The B’nai B’rith International Board of Governors bestowed the Distinguished Humanitarian Award on Amy & Bruce Pascal and Michal Mazal & Daniel S. Mariaschin on April 25 at the Sphinx Club in Washington, D.C.

The award recognizes their long-term and exemplary dedication in their work with B’nai B’rith and beyond. All four have demonstrated personal and professional commitments that embody the very core of Tikkun Olam—making the world a better place.

“Amy & Bruce and Michal & Dan represent the pinnacle of exemplary leadership in humanitarian causes,” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said. “I’m just so pleased to present this award to four outstanding individuals who have stepped forward each and every day to make a positive difference in the Jewish community and the world.”

B’nai B’rith Board of Governors member Gwen Zuares hosted the event. B’nai B’rith Honorary President Joel S. Kaplan presented the award to Mazal and Mariaschin, and Rabbi Levi Shemtov of the American Friends of Lubavitch presented the award to the Pascals.

Bruce Pascal has been an invaluable and enthusiastic member of B’nai B’rith’s Board of Governors for a decade. Though he has a particular interest in the B’nai B’rith’s International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy, his attention to B’nai B’rith’s multi-faceted work has been limitless. Bruce also devotes his considerable energy to State of Israel Bonds and to Rachael’s Women’s Center, a safe house for homeless women.

Professionally, Bruce is executive vice president of CBRE, a real estate firm. He earned the Greater Washington Commercial Association of Realtors “Broker of the Year Award” in 2009 and in 2010, was the organization’s top leasing agent in Washington, D.C.

Amy’s community involvement is also diverse and far-reaching. She recently chaired a fundraising drive for the Children’s National Medical Center’s Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Outpatient Center. This effort enabled the hospital to close the funding gap needed in order to build the dedicated center for the youngest of patients who are vulnerable to infection in the common areas of the hospital.

Additionally, for the past three years, Amy has chaired Mitzvah Day, which benefited multiple groups such as The Children’s Inn at NIH, Coalition for the Homeless Men’s Emergency Shelter, The Lord’s Table community soup kitchen, Manna Food Center, Bikes for the World, Interfaith Clothing Center and other local charities.

She has also hosted fundraisers for Freedom Now and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

In 2011, Bruce and Amy co-chaired the 33rd annual Ambassador’s Ball held in Washington, D.C. 

Dan Mariaschin and his wife, Michal Mazal, also receiving the Distinguished Humanitarian Award, have made an impact at the local, national and international level.

Nearly all of Dan’s professional life has been working on behalf of the Jewish community. 2013 marks Dan’s 25th year with B’nai B’rith, where he currently serves as executive director of the organization as well as director of B’nai B’rith’s International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy. In this dual role, Dan directs all B’nai B’rith programs, services and staff in more than 50 countries.

Dan is the public face of B’nai B’rith, meeting with world leaders to advance human rights, help protect the rights of Jewish communities and promote better relations with Israel. Dan is regularly interviewed in the media and his many op-eds have appeared in news publications around the world.

In recognition of his tireless work in Central and Eastern Europe, Dan received the Cultural Pluralism Award from the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad and received state decorations from the presidents of Latvia, Lithuania and Romania. He was also a recipient of the Golden Bough decoration from the Foreign Ministry of Bulgaria, among many other accolades.

Dan’s wife, Michal Mazal, has also dedicated her time and effort to the Jewish community. Michal was born in India and raised in Israel. Upon completion of her service in the Israel Defense Forces, Michal worked in Tel Aviv at Beit Hatfutsot, the Museum of the Diaspora. After moving to the United States, she coordinated the scholars-in-residence program at the American Zionist Youth Foundation, which brought Israeli speakers to Jewish communities across America, and she served as a correspondent for the Israeli women’s magazine, Olam Ha-Isha. 

B’nai B’rith International is pleased and honored to recognize four such outstanding individuals who devote their considerable talents to humanitarian causes.

B’nai B’rith International is appalled to learn that the U.N. Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organizations Relations section (DPI/NGO) and the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations will be hosting 9/11 “truther” Annie Machon at its panel discussion on June 6 on “[saving] succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” 

Machon, a former MI5 intelligence officer, has publically insisted that the 9/11 terror attacks were an inside job carried out by the U.S. government and that they were “designed as a pretext for war and designed as a pretext to erode our freedom,” as she’s quoted as saying in a 2007 interview.

“It is unimaginably inappropriate for Machon to be speaking at U.N. headquarters given her worldview,” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said. “To blame 9/11 on a massive conspiracy is vile and outrageously disrespectful to the victims of the attacks in the city she’s speaking in.”

