FAQs
General questions about StandWithUs
StandWithUs is an international non-profit Israel education organization. We are inspired by our love for Israel and the belief that education is the road to peace.
StandWithUs is dedicated to educating people of all ages about Israel and to combating the extremism and anti-Semitism that often distorts the issues. We believe that knowledge of the facts will correct common prejudices about the Arab-Israeli conflict, and will promote discussions and policies that can help promote peace in the region.
We educate via cutting-edge campaigns, materials, speakers, programs, conferences and missions to Israel. We reach millions of people globally via a multitude of social media platforms in 18 different languages. We ensure that the story of Israel’s achievements and ongoing challenges is told in middle schools, in high schools, on college campuses and in communities around the world.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, StandWithUs has eighteen offices and chapters across the U.S., Canada, Israel and in the UK, with our flagship Education Center in the heart of Jerusalem. We also host programs in Latin America, South Africa, China, Europe and Australia.
StandWithUs has the highest Charity Navigator rating - 4 out of 4 stars - and the highest rating on GuideStar - platinum level.
StandWithUs is non-partisan, meaning that we are neither left wing, nor right wing. While we educate about political issues, we do not identify with one side of the political spectrum. Our board of directors, donors, staff and supporters are from all over the political map. They come together in the StandWithUs family because they believe in the work we do as an education organization.
Because we are non-partisan, we do not endorse or oppose any Israeli political leadership or campaign for specific political parties anywhere else in the world. Nor do we take a position on controversial issues within Israeli society, such as settlements or debates over religion and state. Our approach to such issues is two-fold. First, if the discussion features misinformation about Israel or a lack of context (which happens frequently), we aim to correct the record and add relevant context. Second, we educate about and facilitate discussions featuring conflicting perspectives about the topic at hand. Our goal is to empower people to make such discourse more factual and constructive through education.
Many of our members are simply unable to work on the front lines, but they CAN support those who do. We do not require a membership fee because we feel that everyone should receive our alerts, but we have a multitude of critical projects that need funding and generate ongoing operational costs.
If you wish to make a donation, please visit our website: www.standwithus.com/donate OR call our office at 310-836-6140.
StandWithUs, also known as the Israel Emergency Alliance, is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your gift to StandWithUs made locally in the USA, Canada, the UK and in Israel is fully tax deductible to the extent provided by law.
Yes. Our work depends on being able to provide the community at large with resources, often depending on transportation. We are continuously seeking working vehicles to be donated for our efforts, and to assist us in increasing the geographic scope of our work. To donate your car or other vehicle, please contact Gary Ratner at GaryR@standwithus.com or at (310) 836-6140 ext. 101.
Each year, StandWithUs members and donors generously host private dinners and events at their homes in an effort to increase momentum in the lead-up to the annual Festival of Lights gala in December. Herzl Dinners are hosted by board members, donors, or local members, gathering an intimate group of StandWithUs supporters to discuss the organisation’s efforts and hear from high level speakers. To learn more about Herzl Dinners and further involvement with our organisation’s fundraising efforts, please contact Gary Ratner at GaryR@standwithus.com or at (310) 836-6140 ext. 101.
StandWithUs’s professional staff, members, and volunteers are available to provide you with resources and information to combat anti-Israel activity in your community. Our staff of campus professionals work with students on college and university campuses, providing them with training and education, resources, and funding for events. In communities, StandWithUs is present and available to provide you with information and resources to combat anti-Israel events and activity. Please view our resources (brochures, flyers, signs, factsheets, etc.) on a plethora of topics and issues online on this website, or contact your local StandWithUs chapter for further support.
There are numerous other ways to contribute to StandWithUs, including hosting an event at your house, introducing us to your community and friends, and by supporting a specific project or initiative undertaken by StandWithUs. If you have any other ideas on how to contribute, or if you want to contribute to StandWithUs, please contact Gary Ratner at GaryR@standwithus.com or at (310) 836-6140 ext. 101.
Yes, we graciously work with donors and benefactors to organize a planned gift, whether in the form of an endowment, stock, or as part of a will. To arrange a planned gift, please contact Gary Ratner at GaryR@standwithus.com or at (310) 836-6140 ext. 101.
If you know of anyone who can help us apply for a grant, or know individuals at various foundations that would be interested in funding our work, please contact Gary Ratner at GaryR@standwithus.com or at (310) 836-6140 ext. 101.
Yes, StandWithUs will gratefully accept donations of stock. To donate stock, bonds, or options, please contact Gary Ratner at GaryR@standwithus.com or at (310) 836-6140 ext. 101.
