StandWithUs inaugural reception honors Rachael Heisler, Ilay Dvir
“Our priority was to bring our community together to show public support for Israel and to stand against Hamas terror,” Paris said.
More than 300 members of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community, politicians, local leaders, interfaith supporters and students attended StandWithUs’ inaugural Pittsburgh reception, held Sept. 13 at Rodef Shalom Congregation.
The event honored Pittsburgh City Controller Rachael Heisler and Ilay Dvir and featured keynote speaker Jonathan Conricus.
Board Chair Charlene Tissenbaum opened the event by acknowledging the role of the organization’s Mid-Atlantic director and Squirrel Hill resident Julie Paris.
“A rock star, powerhouse, pillar of our pro-Jewish, pro-Israel, pro-Zionist community, even before you brought StandWithUs to Pittsburgh, you have always been one of Pittsburgh’s Israel people—strong, independent, articulate, passionate and brave,” Tissenbaum said.
Tissenbaum added that StandWithUs and Paris have unified Pittsburgh’s Jewish community.
After Tissenbaum’s introduction, a video highlighted the work of StandWithUs, both across the country and around the world.
Founded in 2001, StandWithUs is an international, non-partisan educational organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism.
In addition to hosting rallies in support of Israel, holding educational conferences, working with government officials, booking speakers, creating robust social media posts, providing pro-bono legal assistance to defend students, faculty and community members against antisemitic discrimination and creating classroom programs, StandWithUs also founded the Emerson Fellowship — a program that empowers the next generation of Jewish leaders — as well as both the Kenneth Leventhal High School Internship and the Teen Leadership Council.
After attendees learned more about the work of StandWithUs, Julie Paris took the stage and gave an overview of the work the organization did in Pittsburgh this past year, emphasizing its endeavors since Oct. 7.
“Our priority was to bring our community together to show public support for Israel and to stand against Hamas terror,” Paris said.
StandWithUs did this, she said, by working with local partners to organize and publicize rallies, fundraisers and exhibits, and reaching out to local media to get Israel’s story told.
An important part of StandWithUs’ focus, she said, has been the local vigils like the “Bring Them Home” rallies held in Squirrel Hill regularly.
And, she said, the nonprofit has stood with college students, making sure they feel supported despite anti-Zionist protests on campus and bullying by anti-Zionist professors.
At the high school level, StandWithUs worked with Pittsburgh Public Schools to expose antisemitic and anti-Israel bias within ethnic studies programs.
The organization, Paris said, has also built partnerships with interfaith allies, including those in the Hindu and Christian communities.
StandWithUs is often the first to respond to antisemitic incidents in Jewish communities because of its dedicated research team, Paris added, noting that they have sent more than 150 letters to municipalities in the Mid-Atlantic region about the dangers of cease-fire resolutions and the boycott, divest and sanctions movement.
“Our strength is in our unity,” Paris said. “We are committed to working collaboratively whenever possible with organizations that share our mission and vision.”
She made special note of the recent attack on two University of Pittsburgh Jewish students by a man wearing a keffiyeh.
The Shalom Award honoree, City Controller Rachael Heisler, has been a “great friend to the Jewish community,” Paris said, and often uses her platform and voice to fight antisemitism.
Heisler, Paris noted, was the only elected official to act against an attempted BDS referendum in the City of Pittsburgh, something StandWithUs, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and a substantial group of volunteers helped to defeat.
“She faced tremendous backlash for her decision but never wavered, always saying that she was committed to doing the right thing,” Paris said of Heisler.
Accepting the award, Heisler, who is not Jewish, spoke of her deep connections to the Jewish community, including her time attending Hillel events while in college.
“Since Oct. 7, people have been very gracious calling me brave,” she said. “I don’t feel brave. I feel like I’m doing the right thing.”
Noting that throughout her life, many of her friends have been Jewish, Heisler called the unprecedented hate facing the Jewish community “unacceptable.”
“I will be using my voice to stand up against antisemitism, against racism, against LGBT hate and Islamophobia,” she said. “Right now, we’re seeing Jewish hate, and I believe calling it out for what it is and using that word, ‘antisemitism,’ is important. I want to reiterate my loyalty to you and to speaking out against hate wherever I find it.”
Honoring Ilay Dvir, Dimas Guaico, StandWithUs’ senior campus regional manager for the Mid-Atlantic region, said the Squirrel Hill resident was a “beacon of light and hope” for the community, and highlighted Dvir’s work to help lead the “Bring Them Home” rallies.
“There’s so much more I can say about Ilay’s dedication and leadership, his commitment and passion has been nothing short of inspiring,” Guaico said.
A small crowd of mostly masked protesters stood outside the event with signs taking aim at StandWithUs, the IDF and the fact that the reception was held in a synagogue.
One sign, held by a protester who used it as a shield to hide his face, attacked Heisler: “Rachel, quit doin Jewface.” PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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