Machon has also claimed that the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was behind the 1994 bombing of the Israeli embassy in London, saying that a staged terror attack would paint Palestinians in a negative light throughout the United Kingdom and shatter any public support for them.

“These claims are reprehensible and don’t deserve to be given a platform at the U.N.,” B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said. “The Swiss Mission to the U.N. should immediately rescind the invitation for her to speak.”

Remarks are part of a long history of anti-Israel comments by U.N. "expert"

B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith International is outraged and disgusted by the latest anti-Israel comments of United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories Richard Falk, who took to the Internet over the weekend to blame the Boston Marathon bombings on the United States’ foreign policy and, more specifically, its “compliant ear” in regard to Israel.

On April 21, Foreign Policy Journal published an “article” written by Falk in which he associates the April 15 bombings that killed 3 and injured 170 others with America’s dealings overseas and an alleged willingness to act on behalf of the Israeli government.  

We once again call for Falk’s removal from his position within the UNHRC. His latest string of inflammatory remarks—whether it be on the Internet or in one of his “reports” to the council—has no place in the United Nations and his continued presence at the UNHRC further undermines the credibility of the system.

He is a vigorous supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions anti-Israel movement and has a long history of outrageous statements and actions, including suggestions that the U.S. government may have been involved in the 9/11 attacks and his posting of an anti-Semitic cartoon on his blog.

Falk continues to be an embarrassment for the world body, and thus, should be removed from his post.

B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith International condemns the comments of Oklahoma State Rep. Dennis Johnson, when, during a debate on the merits of small business, he said about customers: “…they might try to Jew me down on a price…”

His highly offensive comments were only reinforced moments later when he was prompted to offer an apology. After someone in the chamber pointed out his remarks were offensive, he gave a flippant comment: “I apologize to the Jews…they’re good small businessmen as well.”

Johnson is an elected official. We should expect more from our leaders than the perpetuating of offensive stereotypes. Such odious canards are divisive and should not be tolerated or shrugged off.

B’nai B’rith International has opened its Disaster Relief Fund to help the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, a vicious terrorist attack on April 15 that saw two bombs detonated near the marathon’s finish line, killing three and injuring more than 170 people.

We are shocked and deeply saddened by the attack. Though there is no claim of responsibility, the perpetrator or perpetrators clearly aimed to strike large numbers of people.

“The images that came out of Boston this week were harrowing. It’s hard to watch the news following this tragedy and not want to reach out to those affected. That’s why, once again, B’nai B’rith will be opening its Disaster Relief Fund to aid the victims of this despicable attack,” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said. “B’nai B’rith has helped disaster victims since 1865. Each disaster we help with has its own unique challenges. As always, we will carefully evaluate needs and provide assistance to address immediate needs and longer term efforts.”

“With the unprecedented nature of this kind of terrorist attack, it’s more important than ever that we reach out to help our fellow Americans,” B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said. “We cannot let those responsible immobilize us. We have to help those in need. We will work with representatives of agencies and our members on the ground in Boston to provide assistance where it is needed.”

The B’nai B’rith Disaster Relief Fund assisted those impacted by super storm Sandy in the Northeast last fall and also provided aid to communities affected by the 2012 tornadoes in the American South and Midwest. B’nai B’rith has responded to other manmade disasters, such as the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the September 11 attacks. Internationally, the fund has provided aid to victims of the famine in East Africa, the 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Japan, and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. 

To help, donate online at our secure website by clicking here.

You can also call 800-573-9057 to make a credit card contribution over the phone. Or, you can send a check payable to the B’nai B’rith Disaster Relief Fund to:

B’nai B’rith International
Boston Marathon Bombing Relief Fund
2020 K Street NW, 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20006

On April 17, B’nai B’rith International will host a welcome reception for 15 of Israel’s top biofuel researchers as they kick off a week-long scientific dialogue in the United States.  The visitors, winners of the U.S.-Israel Bio-Energy Challenge, will begin their program with a briefing at the White House, followed by the event at B’nai B’rith headquarters.

Sponsored and coordinated by two not-for-profit organizations, The Israel Energy Partnership (TIEP) and the U.S.-Israel Science and Technology Foundation (USISTF), the U.S-Israel Bio-Energy Challenge fosters a scientific exchange between Israeli experts and their counterparts in U.S. government agencies and private industry. The goals are to build bilateral energy cooperation between the two countries and to spur research and development on alternative fuels that can replace fuels derived from imported oil.