To support an individual campus or Israel group through your donation to StandWithUs, please contact Gary Ratner at GaryR@standwithus.com or at (310) 836-6140 ext. 101.
We happy to assist you in making a memorial gift to honor a departed loved one, or to remember a friend or family member. You can make a tribute donation (in memory of, or in honor of) through the donation page on our website, or by calling our office at 310-836-6140. With a minimum donation of $18, a tribute card will be sent at your request on your behalf.
We appreciate your desire to help StandWithUs grow and expand our efforts to support Israel worldwide. To fundraise directly for StandWithUs, or host local donor events, please contact Gary Ratner at GaryR@standwithus.com or at (310) 836-6140 ext. 101.
By making a donation to StandWithUs, you enable us to continue our work to combat anti-Israel propaganda and defend Israel by educating the public. Donations made to StandWithUs are applied directly to continuing our work, including creating more print materials, supporting our research, videos, web and social media departments, campus professionals, and funding for our fellowships.
Many of our donors and supporters want to honor a living or departed loved one by making a sizeable donation to StandWithUs over a multi-year period, and naming a project or department after that individual. StandWithUs is continuously working on developing new and existing projects, and expanding our efforts worldwide. We are happy to help you with a naming opportunity, and develop a longstanding relationship with StandWithUs. For more information, please contact Gary Ratner at GaryR@standwithus.com or at (310) 836-6140 ext. 101.
Yes. StandWithUs chapters nation-wide continuously hold events in local communities. Most events are open to the public, and some require a small fee to cover costs. Please visit our Events page at www.standwithus.com/events to view a calendar of our events by chapter, and for more information on upcoming events.
We can help you set up a payment plan to contribute to StandWithUs on a consistent basis. To contribute to StandWithUs on a consistent basis through a payment plan, please contact our office at (310) 836-6140. You can also make scheduled monthly, quarterly, or annual recurring payments online at www.standwithus.com/donate.
Many of our members and benefactors contribute gifts in kind to StandWithUs on a regular basis. To make a contribution of Gifts in Kind, please contact Gary Ratner at GaryR@standwithus.com or at (310) 836-6140 ext. 101.
We are continuously expanding our efforts to different cities around North America and worldwide. If you are interested in opening a StandWithUs chapter, and believe that your city/community has the right amount of passion and resources to support our efforts, please contact Jerry Rothstein at JerryR@standwithus.com or at (310) 836-6140 ext. 122.
Yes. As one of the most popular pro-Israel organizations, and as a portal of information and resources on Israel worldwide, our website experiences high levels of international web traffic. To advertise on our site, please contact Jerry Rothstein at JerryR@standwithus.com or at (310) 836-6140 ext. 122.
StandWithUs is an independent, non-governmental nonprofit organization. As such it does not receive funding or direction from the Israeli government.
In 2015, a proposed collaboration with the Prime Minister’s Office was discussed, under which StandWithUs would have retained full, independent control over messaging. However, as noted in this article, the program never materialized.
While we see value in partnerships with governmental agencies, as a matter of policy we have chosen not to accept such funding to underscore our commitment to remaining independent and non-politically aligned in our educational efforts.
Questions about the difference between education and advocacy in our work
StandWithUs is an international, non-profit Israel education organization with offices and chapters on 5 continents around the world. Globally, the mission of StandWithUs is as follows:
StandWithUs is a non-partisan Israel education organization that inspires and educates people of all ages and backgrounds, challenges misinformation and fights antisemitism. We inspire students and communities with leadership training and educational programs on hundreds of college campuses, high schools, and middle schools. We inform the public through social media, print and digital materials, films, weekly newsletters, missions to Israel and more.
In short, StandWithUs:
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Educates people around the world about Israel
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Stands up to misinformation and hatred against Israel and the Jewish people
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Fights antisemitism
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Empowers people of all ages to educate their own communities.
The definition of advocacy is public support for a specific policy. As a non-partisan education organization, StandWithUs does not advocate for or encourage its employees or students to advocate for any policy of the government of Israel.
Our work is inspired by our shared love for Israel, our belief that education is the road to peace, and our commitment to stand up for Israel and the Jewish people. Our staff are united in advancing education which recognizes and respects the basic rights of the Jewish people to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. This includes support for Zionism and the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, along with active opposition to rhetoric and campaigns that deny or seek to end Israel's existence.
