of Israel and made a significant contribution". In 2019, he won the prestigious “Bonei Zion” (“Builders of Zion”) Prize. Michael continues to be an energetic, influential and active voice for Israel to the world.

Amy Albertson

Jewish Advocate & Educator
Amy Albertson is a Jewish advocate and educator from California. Through online activism, public speaking, and workshops, Amy empowers young Jews to be unapologetically Jewish, both online and in their everyday lives.

While living in Israel for 6 years, she created “The Asian Israeli,” where she cataloged her experiences as a Chinese-American Jewish woman. This exploration of her own identity and relationship with Israel led her to the work she does today.

Amy has been an active voice in the Jewish community for over 10 years, since her days as the President of Hillel and Co-Founder of the Israel group on campus at Portland State University. After college, she completed an internship in Tel Aviv on a Masa Israel program. In 2015 she made Aliyah, where she dedicated her career to working for Jewish nonprofits.

Amy is the recipient of the Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO) Warrior for Israel Award. She has been published in The Times of Israel, Hey Alma, and the Jewish Journal, as well as being featured in the Jerusalem Post, the Algemeiner, JTA and on numerous podcasts. She is also highlighted in the book “Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People”, by Ben Freeman.

Currently, she is a consultant for At The Well Project (www.atthewellproject.com) and an Executive Board Member of B'Chol Lashon (globaljews.org). She is also an Associate at The Tel Aviv Institute (www.tlvi.org/our-experts).

Amy loves the beach, being a dog mom, and doing her best to make everyone laugh at all times.
Follow her: @theamyalbertson

Shai Davidai is a Jewish Israeli Assistant Professor of Management at Columbia Business School. He is a father, a husband, and proud liberal Zionist.

Brett Gelman

Actor and comedian

Ari Dayan

Musician and Actor

Cory Wenter

Cory has spent the last 16 years as the Strategic Director of Safety and Security for Wilshire Boulevard Temple, the oldest and one of the largest Jewish institutions in Los Angeles and one of the country’s most highly respected reform congregations. During his time there, he has been the driving force in creating some of the most sophisticated and effective safety, security and emergency preparedness measures which now compete on the global stage. Most notably, he overhauled their entire security department and hired an all in-house, highly trained security team who is a critical part of not only the safety but also the culture of each campus. In addition, he managed complete safety renovations for each Wilshire Boulevard Temple campus, including the infrastructure, site-specific training, and related policies and procedures. Cory led the effort in designing the security infrastructure during several multimillion dollar renovations, as well as overseeing the security design of recently completed $95 million Audrey Irmas Pavillion. Prior to his tenure at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, he served 8 years in the United States Marine Corps with specialties in infantry, and presidential security, and was a martial arts instructor trainer. Cory holds multiple certifications and advanced training from the California Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the White House Military Office, and expertise in all aspects of disaster planning, mitigation, response, and recovery. Cory has also had the unique opportunity to participate in customized training with some of the most elite military, law enforcement and security units in the world. His travels to Israel enhanced and transformed his perspective and approach to creating a safe community. Through partnering with first responders to learn from their experiences and reflections at terror attack sites throughout the world, Cory continues to apply his training and knowledge to better the world around him. Owner, CEO Cory Wenter Relevant Skills Highly skilled, experienced and knowledgeable in safety and security Strategic planner Steadfast dedication and commitment to his community Displays marked integrity and trustworthiness Authentic leader Cory deeply values purpose-driven work. As such, he has volunteered with Team Rubicon since 2012, supporting those affected by Superstorm Sandy, the Colorado floods, and numerous other natural disasters. He most recently aided with the Afghan resettlement efforts at Fort Bliss in 2021. Energized by his work volunteering with Team Rubicon, he subsequently co-founded Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Disaster Response Team which continues to respond to disasters across the country. Cory created Pangaea Emergency Consulting in 2010 out of both necessity and inspiration. He knew schools would need to continue to evolve in order to keep their communities safe, and felt a strong desire to give back in an authentic and meaningful way. Through Pangaea, Cory and his team provide safety and security consulting for a number of private and non-profit organizations throughout the country, in addition to helping individuals prepare their homes and families for natural and man-made disasters. As a leader in the safety and security industry, Cory is proud to dedicate his career to helping and empowering some of the most vulnerable populations in need.