“We applaud the organizers of the Bio-Energy Challenge and we’re excited to be hosting some of Israel’s top minds in the field of biofuel research at our event,” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said. “Israel is a global leader in cutting-edge R&D in this area, so we hope the dialogue they begin with American experts during their trip here will help both countries advance their common goal of independence from traditional fossil fuels.”

The Israeli delegation’s trip will includes stops in Washington, D.C., Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Emeryville, Calif.  The visitors will meet a number of senior officials from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, NASA and other agencies, as well as top private and academic researchers.

“It’s important the United States and Israel work on this issue together,” B’nai B’rith Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said. “For too long, the U.S. and its allies have relied on fuel from countries whose interests are adverse to our own. This oil dependence threatens our national security and we welcome increased cooperation between the U.S. and Israel in tackling this issue.”

B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith is deeply disturbed by an Albany, N.Y., teacher’s assignment to “argue that Jews are evil.”  The veteran teacher has been put on leave.

This lack of judgment by a teacher demonstrates the need for Holocaust education for college-level students preparing to become educators.

We are encouraged by Superintendent Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard’s apology, in which she said the assignment “displayed a level of insensitivity that we absolutely will not tolerate in our school community.”

This situation can serve as an opportunity to re-evaluate the kinds of topics that are used in critical thinking exercises.

The 10th grade students were asked to develop a persuasive argument that Jews were to blame for the problems in Nazi Germany.

It is encouraging that one-third of the 10th grade students refused to do the assignment.

B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith International welcomes the administration’s Fiscal Year 2014 (FY14) international affairs budget request as a serious effort to address America’s strategic interests abroad in an era of fiscal austerity.

The administration’s $52 billion request for the international affairs account is nearly identical to amounts enacted for FY13 and represents a small reduction from FY12. By re-prioritizing some of these funds for purposes such as protecting U.S. diplomats and facilities abroad and providing new tools to respond to democratic transitions, the budget demonstrates a balanced approach to protecting U.S. security and global economic interests.

B’nai B’rith calls on Congress to protect America’s critical tools of development and diplomacy by supporting the administration’s international affairs budget request.

Looks To Congressional Negotiations To Protect Seniors

In closely monitoring budget proposals from the White House, the Senate and the House, B’nai B’rith International is concerned protections for the nation’s seniors are being whittled away.

B’nai B’rith is troubled by the administration’s budget proposal, which includes steep goals for Medicare savings and a Social Security cut we have long opposed known as the chained-CPI (Consumer Price Index). This plan would have an immediate as well as a compound negative impact over time on seniors.

With fewer such trouble spots in the Senate budget proposal we are watching the potential House-Senate negotiations closely. 

“It’s critical that during the budget process we continue to work toward a sustainable path in a balanced way that maintains a commitment to a bright economic future for the citizens of this country, but without jeopardizing critical programs for older adults and low-income people,” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said. “And despite the partisan divide between each of the proposed budgets, the administration and lawmakers cannot lose sight of the many lives that will be affected by their decisions.”

The White House released its budget April 10. House and Senate versions came out in March.

“These budgets are not perfect for seniors, and all raise serious concerns for low-income folks, but we are primarily concerned with funding for Medicare and Medicaid, for domestic programs like housing and with making sure Social Security benefits aren’t cut and the program isn’t used for deficit reduction,” said B’nai B’rith International Associate Executive Vice President Mark D. Olshan. “The House budget included elements we have repeatedly rejected, including an essentially vouchered-version of Medicare and steep, unsustainable cuts to domestic programs. The president’s budget has fewer problems but real trouble spots for seniors.”

B’nai B’rith International was surprised and disappointed to see that the White House budget includes a Social Security cut for current and future beneficiaries in the form of the chained-CPI, or a “COLA cut” as it is more commonly known. This cumulative benefit cut is a regressive and unnecessary change to Social Security.

“Social Security benefits are already modest and do not contribute to the deficit,” B’nai B’rith International Director of Aging Policy Rachel Goldberg said. “Social Security must be secured for the future without jeopardizing its purpose—to provide the only stable base of retirement income in this country, keeping our elders out of poverty.”

While there are good reforms in the president’s Medicare changes and elsewhere in his budget, the overall health savings package would risk cost-shifting to beneficiaries. 

We encourage the House and Senate to move forward by appointing conferees. The result, after bipartisan negotiation, could be a final product that allows us to move forward toward a real 2014 fiscal year budget unfettered by the clumsy patchwork of the past few years.