Roz Rothstein, a Los Angeles family therapist and the daughter of Holocaust survivors, understood the dangers of indifference. Troubled by misinformation about Israel and rising antisemitism in California and elsewhere in the United States, she and her husband Jerry founded StandWithUs with Esther Renzer about 25 years ago, following a visit to Israel. The non-partisan organization focuses on education and leadership training, with a mission to fight antisemitism, share Israel's story and prepare the Jewish leaders of tomorrow.
Last week, the Rothsteins returned to Israel, a country they have visited many times, to lead a solidarity mission of StandWithUs activists from across the United States. What began on a shoestring budget in a tiny California office has grown into an organization with a multi-million-dollar budget operating across the US, Canada, South America, South Africa, Australia and several European countries. Its Israel office sits in central Jerusalem, equipped with large and small auditoria, state-of-the-art photographic and communications gear, and a team of educators versed in Israeli and Jewish subjects.
Soon after arriving, members of the mission visited the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, where they rang the bell to open the day's trading. On Sunday, the group met with President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal, who were eager to hear how antisemitism is being countered on American campuses and at anti-Israel rallies. The couple also asked whether any of the visitors had personally experienced antisemitism, and how and why they had joined StandWithUs.
Rothstein told the president she had recently spoken at a university campus where anti-Israel activists formed a human barrier to block her path to the stage and shoved her backward. Determined, she pushed through the difficulties and eventually reached the stage.
Other participants shared their own accounts. Without elaborating, a man from Colorado said there were serious problems in Denver. One woman said her six-year-old grandson in Israel had told her he was instructed through StandWithUs to be a diplomat for Israel and to always tell the truth. She had never heard of the organization, looked into it and became an ardent member. Another woman said she had been searching for a group that "acted more than it talked" about fighting antisemitism. Her son introduced her to StandWithUs four years ago, and after attending a few meetings, she said, "and I was hooked."
The organization's work is reinforced by a wide circle of pro bono lawyers who assist Jewish students and faculty members who have been attacked or threatened on campus. Some of the harrowing stories of their suffering surface at conferences held in cooperation with other Jewish organizations in similar roles. Victims are often afraid to report their tormentors to university authorities, fearing the loss of a job or a scholarship. The lawyers step in at that point, and more often than not, the problem is resolved.
Speaking for the delegation, Rothstein called this "a very tricky time" to visit Israel, acknowledging some hesitation before the trip, but said the decision to come was driven by a need to see the situation firsthand. "We do a fantastic job, but it's important to talk to the people affected," she said. "It's very important for us as Jewish people," Jerry Rothstein added. Michal Herzog told the group: "People must understand that we're all together and must stand and work together."
President Herzog said policies and attitudes shift in every country and community, but admitted he had never imagined anything as radical as what has unfolded in American universities and society. "The strength of StandWithUs is the number of young people involved in the well-being of our nation," he said, urging more American Jews to join the fight on campus. "It shows who we really are," he added, stressing the importance of confronting antisemitism and anti-Zionism in public life. The meeting closed with Herzog leading a roaring cry of "Am Yisrael Chai!" (The Nation of Israel lives).
