San Diego Jewish World
July 23, 2021
SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — University of California, San Diego (UCSD) student Sivan Barash, a 2020-21 StandWithUs (SWU) Emerson Fellow, has been named the first-place winner of the prestigious Roberta Seid Award for Courage and Leadership.
The award is named in honor of SWU’s first Director of Research and Education Dr. Roberta Seid. Sivan is recognized from among 150 Emerson Fellows from all over the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Brazil for her exemplary courage, leadership, and commitment to Israel activism on campus and beyond.
Despite the challenges of virtual programming, Sivan approached program-planning thoughtfully and creatively. Through her work, she helped her peers learn about Israel and even attracted new students to join UCSD’s “Tritons for Israel.” She also worked tirelessly to pass the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism on her campus. She coordinated efforts with the 10 different colleges that make up UCSD and ran a campaign that was adopted unanimously. Throughout the academic year, Sivan never backed down from any of the ongoing challenges and her efforts yielded important and significant results.
Sivan Barashy says, “My time as a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow at UC San Diego has been extraordinary, even with the new online platform that StandWithUs adapted to so smoothly. The very first August training conference was unforgettable; I was able to connect with other Emerson Fellows and meet all of the amazing staff.
“StandWithUs gave me so many amazing connections and resources that I will continue to use as an Emerson alumna. My biggest accomplishment was passing the IHRA definition with the help and support of the StandWithUs departments and staff, as well as putting on 14 successful social and educational events for my community, including a speaker event with Hussein Aboubakr. I am extremely grateful for my experience as an Emerson Fellow and hope to continue to positively affect the Jewish community with the help of StandWithUs.”
StandWithUs San Diego is also pleased to welcome 2021-22 StandWithUS Emerson Fellows Melina Aryan from UCSD, and Zev Sorokin from San Diego State University (SDSU). The six new Kenneth Leventhal High School Interns in the San Diego area are: Liam Rosenberg, Canyon Crest Academy; Julia Galperin, Frances Parker Upper School; Tamar Ladd, High Tech High Mesa; Ariela Moel, San Diego Jewish Academy; Iyar Galor, San Dieguito Academy; and Esther Turquie, Chula Vista High School. Both the campus and high school programs select and train student leaders to educate about Israel and combat antisemitism at their schools and in their communities.
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