Shai Davidai

Shai Davidai is a Jewish Israeli Assistant Professor of Management at Columbia Business School. He is a father, a husband, and proud liberal Zionist.

Dana Ben Kaplan

Dana has been involved with Krav Maga San Diego continuously for over 31 years, training in San Diego, Los Angeles, other locations in the USA / Canada; teaching and training over the course of many years throughout Europe; and on numerous training trips to Israel, where he always dedicated time to visit with Imi Lichtenfeld, the founder of Krav Maga.

Dana has served as a Volunteer Firefighter; Wildland Firefighter; and municipal Firefighter his entire working career, in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and (mostly) San Diego Counties. He currently serves on a team of American Firefighters from across the USA who volunteer to work as Firefighters with the Israel Fire Authority, and has participated in numerous training and war deployments to Israel.

He is also an Official with USA Boxing (www.teamusa.org/USA-Boxing.aspx), serving since 1999.

Rank: Krav Maga Black Belt (since 1997) / Expert 2

Dana is an active US Department of Defense Certified Contractor with many years of experience providing discrete Military Krav Maga, and Krav Maga Law Enforcement training, at US facilities and installations in numerous regions around the US (see SpecOpsDiv page).

Nili Alon-Amit

During her years of study at Tel Aviv and Haifa Universities in humanities and arts, Nili assisted Professor Judith Buber Agassi in her research on Jewish women prisoners of the Nazi concentration camp Ravensbrück. Since receiving her PhD in ancient philosophy from Haifa University in 2013, Nili has been researching and teaching in Israeli teacher colleges, in Los Angeles as an Israel Institute Visiting Assistant Professor, and as Visiting Research Scholar at UCLA Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Her ongoing research on the history of happiness culminated in her latest publication (2021). In June 2022, Nili joined the Holocaust Education Center as Associate Director, bringing new humanistic and pedagogical approaches to our growing community of learners.

Matthew Nouriel

Matthew Nouriel serves as the Community Engagement Director at JIMENA - Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa. Based in Los Angeles, California, Matthew is also a digital activist and content creator of Iranian Jewish heritage.

Matthew is a passionate advocate who uses their voice to champion various causes close to their heart, including LGBTQ+ rights and equality within the Iranian and Jewish communities, the fight against antisemitism, and their active support of the Women Life Freedom movement for a free Iran. They leverage their social media presence to connect with individuals who resonate with their unique perspective and lived experiences.

Matthew also actively engages with audiences through panel discussions and speaking engagements across the country. Their leadership roles extend to organizations such as JDC Entwine, JQ International, and the Tel Aviv Institute.

Matthew's written contributions have been featured in publications such as JNS, The Forward, and Hey Alma. They have also been profiled in media outlets including the Jewish Journal, Tehran Magazine, the Algemeiner, Jerusalem Post, and more. In recognition of their impactful work, Matthew received the TrailBlazer Award at the 2021 JQ International annual Impact Awards.

Neil Lazarus

Neil Lazarus is an internationally acclaimed commentator and educator in the fields of Middle East politics, public diplomacy and effective communication training.

Neil addresses over 30,000 people a year both in Israel and internationally.

He has emerged as one of Israel's leading keynote speakers. His presentations are motivating, informative and challenging.

