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46th OAS General Assembly Ends: The Need To Defend Human Rights

6/19/2016

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The Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples should have been the most important event during the 46th General Assembly in Santo Domingo. It is the first instrument in OAS history to promote and protect the rights of the indigenous peoples of the Americas.

But the situation in Venezuela was the main issue discussed, both on and off the record.

Next week, Permanent Council will convene to discuss the report on Venezuela, made a month ago by OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, invoking the Democratic Charter.

Since then, Venezuela started a face-to-face fight between the secretary general and the Venezuelan Government.
During the General Assembly, Venezuela presented a resolution to diminish the secretary general’s role. Among the proposal’s “resolves” are:
To express its profound concern at the conduct of the Secretary General of the Organization, Luis Leonardo Almagro Lemes, especially his abuse of authority and exceeding of the powers conferred on him under the OAS Charter and the General Standards to Govern the Operations of the General Secretariat, and at his violation and lack of respect for the Code of Ethics of the General Secretariat
To urge the Secretary General to abstain from any activity, regardless of whether or not it is specifically prohibited by the General Standards to Govern the Operations of the General Secretariat, that may result in, or give the impression of resulting in:  a) Giving preferential treatment to any organization or person; b) Losing complete independence or impartiality of action; c) Making an administrative decision without observing established procedures; d) Adversely affecting the good name and integrity of the General Secretariat.”
 
To request the Permanent Council to report to the General Assembly at its forty-seventh regular session on compliance with this resolution.
 
Venezuela is attempting to diminish the secretary general because he is the only one denouncing, in detail, the ongoing violation of human rights by Maduro´s regime. His 132-page report, which will be discussed next week, has been compelling and emphatic.
 
There is a very deep division between the ALBA countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, Grenada, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Venezuela) and a group of 15 countries which want to find a real solution to the the Venezuelan people’s is suffering. Those 15 countries decided to issue a statement before the end of the OAS GA, a sort of a preamble for the meeting of the Permanent Council next week.
Statement by Ministers and Heads of Delegation on the Situation in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States of America and Uruguay
 We, Member States of the Organization of American States (OAS), reaffirm our commitment to the Charter of the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which proclaims that “the peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy, and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it”, and our commitment with the respect of the principle of noninterference, universal principles and values of democracy, human rights, and freedom of speech and association;
 
We reaffirm the Declaration of the Permanent Council of the OAS (CP / DEC 63 2076/16) of June 1, 2016, by which we express our fraternal offer to the Sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to identify, by common accord, a course of action that that will assist the search for solutions to the situation through open and inclusive dialogue among the Government, other constitutional authorities and all political and social players of that nation to preserve peace and security in Venezuela, with full respect for their sovereignty;
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Support a timely, national, inclusive, and effective political dialogue to address the immediate needs of the Venezuelan people in accordance with their Constitution and ensuring full respect for human rights and the consolidation of representative democracy;

Express our support for the efforts made by former Presidents Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of Spain, Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic and Martin Torrijos of Panama and the desire that this process will arrive at positive results in a reasonable time frame;

Encourage respect for the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela that enshrines, inter alia, the separation of powers, respect for the rule of law and democratic institutions and express our support for the fair and timely implementation of constitutional mechanisms;

and Condemn violence regardless of its origin and call on the responsible authorities to guarantee due process and human rights, including the right to peaceful assembly and free expression of ideas.
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We welcome the participation of former presidents Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of Spain, Martin Torrijos of Panama and Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic at the extraordinary meeting of the Permanent Council scheduled for next June 21, 2016 to present the progress of the initiative of the national political dialogue in Venezuela, and we reiterate our support for the convening of the extraordinary meeting of the Permanent Council on June 23, 2016 for the consideration of the report of the Secretary General on Venezuela. /signed/ Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, June 15, 2016
If the OAS Permanent Council rejects the request of the secretary general to move forward and stops the violation of human rights in Venezuela, Almagro will not be defeated, but OAS will.
 
