The Winnipeg Chapter of StandWithUs Canada, ( recently formed by Louisa Raizman, Don Aronovitch, Steven Schipper and Judi Shuste) is thrilled to announce that at least seven students from Winnipeg are traveling to the StandWithUs International Conference in Los Angeles.
On Jan 19-22, 2018, these university and high school students will participate in three days of intensive leadership training in order to enable them to effectively combat anti-Israel propaganda on campus.
'We have had such a terrific response from student leaders across the country, and we are particularly proud that Winnipeg will be represented for the first time by their student leaders in high school and on campus", Meryle Kates, executive director of StandWithUs Canada told the Winnipeg Jewish Review.
"There will be at least 40 students from Canada attending. Students pay the conference fee of $120.00, but we have provided travel subsidies to help ensure that those who can't afford the cost of travel will be able to go."
Winnipeg chapter of StandwithUs Canada is the first chapter of the organization outside of Toronto. Raizman recalls the distress she experienced when her son brought home some of the "Israel Apartheid Week" posters from university several years ago. As she told the Winnipeg Jewish Review, "We felt that a StandWithUs chapter in Winnipeg was a necessity. Our kids are not familiar enough with the onslaught of anti-Israel propaganda they'll be faced with on campus. StandWithUs gives them the tools and confidence to be able to become effective pro-Israel advocates."
Kates explains that StandWithUs was involved in helping to ensure that the recent BDS motion put forward on University of Winnipeg campus on OCtober 25, 2017 was defeated.((In order to secure a victory a two-thirds majority in the vote was needed)
"StandWithUs Canada, with our partners Hillel and CIJA (Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs) mobilized students, and gave them the support, strategy, and the research needed to enable them to educate other students less familiar with the issues, to understand that a BDS motion of any kind is racist and divisive,"Kates says
As Kates notes, "It is important to have student leaders on campus who know the issues in order tell Israel's story to educate the 80% of the students who are easily swayed by the anti-Israel propaganda on campus." StandWithUs Canada's campus activities include leadership training, financial assistance for programming, educational campaigns, and informational mater
