About Us
Our Story
The current socio-political reality in Israel is unbearable. Unending occupation feeds violence, fear, and hatred between Israelis and Palestinians. Economic inequality is widening. Poverty is deepening. Israel’s Palestinian minority faces increasing discrimination. Women, Mizrahim, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, the elderly, and people with disabilities are marginalized socially, economically, and politically. Working people must labor for longer at stagnating wages while the cost of living continues to soar.
Rather than seriously address these problems, our political leaders use fear and racism to divide us. Instead of providing genuine security solutions, they deliver never-ending wars. Rather than serve the majority, they look out for the rich. Our government is increasingly disconnected and corrupt. Israeli society is in a deep crisis.
Still, we find cause for hope. Most people want to live in a just and equal society. Our country is blossoming with promising initiatives: worker’s unions, anti-occupation campaigns, environmental movements, and so much more.
These struggles inspire hope and help catalyze political change. However, as long as they remain disconnected, their power is limited.
To build peace, equality, and social and climate justice, we need a mass movement. Currently, the Israeli left is dominated by professional NGOs, which despite their important work, can never become a political home for the masses. Meanwhile, Israel’s leftist political parties can no longer mobilize large sectors of the population. Many people want progressive change. They support peace and oppose the occupation; they support equality and oppose racism; they support social justice and oppose rule by wealth. They need a movement to unite them, inspire them to take action, and turn their solidarity into a powerful political force.
Standing Together is this movement. We are building a shared home for all of us. We won’t erase our differences, but rather believe in building a true partnership based on shared interests. This is the meaning of Standing Together.
We envision a society that serves all of us and treats every person with dignity. A society that chooses peace, justice, and independence for Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Arabs. A society in which we all enjoy real security, adequate housing, quality education, good healthcare, a liveable climate, a decent salary, and the ability to age with dignity.
Such a society is possible – we’re already building it.
As a grassroots social movement, Standing Together's leadership is democratically elected. Every two years, movement members gather for a national convention to decide our broad strategies and national campaigns. Between conventions, the movement is guided by a National Coordinating Team – which is comprised of elected members and representatives from local chapters. The Secretariat is made up of 18 members of the National Coordinating Team who direct the movement's activities and guide the paid staff. Our Secretariat is listed below.
Our Theory of Change
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you an NGO? Or a political party?
We are neither! At Standing Together, we see two progressive camps in Israeli society – left-wing political parties and professional NGO’s. Unfortunately, neither group can generate transformative change. The leftist parties can no longer mobilize wide sectors of the Israeli public. Professional NGOs likewise fail to provide meaningful activism for the average person. Standing Together seeks to fill the void between these two camps. As a grassroots movement rooted in inclusivity and pluralism, we will unite the Israeli masses and propel them to action.
Why purple?
We want our movement to be recognizable! Across the globe, purple is associated with new Leftist movements – we want to identify with this trend. In addition, purple is a depoliticized color in Israeli politics – associated with neither the Right nor the Left. Similarly, we hope to defy current political dichotomies and create a new mass movement centered around hope and change. Finally, purple is the international color of the feminist movement. We know that every fight for justice must be connected to the struggle for gender equality.
What do you do?
Our goal is both simple and challenging: to build a new majority within Israeli society that supports peace, equality, and social and environmental justice. We operate in eight local chapters (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Be’er Sheva, the Southern Triangle and Sharon region, the Northern Triangle and Emek Menashe, the Galilee Heartland, and Nazareth and the Valleys), twelve student chapters, and a nationwide climate chapter. We also run the Humanitarian Guard and support additional initiatives.
We organize national and local campaigns across the country to demand peace and an end to the occupation, equal rights for all citizens, social justice, and environmental justice. We hold workshops and seminars on building power and community organizing, and we fight for influence in the public sphere.
Our alternative media platform, Rosa Media, produces podcasts and content aligned with the movement’s values—in both Hebrew and Arabic. We maintain active social media networks with large followings, challenging extremist voices while promoting partnership and hope.
How can I support you?
We invite people both inside and outside Israel to join our movement by becoming a monthly contributing donor today! Please also consider following us on social media or making a one-time donation.