In the last decade, Iran has penetrated Latin America, Hezbollah has the freedom to move inside Latin America and it is all happening in Venezuela.
 
There is no real judiciary system, no freedom speech and far too many politic prisoners.
After so many years, OAS has used its secretary general to speak out. The statement of the 15 countries is cautious, but it is a step forward. How many more steps are they ready to advance? Today, it is uncertain.
 
In the private meeting between B’nai B’rith International and Secretary General Almagro in Santo Domingo during the OAS GA, Almagro was very clear when he told us that he will not answer to more insults and threats; he follow OAS rules and defend the respect of the Democratic Charter.
 
Now, the Permanent Council will have to show its commitment to democracy next week.

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Eduardo Kohn, Ph.D., has been the B’nai B’rith executive vice president in Uruguay since 1981 and the B’nai B’rith International director of Latin American affairs since 1984. Before joining B'nai B'rith, he worked for the Israeli embassy in Uruguay, the Israel-Uruguay Chamber of Commerce and Hebrew College in Montevideo. He is a published author of “Zionism, 100 years of Theodor Herzl,” and writes op-eds for publications throughout Latin America. He graduated from the State University of Uruguay with a doctorate in diplomacy and international affairs. To view some of his additional content, Click Here
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Caregiver Support Bills: Protecting Social Security Benefits for Those who Leave Work to care for parents, children, Relatives

3/28/2016

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Over the last few years there have been several bills that would expand or improve social security benefits. We believe this is important because Social Security is the most secure retirement income vehicle we have, and for the majority of retirees it is their primary or only source. Some of these bills have been broadly designed to close the Social Security funding gap while addressing inadequacies in the benefit structure while others are focused on specific issues, like the lack of credit given to family caregivers. 
These are people who take months or years out of the workforce to provide unpaid care to their parents, children or other relatives. For a variety of reasons, those workers have traditionally been women (though that trend is beginning to show signs of change). By staying out of the work force for a few years to take care of kids early in their careers or doing it (again) later in their careers, women’s social security benefits are disadvantaged in several ways. First, leaving the work force for any period of time can impact the trajectory of your career. In fact, this pattern of leaving the workforce and being the one primarily responsible for childcare is often cited as one non-discriminatory reason that women earn less than men. By working for lower wages, women earn less in Social Security benefits. 
Secondly, women dramatically reduce their Social Security benefit because of Social Security’s “high 35” system for determining benefits, because of having fewer years of paid work.  Your Social Security benefit is calculated with a formula which uses your highest 35 years of earnings. Those who take years out for child care and elder care are more likely to have $0 years factored in. Even those who have a 35 year work record may have fewer years at their career peak, and be including more of their early career, low-wage entry-level salaries compared to people in similar fields who didn’t take time out.
"As a nation we depend on family caregivers, and the least we can do is help make sure that the men and women who perform this service are protected in retirement."
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So, people (primarily women) are likely to see reduced benefits—and this is a population that is already likely to live longer and have lower benefits anyway! That’s one reason to find a way to give people some Social Security credit for the years they are out of the workforce. Another reason is this: as a country we want—we need—to encourage family caregiving. As many of you know, as well as I, we do not have much of a long-term care system in this country.  Families with a relative who needs help with daily activities have limited options. Most Americans do not have long term disability insurance, and it can be very difficult to afford it.  Medicare doesn’t cover most long-term care expenses in a home or  a facility. ​

For many families, the most cost effective—or only—option is for someone to take off from work to care for their parent. According to 
AARP’s public policy institute, family caregivers provide nearly half of a trillion dollars in care each year. Though they are generally not paid, they are working, and they are providing a service both to their families and the country as a whole. 

Therefore, we should find a way to prevent this critically important caregiving role from diminishing the retirement security of caregivers. Americans overwhelmingly support the idea of a Social Security caregiver credit (click here to read more about it). The caregiver credit proposals in Congress (notably those from Senator Chris Murphy and Representative Nita Lowey) include giving credit for months out of the work force, based on a formula as if the person had earned a wage (generally a percent of the average wage).  There are also bills emerging this year that would do the same, but only for parental caregiving for children, which is good, but not good enough. This would certainly not replace earnings credit an average or high wage worker would have achieved back in the work force, but it can at least prevent those $0 years from slashing benefits in a “high 35” formula. 