Mina Rush

Mina’s father was the youngest foreign volunteer to fight in Israel’s War of Independence (15!!) and her mother was the first female regional president of USY, so you might say that her passion for Jewish continuity and Israel is in her blood. Mina joined the staff of StandWithUs in February 2015 to begin work on her passion project, the IsraelLINK middle school curriculum. Acknowledging the crisis facing pro-Israel students, as well as the rise in antisemitism, she believes that meaning-making and identity-building are best achieved through a learner-centered, relational approach to education. Her belief is that knowing yourself, where you come from, and taking pride and inspiration from the collective lived experience of your people, is the best defense against ignorance and hatred. Through IsraelLINK, over 6,500 students now have a deeper understanding of the place Israel – both ancient and modern – holds as an integral part of their identity. To ensure that IsraelLINK is constantly evolving and on the cutting edge of the best in 21st century education, Mina recently completed an MA Ed in Israel Education from George Washington University.

Charlotte Korchak

Charlotte Korchak is the Senior Educator at StandWithUs, where she educates and trains students from around the world in Israeli history and activism. Charlotte grew up in both the United States and Israel, spending her formative years living in Jerusalem during the second intifada, giving her both an internal and external perspective on Israel and the conflict. She graduated with a BA in Middle Eastern History from the University of Southern California, where she also took part in the StandWithUs Emerson Fellowship. Charlotte has since been working for StandWithUs having initially served as the West Coast Campus Coordinator based in Los Angeles, she then immigrated back to Israel transferring to the StandWithUs Israel office. In her current role as Senior Educator, Charlotte works with over 40,000 students a year from nearly every continent educating them about Israel and training them to be effective activists in their high schools, universities, and communities worldwide. She has quickly become one of the foremost public speakers in her field.

Carly Gammill

Carly Gammill is the Founding Director of the StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism. She is a constitutional litigator with extensive experience assisting clients on an array of issues, including freedom of speech and religious liberties. For the past decade-plus, she has been active in fighting antisemitism on campuses, in local communities, in court, and at the United Nations. Her passion for this work, particularly on campuses, derives from her background in the educational field, as well as from a deep personal conviction that the world—including people of all races and religions—cannot afford to stand by silently while the Jewish people are once again targeted, marginalized, demonized, and harmed. To that end, she regularly works with students, professors, and members of the broader community to inform them about their legal rights and ensure they are best positioned to protect those rights.

Max Samarov

Max grew up in Boston and is a first-generation American. His parents fled to Israel from the Soviet Union to escape the racism and discrimination Jews faced there. Although Max now lives in Southern California he has traveled to Israel and lived there for extended periods throughout his life. Max graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2011 with a degree in political science and international relations. He interned at the office of Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) before joining StandWithUs in 2012. The focus of his research is Israel, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and the discourse about these issues on campuses. He has also spent the last six years helping to educate, organize, and empower students and others across North America in the struggle against anti-Israel boycotts and other forms of bigotry. Max has been quoted by many media outlets, including the Associated Press, Inside Higher Ed, Haaretz, and Israel’s Channel 10, and his articles have been published in the Huffington Post, the Jerusalem Post, the Times of Israel, The Tower, and the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. He also contributed a chapter to The Anti-Israel Agenda: the Political War on the Jewish State, a book published in August 2017.

Rena Nasar First

Rena Nasar First has worked in the campus department at StandWithUs since the beginning of her professional career. As the Executive Director of Campus Affairs, Rena directs a team of local professionals who each work tirelessly to help college students stand up to antisemitism and proudly bring Israel education to their communities. Rena was also featured on the NY Jewish Week’s “36 to Watch” list for 2022, which features innovators who are remaking the Jewish community, or contributing to society in ways that draw upon their diverse Jewish identities and sensibilities. As a proud Syrian Jew, Rena is eager to represent her community wherever she goes. She is honored to be part of the Sephardic Jewish American Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, powered by JIMENA, where she serves on the Sephardic Leadership Advisory Committee and the Women's Leadership Committee. Rena currently resides in Brooklyn, NY with her loving husband, Jason.

