Michael Dickson: Sitting down with the man who stands for Israel

Years before Michael Dickson made aliyah and became executive director of StandWithUs, he began to see the writing on the wall when it came to anti-Jewish sentiment in his native London.

He had just begun working as the director of informal Jewish education at the Jewish Free School in the English capital when two planes hurtled into and destroyed the Twin Towers in New York City.

On that September 11, 2001, afternoon in London, two students turned to Dickson and said, “Are we next?”

Although the question seemed absurd in the context of the situation – a private Jewish school would certainly not be the next target after the World Trade Center and the Pentagon – in that moment Dickson began to understand the undercurrent of unease the next generation of British Jews were beginning to feel.

“But the question was instructive because it spoke to their insecurity as young Jews. It was clear to me that back then they were being maligned as Jews and didn’t have a full understanding of their own sense of Jewish identity,” he says.

“I couldn’t have imagined how the need would grow for what our organization would become,” he says in awe, adding that when he first began his role at StandWithUs in 2006, the organization had a small office with barely three people. 

On a sweltering day in July, In Jerusalem visited a thriving, bright, dramatically improved facility as we met Dickson in the StandWithUs office in the capital. Their visitors’ center has space to seat up to 200 and is equipped with an expansive multipurpose room, as well as interactive audio-visual technology capable of simulating media broadcast interviews. 

We sip chilled Coke Zero as we take in an open floor plan hosting nearly a dozen hard-at-work staffers; the camaraderie among them is strong. StandWithUs has grown exponentially over the years to provide the tools and manpower to meet this critical moment.

StandWithUs, an international, non-partisan education organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism, was founded by Roz Rothstein, Jerry Rothstein, and Esther Renzer in Los Angeles in 2001 as Israel was in the thick of the Second Intifada. For nearly two decades, Dickson has spearheaded innovative initiatives to educate on Israel, lead anti-BDS campaigns, host delegations of visiting prominent figures, and create a social media presence for the organization – all in the name of telling Israel’s story. 

Narratives are provided for everyone wanting to share the facts about the state – be it a US college student or a Pakistani journalist.

Yet, Dickson is the first to admit that Israel delayed in proactively taking on the fight against global antisemitism and anti-Israel propaganda.

“It wasn’t until about 2014-2015 that Israelis started to become more aware of boycott efforts,” he notes, pointing to the alarming decision by telecommunications giant Orange to stop servicing Israel.

The organization’s singular way to combat this has been making Israelis themselves part of the story. As such, they train Israelis to be the best ambassadors they can be for their own country and have instituted a fellowship program across Israeli universities and high schools to do just that.

‘Only Jews have the right to define what antisemitism is’

Dickson ushers us into his office in the heart of the bustling staff activity, decorated with meaningful tchotchkes such as a miniature of Theodor Herzl on that iconic Basel balcony. In his 40s and crisply dressed, with a wide smile and affable manner, he carefully weighs his every word.

Photos with dignitaries line the wall, but he emphasizes those most crucial to StandWithUs’s success: “Our speakers are homegrown. They run our social media. They’ve been the life force of the organization,” he says of his staff, who represent the diverse array of Israel’s population and are Jewish, Muslim, and Christian.

“There’s a real mix. It’s super important for us that people feel we’re not exclusive to Jews. And we don’t sit under any of the umbrellas of Jewish organizations because we may be Jewish-led; for us, Israel needs to be accessible to all,” he stresses. 

“I think that more diverse voices within the community should definitely have a seat at the table. And whenever we can give a platform to them, we will.”

Dickson is aware that the next generation undoubtedly has their work cut out for them when it comes to antisemitism, especially as being Jewish has become a political question – with US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump criticizing Jews who would vote for Democrats. On the Left, many Democrats were wary that US presidential candidate Kamala Harris would choose Josh Shapiro as her running mate, since he is Jewish and has expressed support for Israel. (In the end, she went with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.)

We coyly ask if he supports a particular candidate, not really expecting an answer. He expertly diverts the conversation back to the larger task at hand.

“It’s very important that antisemitism has a strict definition,” Dickson declares. “We must encourage political parties and everyone involved in public debate to adopt the IHRA [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] definition of antisemitism.

“That’s a big push for us across the world, even for our student fellows in our high schools, where we’re successfully getting that definition adopted, [as well as in] sporting clubs, and everywhere we can.”

He elaborates, “Only Jews have the right to define what antisemitism is. We would not accept that any other minority has it dictated to them what their prejudice is. So for me, it’s important for us to get the conversation back to consensus on Jews and Israel so we have as wide as possible support.”

StandWithUs readiness

While many around the globe were astounded by Hamas’s Oct. 7 barbaric attack on Israel and the fallout of that horrible day, Dickson was not among them. His time at StandWithUs prepared him for the many voices that dismissed Israel’s suffering, and the avalanche of hatred and genocide accusations unleashed against the Jewish state.

“I’m very used to seeing Jewish pain minimized. The headlines misrepresent what’s going on, even today, in real time,” he laments. “I’ve seen this play out. In the job that I’m in, I’ve seen the very worst of how Israel is portrayed, and the best.”

What did shock him was the almost instantaneous social media denial of Hamas’s Oct. 7 atrocities. “There was a breathless revisionism that happened in real time. At least with Holocaust revisionism and denial, there was a respectful pause,” he says. “[Now], people in Times Square cheered ‘Resistance by any means necessary,’ or there were those who said we did it to ourselves.” 

He’s still hopeful that the vast majority was horrified by that day’s events.

In any case, StandWithUs staffers went into overdrive when they came into work on Sunday, Oct. 8 – and haven’t had much time to relax since.

“Prior to Oct. 7, we did drills with our team about various situations – some of which, if you can believe it, were even worse than Oct. 7,” he remembers. “So we were ready. The ferociousness of the attack really caught us by surprise, but everyone knew what they had to do.

“With this job comes a sense of mission. And so that’s what got us through. With every twist and painful turn since Oct. 7, we felt that way. That’s what’s kept us going. And it’s been like that ever since.”

Some of their post-Oct. 7 initiatives included penning a letter to US Attorney-General Merrick Garland, urging him to adopt immediate enforcement of federal criminal laws, colloquially known as the “KKK Laws,” at Columbia University – to enforce Jewish students’ rights and ensure their equal participation in on-campus educational programs; working with Colorado’s Jewish community to urge the Colorado Democratic Party Central Committee to vote down a misleading ceasefire resolution; and being on the front lines in handling some 260 cases of antisemitism in K-12 schools, such as bullying and threats, physical assault, teachers politicizing lessons, student indoctrination, and weak official response.

The future

Turning to his five children (aged 12 to 20), we ask whether he would feel comfortable if his daughter, an IDF officer, moved to his hometown of London after her service. He ponders long and hard, complicated emotions flickering across his face. Clearly, the possibility is not simple for him to consider.

Yet, while the battle before Dickson and generations to come is an uphill one, he has faith that Israel will come out of this more unified and optimistic than ever before.

Dickson provides personal evidence: Some weeks ago, he received a message from his son late at night. In Poland at the time, his son was with friends on the Saturday morning of June 8 when it was announced that Israel successfully rescued four hostages. 

The message, he shares, was a video of his son dancing with his friends in the street while wearing their Shabbat clothes. Passersby would walk up to them and ask if they were attending a wedding.

“No, our hostages are rescued! We’re Israeli,” Dickson’s son joyfully told the curious residents.

If Jews can happily celebrate an Israeli victory in the streets of Poland – where Jews had famously been slaughtered – then truly anything is possible.■