B’nai B’rith International  is very pleased to see these bills as part of the conversation in Congress, even though 2016 might not be the most productive legislative year, given all attention being focused on elections. As a nation we depend on family caregivers, and the least we can do is help make sure that the men and women who perform this service are protected in retirement.

Photos via Flickr (1) (2)


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Rachel Goldberg, Ph.D
 has been the B’nai B’rith International director of health and aging policy since 2003 and the deputy director of the B’nai B’rith International Senior Services since 2007. Before joining B'nai B'rith International, 
she taught politics and government at the University of Puget Sound and Georgetown University. To view some of her additional content, Click Here.

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Regarding Israel, Most South American countries are biased too

10/19/2015

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PictureEduardo Kohn
​The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) has a real, biased treatment of issues relating to Israel. The light it shines on the Jewish state is particularly lopsided in comparison with talk and action on actual pressing international human rights tragedies such as those in Syria, Yemen, Iran and Sudan.
 
The permanent agenda of the HRC includes a specific item targeting Israel—Agenda Item 7—titled: “Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.”
 
Israel is the only country on earth that has been singled out and it is the only country to appear on the HRC's permanent agenda. A number of other countries notorious for their human rights abuses are included as part of the general debate, if they are mentioned at all.
 
The HRC doesn’t even meet its own standards for judging human rights issues. Saudi Arabia, for example, now heads a key HRC panel that selects top officials who shape international human rights standards and report on violations. Additionally the U.N. committee that credentials NGOs and human rights groups includes serial human rights abuser Iran.
 
The HRC also has among its elected members human rights abusers like Qatar and Venezuela, but the singling out is exclusive for Israel.
 
At the end of September the HRC devoted a whole session to Item 7—meaning a meeting was called with the sole purpose of blasting Israel.

The Syrian delegate said that his country “is concerned” about the situation in “Palestine and other occupied territories.” But no country at the HRC stood up to ask Syria if the world should be seriously concerned about the millions of refugees and thousands of killings that have resulted from four years of civil war. In Syria, there isn’t a shred of respect for human rights to be found in any corner of the country. But the HRC is such a sham that it opens the floor for human rights violators, rather than doing something to stop them.
 
In this context of hypocrisy, several South American countries had the floor during the aforementioned Israel bashing session.
 
Perpetual demonizers of Israel like Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba, and democracies like Chile, Brazil and Uruguay, also blasted Israel.
 
Overall the session was, as usual, shameful. There were long hours full of rhetoric mixed with vitriol and incitement against Israel, singled out by the infamous Item 7.
 
What has happened two weeks later when Palestinian terrorists have already killed seven Israeli civilians and wounded about 30, by stabbing and shooting men, women and children?
 
Has the HRC called for an urgent meeting? Of course not.
 
Which country has publicly condemned the wave of terror created by incitement coming from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority? Among South American countries, only one: Uruguay.
 
The Uruguayan government not only condemned the wave of terror against Israeli civilians, but also condemned “those who praise as heroic, murder and killing”
 
Among HRC and the United Nations itself, Uruguay has been a courageous voice in the desert.
 
In the particular situation that Israel is living today, under the terrorist attacks, general silence has been the pattern
 
Democracies should be unified in fighting for freedom and respect for human rights. Unfortunately this is not the rule in most South American countries when it comes to Israel.
 
It is a slap to history and a tradition of friendship between South America and Israel, which started in 1948, and has been sadly reversing in the last decade.