Historical and current issues related to the policies, beliefs and values of Zionism and Israel are part of the education that StandWithUs aims to provide. Our approach to controversial Israeli policies and actions is two-fold. First, if the discussion features misinformation about Israel or a lack of context (which happens frequently), we aim to correct the record and add relevant context. Second, we educate about and facilitate discussions featuring conflicting perspectives about various topics. As such, we cover criticisms of Israel and counterarguments, and generally do not take official positions against Israeli policy. It is also important to note that our mission and goals do not include stifling critical discourse about Israel or the conflict. One of our goals is to empower people to make such discourse more factual and rational, by correcting misinformation and adding context.
There are cases where we do advocate for or against certain policies related to Israel, antisemitism, and education issues, particularly in the United States. Whenever we take such steps, we do so in a way that is non-partisan and advances our mission to educate about Israel and fight antisemitism. For example, we have supported bipartisan anti-BDS laws at a state level and pushed for the federal government to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism. Nevertheless, because we spend the vast majority of our time doing education rather than advocacy, we consider ourselves an education organization first and foremost.
Yes, StandWithUs is open to criticism and open conversations about Israel representing different points of view. We unequivocally support free speech and democratic debate. At the same time we take issue with criticism of Israel that is factually inaccurate, misleading, lacking in context, or antisemitic under the IHRA definition. Our approach to such rhetoric is to engage and educate constructively, unless it becomes clear that the criticism is being expressed in bad faith.
As an organization, StandWithUs is openly opposed to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns and seeks to educate about why the goals of BDS, along with many of its tactics, are hateful and antithetical to peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians. However, opposition to BDS does not mean that StandWithUs considers every BDS supporter a malicious antisemite. Nor do we reject dialogue about issues that some BDS supporters raise with regards to specific Israeli policies.
StandWithUs staff are committed to education about Israel and to providing students with the resources to become more effective educators in topics – general and specific – that they would like to share with their peers. There is nothing off limits in terms of subject matter. The absence of discussion about a particular issue in StandWithUs educational programs is not intended to prevent the development of an open and honest discussion about all matters related to Israel, including engaging with criticism of Israel. What matters is that criticism of Israel is conducted within the limits of free speech and doesn’t cross into antisemitism. StandWithUs has developed materials on how to identify antisemitism and criticize Israel without descending into hateful rhetoric.
Every individual that takes part in StandWithUs educational programs is equally valued. Our commitment to education is non-discriminatory on all grounds, including that of political views.
As an organization that empowers people to tell Israel’s story, StandWithUs’ materials do contain presuppositions that Zionism, defined as support for the right of the Jewish people to self-determination, is just and should be normalized as such. Our education is framed in relationship to this world view. StandWithUs seeks to tell Israel’s story, not anyone else’s, by presenting facts and evidence in a way that connects to different audiences and leaves a lasting impression about why supporting Israel's continued existence as a thriving country is a just cause. This is not an endorsement of specific partisan political views and does not negate criticism of various Israeli government policies. We also reject the idea that support for the Jewish right to self-determination must inherently come at the expense of Palestinians or anyone else.
‘Telling Israel’s story’ shouldn’t be confused with ‘Telling the Israeli government's story’ or ‘Arguing for the legitimacy of one view about Israel’. We engage with many forms of Zionism across the political spectrum, which are tied together by a core belief in the basic right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their ancestral home.
Our policy is to never generalize about or blame Palestinians or Arabs as a whole. We direct our criticism specifically at Palestinian leaders and terrorist groups, Arab governments, Iran's regime, and others when they engage in antisemitism, promote violence, perpetuate conflict, and oppress their own citizens. We expose their extremism, hatred, and human rights abuses consistently because there is unfortunately a lack of such criticism and accountability on social media and in the international community. We believe it is important for the public to be aware of what these actors are saying and doing.
If you have questions about specific content coming from StandWithUs, please reach out to us.
Yes, we are open to Zionists who vocally call for Israel to give up the West Bank, along with those who vocally argue that Israel cannot do so until Palestinian leaders are willing to make peace, those who believe Israel can't be secure without the IDF having a presence along the border between the West Bank and Jordan, those who believe Jews have inalienable rights to live in Judea and Samaria (aka the West Bank), and more. All are welcome to take part in our educational programs and engage with us.
What we will not do is provide resources or organizational backing for events, campaigns, etc that are meant to advocate for one of these political positions, as opposed to educating about the issue in a holistic way using facts and context. We recognize that there are people of good will inside and outside of Israel who have different political and ideological views about many important issues, and it is not our mission to decide who is right. We also respect Israel's democratic process, and do not believe it is our place to tell Israelis what they should do to protect themselves from terrorism and build a more peaceful future with their neighbors.