The B'nai B'rith New York Real Estate Unit is pleased to announce that Joe Moinian, President of The Moinian Group, will speak at our next luncheon on Wednesday, April 3, 2013.

Place:  The Cornell Club—6 East 44th Street, Fourth Floor, New York, N.Y.

Date:    Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Time:   Reception – 12:00 Noon
            Buffet Luncheon – 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Cost:    $70.00 PER PERSON UP TO TWO DAYS IN ADVANCE
            $80.00 PER PERSON AT THE DOOR

> Download the registration form

Please reserve and send checks to:
 
B’nai B’rith Real Estate Unit
c/o Ms. Aracelis Kuilan
BDO Seidman, LLP
100 Park Avenue, 10th Floor
New York, NY  10017
Telephone: (212) 885-7239
Facsimile: (212) 885-8118
Email Address:  akuilan@bdo.com

About Joseph Moinan

Joseph Moinian is known for his investment, development and management strategies, forging new neighborhoods and spearheading the transformation and enhancement of property values and environments. The New York City based developer, investor and long-term owner of prime real estate nationwide is recognized for pioneering of emerging neighborhoods in major metropolitan cities across the United States.

Founded by Mr. Moinian in 1982, The Moinian Group today has a portfolio of more than 20 million square feet of property – and is among the only national real estate entities to develop, own and operate properties across every asset category, including office, hotel, retail, condos and rental apartments.

Currently the largest landlord in Lower Manhattan, Mr. Moinian was the first to make new investments in that market, stepping up to affirm the rebound of that market. In addition, his developments on the Far West Side of Manhattan have allowed him to amass the largest private portfolio of properties in that market.

Joseph Moinian is a member of the Board of Governors of the Real Estate Board of New York and sits on the boards of the Skyline Museum. He currently serves as chairman of the Real Estate Division of the UJA. Moinian is also a noted philanthropist who supports the arts, civic organizations and healthcare issues. He resides with his wife Nazee and their five children in Manhattan.

Join the B'nai B'rith Denver Young Professional Network to eat some chametz and bowl on Tuesday. April 2, 2013, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. mountain time.

The cost is $12 for two hours of unlimited bowling and shoe rentals.

> RSVP via Facebook
a firm commitment would be appreciated so the event organizers can request the appropriate amount of lanes)

AMF Monaco Lanes
6767 Leetsdale Dr
Denver, Colorado 80224

Schenectady B’nai B’rith and the Schenectady JCC announce a program in which renowned author Stanley Woods-Frankel, a forensic dentist, will read from his latest hit novel and speak about his recent research trip.

An optional bagels and lox breakfast will be served at 10 a.m. prior to the reading and lecture at 10:30 a.m. There is no admission charge to the reading and lecture.

The cost of the breakfast is $5.

For information, call 518-377-8803.

Schenectady JCC
2565 Balltown Road
565 Balltown Rd
Schenectady, N.Y. 12309
Sunday, March 24, 2013

March 24, 2013 ~ Project H.O.P.E. - B'nai B'rith MetroNorth Region serving New York

On Sunday. March 24, 2013 volunteers packed and delivered food packages to hundreds of needy families on Long Island to help them celebrate Passover. Attendees joined in and gave, not only money, but time and effort to help in the packing and delivery of these packages to those who will be eagerly waiting for them. 

David Moonitz & Deanna Friedman served as the Long Island Chairs for Project H.O.P.E. and volunteers packed goods at the GAUL IMPORTING CORPORATION in Syoset, NY.

To continue to support Project HO.P.E. in the future, please send checks to:

B'NAI B'RITH PROJECT H.O.P.E.
P.O. Box 972
Syosset, NY 11791

> Make an online donation to support Project H.O.P.E.

Volunteers can help our planning in the future by downloading and completing this form and returning it to B'nai B'rith Project H.O.P.E.

March 24, 2013 ~ B'nai B'rith Liberty Region serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

One day after attending the formal installation of Pope Francis as the new head of the Catholic Church, B’nai B’rith International Director of United Nations and Intercommunal Affairs David Michaels attended an interreligious meeting with the pope in Clementine Hall at the Vatican.
 
At the meeting, Pope Francis greeted Christian and non-Christian leaders alike, with representatives in attendance from several major religions. At his installation, the pope publicly offered special greetings to Jews, who were seated in close proximity to Francis. In meeting with religious leaders he affirmed his commitment to Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council declaration that transformed Catholic-Jewish relations, and to the path of his predecessors.

“I’m very pleased to hear that on the first day of his papacy, Pope Francis is already picking up where Pope Benedict left off with regard to the church’s relations to the Jews,” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said. “Today really demonstrates that the relationship between our religions is important to him. We look forward to working with him in the future.”

Though Pope Francis did not delve deeply into his plans for Catholic relations with any religion, his actions as a cardinal in Argentina forecast well for the Jewish community. In November, then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was the keynote speaker at B’nai B’rith’s Kristallnacht commemoration in Buenos Aires, where he helped light a candle in commemoration of the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust. He has also consistently addressed Jews with affinity as “elder brothers.”

Michaels warmly greeted the pope and conveyed the good wishes of B’nai B’rith members around the world, expressing hope in Francis' friendship with Israel and the Jewish people.

“It’s encouraging that the Jewish people, including our organization, already have ties to the new pope,” B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said. “I think this bodes well for the future as we continue to advance the interreligious dialogue between the two communities.”

A delegation of leaders from B’nai B’rith International met with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on March 20 to discuss such pressing issues as Israel’s treatment at the United Nations, the growing nuclear threat Iran poses to the world and the situation in Syria, among other subjects.

B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs and Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin led the delegation.