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Eviatar Manor, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Office at Geneva
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Elías Jaua Milano, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Venezuela
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Juan Carlos Alurralde, Vice-Ministerfor for Foreign Affairs of Bolivia
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Rodolfo Reyes Rodriguez, Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations Office at Geneva
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H.E. Celso Amorim, Minister of State External Relations of Brazil
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Luis Almagro, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uruguay

Related Reading:

B’nai B'rith Speaks Out At U.N.H.R.C. On Gaza
EU Has Lack Of Will To Defend Israel At UNHRC
'A Day Of Shame For Latin America'

Eduardo Kohn, Ph.D has been the B’nai B’rith executive vice president in Uruguay since 1981 and the B’nai B’rith International director of Latin American affairs since 1984. Before joining B'nai B'rith, he worked for the Israeli embassy in Uruguay, the Israel-Uruguay Chamber of Commerce and Hebrew College in Montevideo. He is a published author of “Zionism, 100 years of Theodor Herzl,” and writes op-eds for publications throughout Latin America. He graduated from the State University of Uruguay with a doctorate in diplomacy and international affairs. To view some of his additional content, Click Here.
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Why & How B’nai B’rith Advocates at the U.N. General Assembly

10/9/2015

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Picture
PictureOren Drori
​As another year’s U.N. General Assembly’s General Debate session has recently wrapped up, B’nai B’rith has concluded our annual round of meetings with presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers at the sidelines of the UNGA session.

This week of meetings gives B’nai B’rith leadership access to world leaders and an opportunity to engage in advocacy on core issues of importance to B’nai B’rith, most critically: the safety and security of Israel and the Jewish people throughout the world, and our concerns about the Iranian nuclear deal and Iran’s continued support for terrorism.

In addition to meetings that B’nai B’rith requests on our own, B’nai B’rith also has the privilege of coordinating a number of Jewish organizations seeking joint UNGA meetings. B’nai B’rith is able to do so because of a number of factors.

First, B’nai B’rith has a long-standing position as the only Jewish organization with a full-time office dedicated solely to U.N. affairs, which allows us the opportunities to engage year-round with the diplomats in New York who arrange the meetings and the schedules for the visiting dignitaries.

Second, B’nai B’rith is headquartered in Washington, D.C., an important diplomatic post for all countries, whose diplomats are usually close to the presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers in their capitals. Third, B’nai B’rith has a wide reach, as an organization with members and supporters around the world who can follow up on requests in their home countries.
 
The importance of these meetings cannot be understated. It is an indispensible component of B’nai B’rith’s U.N. work each year. These meetings offer B’nai B’rith leaders a chance, in some cases the only chance for that year, to engage directly with the leadership of many countries, and in a rather short period of time.

These meetings may not always produce tangible effects because we are a non-governmental organization (NGO), not a state. So, we cannot sign trade agreements or defense deals. Our role is to hold these governments to account, to advocate for the issues of top concern to the members of our organization and to engage in constructive dialogue with the leaders of states large and small. 

Often, those issues include the threat posed to Israel, the Middle East and the world-at-large by Iran; terrorism; unilateral Palestinian actions that damage prospects for peace; and the ever-present and growing danger of anti-Semitism. Sometimes the discussion topics are more locally-focused, such as Holocaust-era restitution negotiations in countries that have not adequately addressed this issue.

​Regardless of whether the meeting is friendly or business-like or even tense, though, each meeting has value, for B’nai B’rith and for our partners on the other side of the table. Our interlocutors do not necessarily always agree with our positions, but both sides benefit from the exchange of views.

Each September, appropriately, usually at the dawn of a new year on the Jewish calendar, B’nai B’rith reaches out to the world to engage in respectful and meaningful dialogue on pressing issues that confront the nations.  And, once September passes, B’nai B’rith’s efforts to engage diplomatically continues throughout the year in New York, Washington and many other locations throughout the world.
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Related Readings:

Importance Of U.N. Holocaust Remembrance
Advocacy Marathon at U.N. General Assembly
At 65, Problems Remain at UNRWA

Oren Drori is the Program Officer for United Nations Affairs at B’nai B’rith International where he supports advocacy and programming efforts that advance B’nai B’rith’s goals at the U.N., which include: defending Israel, combating anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, and promoting global human rights and humanitarian concerns. He received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota in 2004 and an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago in 2006. To view some of his additional content, Click Here.
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A look At Nebi Salah & Israel's response to growing Palestinian violence

10/8/2015

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PictureAlan Schneider
For anyone who has served in the Israeli army or who has children in active service, the viral video from an August 28 altercation between a lone Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier and a swarm of Palestinian women and children pummeling, clawing and biting him in an eventually successful effort to free 12-year-old Muhammad Tamimi—who he intended to arrest for throwing stones at troops—was emotionally wrenching.
 