Yael Lerman

Yael Lerman is the founding director of the StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department, providing free legal resources to anyone confronting antisemitic and anti-Israel activity. Yael coordinates a team of four staff attorneys and over 250 pro bono attorneys. She is a graduate of Columbia University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, and as a Truman finalist. She attended NYU Law School, where she served as Senior Articles Editor of the NYU Journal of International Law and Policy. Before joining StandWithUs, Yael worked at Boies, Schiller and Flexner and in the ADL’s legal department. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

Kate Chavez

Kate Chavez received her Masters Degree in Government, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution from Reichman University. At StandWithUs, Kate focuses on increasing comprehensive and quality education about the Jewish community in schools across the U.S. Kate is a proud Mexican Jew, passionate about public service, international relations, and fighting antisemitism. Kate has held fellowships, internships, and leadership positions with Masa Israel Journey, Israel Policy Forum, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, and the United States House of Representatives, among others. In college, Kate was elected as the Executive Vice President of Associated Students and advocated on behalf of 9,400 students. Kate was also the President and Founder of the first Israel club at her university, as well as the Israel Advocacy Intern for the Hillel on campus.

Hussein Aboubakr Mansour

Hussein Aboubakr Mansour was born in 1989 in Cairo, Egypt. He was a self-described reclusive Internet nerd, obsessed with comic books and the like. The ultimate villains in the local lore he was steeped in during his youth were the “bloodthirsty Zionists,” so Hussein began to study the supposed enemies of his people. Hussein studied Hebrew at Cairo University but did not adapt to the curriculum which was the official anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric of the regime. Hussein was persecuted by the Egyptian State Police for being the first visitor to check out books and watch films at the Israeli Academic Center of Cairo. In 2010 he was surveilled, harassed, and jailed for his studies of Israel. Later the same year, he was suspected of being a “Zionist agent” and was held in a military detention facility where he was tortured. When the Egyptian Revolution swept in 2011, Hussein became an organizer in Tahrir Square. By 2012 the secret police of the Muslim Brotherhood regime again began harassing and persecuting Hussein for his contacts with Israelis and writings expressing hopes for coexistence and peace between the two peoples. He received asylum in the United States in 2014 and worked as an Assistant Professor of Hebrew Studies at the Defense Language Institute. Hussein is the author of Minority of One, an autobiography about his life in Egypt. He holds an MA in International Affairs of the Middle East, and he currently works as an Educator for StandWithUs.

Yoni Zierler

Yoni Zierler is the StandWithUs Director of Tourism and a leading field educator in Israel. Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Yoni immigrated to Israel for his last year of high-school and then served (with excellence) in the IDF’s Kfir Brigade as an infantry squad commander. Following his army service, which was combined with four years of intensive studies at the Otniel Yeshiva, he enrolled in the official Ministry of Tourism tour guide course to better understand the connection that drew him to Israel at such a young age. Since passing the rigorous Ministry exams, he has dedicated his work to introducing visitors of all backgrounds to the land he calls home. A skilled storyteller, and a lover of music and the stage, Yoni infuses his tours with his diverse talents and a fiery passion, creating a unique and emotionally immersive experience for both real-life and online tour participants. His online tours on StandWithUs.tv and the various StandWithUs social media platforms have garnered hundreds of thousands of views, and in 2020, he spearheaded the creation of “Jerusalem LIVE” - a series of private interactive tours broadcast live and in real-time from the field, which has brought Israel to schools, synagogues, and communities around the world. Yoni is happily married to Yochi, and the proud father of Golan Noam and Klil Eden.

Noah Shufutinsky

Hip-hop artist and Jewish activist

Noah Shufutinsky is the Education and Outreach Manager as well as a Jewish educator, lecturer, and musician. Noah is also known by his stage name, Westside Gravy. As a student at George Washington University, where he received his BA in Judaic studies, he was heavily involved in Jewish life and Zionist activism. As an artist, he fuses his passion for Jewish culture and history with his lived experience of growing up Black and Jewish across the U.S. to write and produce hip-hop. He speaks about topics regarding Israeli and Jewish history, connection to the homeland, the intricacies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how it affects Jewish people around the world.

ACCESSIBILITY

The conference sessions will include closed captioning services. If you plan to utilize these resources or need additional resources, or for any other questions, please email events@standwithus.com

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