By Julianne Katz | Jewish Link | August 29, 2024
StandWithUs students in Los Angeles
StandWithUs is an international, nonpartisan education organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism. It was co-founded by Roz Rothstein (CEO), Jerry Rothstein (COO) and Esther Renzer (president) in 2001 during the Second Intifada.
Since then, the organization has spread to six continents. StandWithUs (SWU) empowers and energizes students and communities with leadership training and educational programs on hundreds of college campuses, high schools, and middle schools. It offers wide-ranging resources online as well as virtual tours of Israel. In addition, StandWithUs provides visitors to Israel with an up-close, first-person experience of the country. The organization’s overarching goal is to “counter antisemitism, educate the public about Israel, empower others to educate their communities, and make it possible to have reasonable, informed conversations about Israel’s history, policies, and humanitarian aid on campuses and in communities around the world.”
I was privileged to partake in a memorable experience for university students as a participant in StandWithUs Emerson Fellowship, founded by philanthropists Rita and Steve Emerson in 2007. This is a one-year program that trains, educates and empowers student leaders on college campuses around the world. Chosen from key universities, Emerson Fellows lead their communities and inspire their peers through dynamic programs, impactful campaigns and meaningful discussions about Israel.
As an Emerson Fellow, I was brought to Los Angeles together with hundreds of Fellows, primarily from the U.S. and Canada and also SWU chapters worldwide in August for a week of training. We learned about campus leadership and how to navigate antisemitism on campus while networking and engaging in meaningful discussions about Israel.
Originally, I applied to the Emerson Fellowship because I saw the rampant antisemitism on my campus, and I wanted to do whatever I could to bring a good name to Israel while my friends and family are fighting for us in the Holy Land.
Before attending the large conference, I had the privilege to watch International Senior Educator Charlotte Korchak’s five-episode crash course about Israel. Korchak had been an Emerson Fellow at the University of Southern California., Her knowledge of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unmatched, and the way she speaks is not only engaging, but piercing. This course ranged from the ancient empires to the modern day-conflict and everything in-between. At the conference, she shared information about the Arab-Israeli conflict that was especially enlightening for me, as every professor in my political science major likes to give his/her opinion on the situation.
I had one of the best weeks of my summer during this conference. I loved learning and training to defend our homeland, and connecting with others my age who faced the same challenges I did on campus. It was during this week that I realized I truly was not alone. This past year on campus often felt very isolating. Having knowledge and skills is an empowering feeling, and I am now looking forward to returning to college, armed with this new knowledge. The Emerson Fellowship enables students to take charge and fight for what they believe in, instead of being forced to stay silent and listen to students and professors throw Israel under the bus when the majority has never even stepped foot on the land.
The most unexpected part of the trip was the friends I made, and the bonds that were formed. StandWithUs presents opportunities to meet and connect with like-minded individuals, and for that I will forever be grateful.
When I arrived at the hotel for the training week, everyone was eating lunch. I stood by my luggage and took in all the people in the massive ballroom. I had no idea where to sit because I didn’t know anyone, and every table was taken. I started to text my mother when three people came over and asked my name. When they told me they were from Canada, I immediately asked which part, and soon we realized that they all went to school with my cousin. This highlights the uniqueness of the Jewish community and Jewish geography. Later, I was sitting in a discussion group and one girl saw my name tag with my university, and inquired if I knew her best friend from home; when she told me her name, my jaw hit the floor. Her best friend from home is my best friend at school! I have many more similar stories from only one week in LA, and in connecting with all these kind, smart, and funny students I realized I was no longer alone in my fight against antisemitism on campus.
I also met two lovely people from the University of Texas A&M. They invited me to lunch, and then one person who was raised in Los Angeles invited me to Torah learning with his rabbi and hometown friends in the Valley that night. I thought it was a very sweet gesture, and I was so excited. The night was amazing, and I thanked them many times. The most fascinating part was meeting one of his friends at the Torah learning, and finding out they were on the same gap year program as one of my longtime friends, and they lived above her! What a small Jewish world.
The StandWithUs Emerson conference showed me the inner beauty of Zionism, and no matter how far apart we all are, we will always be united through our homeland, our customs and our language. One of my favorite parts was meeting the non-Jewish Emerson Fellows who defend Israel on their campuses, and support us despite the hate they may receive as well. They spent a full week surrounded by Jews, listening to stories of our love for Israel and learning about our history, and stood there clapping, engaged and smiling. I don’t know if they will ever know how much that meant to me.
Throughout the week, I had the privilege of getting to know the other women from the New England region, and I want to extend a special shoutout to our mentor and New England Campus Regional Manager Eitan Myers.
When I asked Ilana Smaletz from Brazil, now a Tufts student, to describe her experience, she responded: “I have learned that one of the most important aspects of Jewish resistance is the unity that has been instilled in our blood and has proven to assist in our survival along the years. Now more than ever, building coalitions across campuses from the United States will significantly change our presence and courage to fight antisemitism on our campuses and help each other do so, too.”
I cannot wait to see what this year holds, and I am even more excited for the annual StandWithUs International “Israel in Focus” conference in March 2025 to see all the friends I made, and what StandWithUs and the Emersons have planned.
For anyone who is struggling on campus, StandWithUs, specifically this fellowship, is something you should seriously consider applying to, and know that no matter how hard it may be, you are never alone. We will always be united; we will always have a connection like no other; and we will always be here to support each other.
I cannot help but think about what one of my middle school teachers taught us in class when we were learning about the Holocaust. The world was stricken with tragedy like no other when the Holocaust took place, yet afterwards the world was blessed with a miracle when the State of Israel was established. When speaking to Roz Rothstein during lunch one day, she told me that she, Jerry and Esther founded StandWithUs during the Second Intifada because they (and others) were devastated by what was happening, yet there were hardly any rallies for Israel in the States. Now look at them!
Thank you to everyone involved in this organization, and to all those helping us survive campus life and navigate antisemitism after the tragedies of October 7.
Find out more about StandWithUs at https://www.standwithus.com.
Julianne Katz is a 2024-2025 Emerson Fellow from the University of Connecticut and a former Jewish Link intern.
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