Having just arrived that morning back to a sweltering Israel after a holiday in pleasantly cool Norway and pastoral Scotland, the images of this soldier left on his own for long minutes by his comrades as he tries to shake off the assailants—aided by some foreign instigators—while he is filmed from every possible angle by multiple still and video cameramen—left me with a sinking feeling.
 
This leads one to ask what can be done to better protect soldiers caught in this situation, and what best practices can be employed to counter such Palestinian-initiated, staged clashes, while unfriendly cameras are whirring and snapping away in a game of gotcha employed by much of the media covering the territories.
 
Indeed the staged—and therefore predictable—nature of the incident was recognized even by the Daily Mail and the Telegraph, two British newspapers that are quick to tar and feather Israel at every turn, usually without looking back, that were forced to change their initial critical headlines and even to remove the report entirely from their web site when it became clear that the soldiers' assailants are known provocateurs, particularly his teenage sister Ahed and their radical parents.
 
Some Israeli commentators such as Nachum Barnea in Yedioth/YNet used the incident to bemoan again the debilitating impact the "occupation" is having on the State of Israel and its young soldiers; others see an entirely different message in the images—that the fearlessness with which Palestinian women and children accost an Israeli soldier armed with an assault rifle proves that they know full well that even when being hit,  wrestled to the ground and nearly disarmed, he will not use his weapon, debunking claims of widespread brutality.

A look at longer YouTube posts of the incident tells a more nuanced story, still undoubtedly partial and skewered: Nebi Salah, where the encounter took place, has been a focus of violent Palestinian demonstrations for a number of years. Fridays are their favorite days for instigators to drum up a few women and children, perhaps with the promise of monetary remuneration, to march down the short access road out of the village toward a spring over which the village and a nearby Jewish settlement, Halamish, have been feuding for years.
 
The video shows a handful of Palestinian young men using the children and women as cover as they target IDF troops in the distance using potentially injurious high-velocity slings. The troops respond with tear gas as the Palestinians use their slings also to throw the canisters back at the troops.
 
Eventually, the troops advance uphill on the group when the 12-year old is caught by the soldier. These are scenes that have repeated themselves almost every Friday (I was witness to one about three years ago), which have raised renewed calls to train and deploy for just these kinds of situations.

That incident at Nebi Salah seems to have been a teaser for what has snowballed in recent weeks into a significant spurt of Palestinian stone and Molotov cocktail throwing in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, resulting already in one death of innocent Israeli motorist Alexander Levlovitz in Jerusalem, injury to a woman whose car overturned in Samaria and damage to cars, buses, train carriages and homes.
 
A flashpoint of the disturbances is the Temple Mount where both the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Hamas have been agitating for violence in an apparent attempt to disrupt Rosh Hashanah and traditional Jewish mass pilgrimage to the Western Wall during the Jewish High Holidays and to revive attention to the Palestinian issue that has been overshadowed by events in Syria and the European refugee crisis.
 
Just weeks ago, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas called for violence by praising 'martyrs' spilling blood in Jerusalem to prevent Jews from entering the Temple Mount, saying, "the Al-Aqsa is ours...and they (Jews) have no right to defile it with their filthy feet." Israeli officials have reportedly blamed Turkey for hosting senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri who is responsible for remotely organizing terrorist attacks and funding the organization's incitement of Palestinian youth to attack Israelis.
 