“We had an opportunity to have an open conversation with the secretary-general about issues of great concern to Israel,” Jacobs said.

At United Nations offices in New York, Paris, Geneva, Santiago and Vienna B’nai B’rith has engaged U.N. officials and representatives of dozens of nations, advocating for Israel and speaking out for the advancement of human rights.

After the meeting with Ban, Mariaschin noted: “B’nai B’rith has been active at the United Nations since its founding. In that time, we’ve had the opportunity to advocate for human rights and the fair treatment of Israel at U.N. forums. It was important to meet with the secretary-general to ensure certain issues stay at the forefront of the United Nations’ attention.”

Joining Jacobs and Mariaschin in the delegation: Joel S. Kaplan, Woodmere, N.Y.; Seymour D. Reich, New York; Gary P. Saltzman, Centennial, Colo.; Charles O. Kaufman, Austin, Texas; Bruce Pascal, North Potomac, Md.; and Matthew Waas, Arlington, Va.

B'nai B'rith Omaha’s Henry Monsky Lodge calls its signature program “Breadbreakers.”  It takes place over lunch during the noon hour.  Every Wednesday.  It has gone on for over 60 years, at least 49 times a year.

It is a friendship-building, brand-promoting B’nai B’rith educational program, put on primarily, but not exclusively, for the Jewish community.  To sustain the program, week in and week out, the Lodge has to get approximately 20 attendees to cover the cost of the buffet lunch.  To do that, the Lodge employs the following criteria: recruit the prominent and preeminent, the interesting and influential to tackle a timely topic in a mini-press conference format. 

This can be a very challenging task, especially when you have to find 49 people over a year’s time.  For the last 14 years, Gary Javitch and co-chair Marty Ricks accepted that challenge, rarely missing the goal and on many occasions going over it.  The key to success is, of course, selecting the right guest speaker.

This past week, on Wednesday, March 20, the duo invited Rabbi Mordechai Levin to speak.  Rabbi Levin matched the above criteria perfectly.

The rabbi, it seems, just happens to be a personal acquaintance of the new leader of the billion- plus-member Catholic Church, the recently-elected 266th pope. 

During his introduction of the rabbi, Javitch noted that the clergyman had been hyped more than any other speaker in the history of Breadbreakers.  “Just two days ago,” Javitch said, “our presenter wrote an op-ed piece about the new pope which JTA, a world-wide Jewish wire service, published.  Then yesterday, the rabbi’s relationship with the pope was the featured above-the-fold story on the front page of the Omaha World-Herald (in both editions). 
 
Those two articles helped Levin attract a large crowd, drawing nearly 50 people – more than double the average weekly attendance.

“The Buenos Aires-born rabbi distinguished himself as a leader in his home country’s Jewish community,” said Javitch.  “He is a past president, a past secretary and a founder of the Latin American region of the Rabbinical Assembly; a past secretary of the Board of Rabbis of Latin America, and he is also a co-founder of the Association of Conservative Congregations in Argentina.”

It was in that context that Rabbi Levin became acquainted with the man, now known to most of the world as “Pope Francis.”
Mixing light humor, insightful information, and utilizing PowerPoint, the rabbi told his story.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio and Mordechai Levin grew up separately in their country’s capital, but their paths often crossed when one became a rabbi and one achieved the rank of Archbishop and then Cardinal. 

Of the then-Cardinal, Rabbi Levin observed, “One of his most distinguishing attributes was that he is a quiet and humble guy.  Whereas he could have had a limo pick him up every day, the cardinal instead walked or took local transportation to the church where he worked, often stopping along the way to buy a newspaper from a local street vendor. 

“Our local B.A. newspaper,” Rabbi Levin said, “recently reported that shortly after his election, the pope made his own personal long-distance phone call to that street vendor telling him, ‘I am sorry, but I have to cancel my newspaper subscription.’ 

“The Cardinal attended a number of our Jewish events in Buenos Aires, including a B’nai B’rith program memorializing the 1994 terrorist destruction of the Jewish community center.  I expect that his friendly relationships with the Jews will continue on a very positive note.” 

Judging by the applause following the rabbi’s thirty-minute interactive presentation, he was a “crowd-pleaser.”  But that was to be expected.  He was, after all, the right speaker, for the right time.

The B'nai B'rith Great Lakes Region's Project H.O.P.E. (Helping Our People Everywhere) Passover Food distribution event held on Sunday, March 17, was a big success. Volunteers filled 100 baskets with food items and paper goods and delivered them to seniors and individuals in need.

B'nai B'rith had a lot of help during this year's Project H.O.P.E. including young professionals and teens.

Project H.O.P.E. is a community action project whose major goal is the collection and distribution of food packages to poor and elderly Jews during Passover. Many Jews who cannot afford special holiday foods depend on B'nai B'rith members to provide matzoh and the other Passover staples. To these people the remembrance is often as special as the needed food. Project H.O.P.E. works with the community family service agencies and local Jewish social services and with B'nai B'rith members and synagogue volunteers. Jewish organizations provide the lists of people who need packages and the facilities for collecting, storing, and packing the food.

Nada como começar as atividades de 2013 com uma confraternização. No último dia 16 de março, diversos casais se reuniram no Restaurante TRYP, em Higienópolis, em um gostoso reencontro da B’nai B’rith paulistana. Henrique Golberg agradeceu a presença de todos, a ex-presidente Adélia Cabílio pediu uma salva de palmas para Henrique por sua dedicação aos eventos da instituição. Lia Bergmann falou sobre o novo informativo que a entidade está lançando, destinado aos seus integrantes e Ana Levi contou uma estória que emocionou a todos.