Argentina's government rejected the Israeli government's summons of its ambassador in order to explain the memorandum of understanding signed between Argentina and Iran advancing the investigation of 1994 AMIA bombing case.

“The attack was suffered by the people of our country on July 18 and did not involve any Israeli citizen. The victims were mostly Argentines and include six Bolivians, two Poles and one Chilean,” Argentina's Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued late Tuesday.

“We are surprised that the Argentine government would team up with the Iranian government to seek out justice,” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said in a statement. “Given Iran’s deplorable judicial track record and its refusal to turn over those previously implicated in the bombings, there’s little reason to believe anything substantial will come out of this commission.” ...more.

Hoy, la Comunidad Judía de Argentina está en el colmo de la indignación.

¿Se puede negociar un atentado? ¿Se puede negociar la justicia?

“¿Cómo se negocia? ¿Cómo se negocia esto? ¿Cómo se negocia la culpabilidad asesina de un grupo que atacó de forma absolutamente inexplicable a otro país?”

Así se expresó Marcos Aguinis, escritor y activista, en referencia al atentado de la AMIA y a las recientes “negociaciones” del Estado argentino con Irán, en las que el objeto “negociado” es la culpabilidad del Estado persa.

Acerca de este tema, el Dr. Eduardo Kohn, analista internacional, especialista en Medio Oriente y director para América Latina de Bnai Brith concedió a Enlace Judío una entrevista en la que aborda este tema sensible, así como otros del judaísmo de América Latina...more.

B'nai B'rith International President Allan J. Jacobs is quoted:

Holocaust survivors, their families and delegates of their cause flooded the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations on Friday, where the international body commemorated the victims of Nazism with a day of remembrance on the 68th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

The ceremony opened with a moment of silence followed by a taped message from Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon, who promised that the UN, founded out of the principles of humanity highlighted by the Holocaust, would “never again” let such an atrocity occur.

At a breakfast before the ceremony held to mark the day, B’nai B’rith International president Allan J. Jacobs told The Jerusalem Post that denials would continue as more time passes and more witnesses pass on.

“We know that’s going to happen,” Jacobs said. “There is certainly a dichotomy that exists. And we’ll continue to fight that in every venue we can, including at the UN.” ,,,more.

A French court has ordered Twitter to hand over details of users who spread anti-Semitic messages, months after offensive tweets were removed.

The Paris high court issued the order to the popular US micro-blogging site at the request of the French Jewish students' union (UEJF) and others.

Anti-Semitism groups hope to identify the users and have them prosecuted.
...

Nuno Wahnon Martins, director of European Affairs at Jewish human rights agency B'nai B'rith International, said: "Social networks were created as essentially democratic tools that are also being used by people who oppose democratic principles."

"Like any democracy, the social networks also need to defend themselves, and the first step is to deny those who spread hate speech in anonymity as something to hide behind," he told JTA.

> Read the full story here

by Paul Foer

Vincent “Vinny” DeMarco likes to tell the story of his upbringing in an Italian-Jewish neighborhood in New Jersey, where he gained entrance into an AZA function by saying he was Vinny DeMarcowitz. But when he recounted this recently while talking about gun-violence prevention at Bowie’s Temple Solel, he did not need to “Judaicize” his Italian moniker before his audience of about 40 congregants.

DeMarco, a Baltimore resident, is already well known to lawmakers and political activists for his work as a health advocate through Maryland Health Care for All: The Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative and as a proponent of using proceeds from tobacco taxes to curtail smoking. But the purpose of his talk earlier this month was not about health care but about gun violence and the legislation needed to prevent it.

...also on Jan. 14, B’nai B’rith’s International Executive Committee passed a formal resolution that called for a ban on assault weapons, as well as a limit on ammunition magazine capacity. The group also issued a statement praising President Obama for his plans to introduce a legislative package to reduce gun violence...more.

Twitter must divulge details about French users who posted anti-Semitic messages, a French tribunal ruled.

Thursday's order by a Grand Instance Court judge in Paris came in response to a lawsuit by the Union of French Jewish Students that sought to limit the impunity with which Twitter users may disseminate anti-Semitic incitement.

“Social networks were created as essentially democratic tools that are also being used by people who oppose democratic principles,” Nuno Wahnon Martins, director of European Affairs at B'nai B'rith International, told JTA. “Like any democracy, the social networks also need to defend themselves, and the first step is to deny those who spread hate speech in anonymity as something to hide behind...more.

THE ISRAEL ADVOCACY Summit, a forum presenting tools to counter assaults on Israel’s legitimacy, will take place on Sunday, Feb. 3, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Alex Aidekman Family Jewish Community Campus, Whippany.

Panelists will include Lauren Applebaum, director of U.S. communications, The Israel Project; David Dabscheck, deputy managing director, Israel Action Network; Rabbi Noam Marans, director of interreligious and intergroup relations, American Jewish Committee; Elliot Mathias, executive director, Hasbara Fellowships; David Michaels, director of United Nations and intercommunal affairs, B’nai B’rith International; and Steve Stotsky, senior research analyst, CAMERA...more.

by JTA

President Obama’s new gun control proposals drew broad Jewish communal support.

The uniformity of the Jewish response to the proposals unveiled Wednesday stood in contrast to Republican opposition to many of the suggested measures, including a ban on assault weapons and tighter background checks on gun purchasers.

...other organizations welcoming the initiative included Jewish Women International, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center, B’nai B’rith International, the National Jewish Democratic Council, the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly, Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice as well as leading Jewish lawmakers, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.)...more.