Granted the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site, has been the focus of much more Jewish interest in recent years, stoking general Muslim hysteria going back nearly a century about imaginary Jewish plots to undermine the mosques there. But this is a poor excuse.
 
In recent comments, Minister of Internal Security Gilad Erdan has accused Islamic rioters of barricading themselves in the Al Aqsa Mosque and turning Temple Mount into a "terror warehouse," stockpiled with makeshift bombs and rocks to use on police and Jewish worshipers in the Western Wall plaza below. He vowed to meticulously maintain the status quo under which all those who wish to visit Temple Mount will be allowed to do so.
 
In a rare emergency Friday meeting a few weeks ago, the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee authorized the call-up of 10,000 reserve Border Policemen in order to quell the violence.  Other measures that are being considered are imposing a 100,000 NIS bond on the parents of all minors convicted of stone throwing that will be returned only if the child commits no further offenses for a year, reintroduction of the less-lethal Ruger small caliber gun for use by security forces and tighter restrictions on entry onto the mount by Palestinian agitators and lawbreakers. Recent restrictions, that permitted only men over 40 to enter, seem to have worked the trick and the crowd dispersed without incident after noon prayers.
 
True to form, Arab countries, even those Israel maintains close diplomatic relations with—Egypt and Jordan—and those who, it was thought, might be silent allies in the future against their common enemy Iran—were quick to join the choir condemning only Israel.
 
The U.N. Security Council played into this attitude the week before last, passing a unanimous statement that failed even to mention Palestinian violence and referred to the Temple Mount only by its Arabic name. Israel’s United Nations Ambassor Ron Prosor reacted aptly to the Security Council statement saying that “When the Palestinians set the Temple Mount ablaze, Mahmoud Abbas fuels the fire, and the Security Council fans the flames, it is a recipe for a regional explosion.”
 
The coming days will tell whether the measures instituted by the Israeli government will quell the unrest that put a general damper on the Jewish High Holiday spirit and caused untold pain to the family of Alexander Levlovitz, and other injured Israelis. Short of a miracle, the only choice left to Prime Minister Netanyahu is to meticulously uphold the status quo that allows Muslims to pray and non-Muslims to visit what is potentially the most explosive site in the world, bar none.
 
Just in recent days, a drive by shooting killed two young parents in front of their four children. In another attack, two Jewish men were murdered by Palestinian terrorists and a teenager was seriously wounded. With Palestinian terror attacks on the rise, Israel’s military needs to ensure it has appropriate responses in place.

Related Reading:

Incitement Remains A Major Locomotive Of Palestinian Terrorism
B'nai B'rith Advocates U.N. on Iran, Palestinians
B'nai B'rith Deplores Murders of Jews in Israel
Abbas Disavows Peace With Israel
B’nai B’rith Outraged By Killings In Drive-By Terror Attack
Reckless U.N. Security Council Erases Jewish History


Alan Schneider is the director of B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem, which serves as the hub of B'nai B'rith International activities in Israel. The World Center is the key link between Israel and B'nai B'rith members and supporters around the world. To view some of his additional content, Click Here.
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Jerusalem Post Op-Ed: What about Iran’s human rights record?

9/30/2015

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The following piece was originally printed in the Jerusalem Post and can be read in its entirety below:

PictureDaniel S. Mariaschin
Seemingly lost in the debate over the Iran nuclear deal is any focus at all on that country’s horrendous human rights record. In choosing to negotiate only on the nuclear program, the P5+1 (the United States plus China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and Germany) lost an opportunity to exert leverage on Tehran’s serial human rights abuses, as well as its support for terrorist organizations like Hezbollah.

It was only in 2011 that the UN Human Rights Council approved the appointment of a special rapporteur on Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, a respected diplomat from the Maldives. From the Iranian regime’s takeover in 1979, it has been a serial abuser of human rights: of political opponents, women, the LGBT community, journalists, adherents of the Baha’i religion and others. It has done so with impunity, unmoved by international exposure of its brazen abridgment of basic freedoms.

This month in Geneva, the Human Rights Council will open one of its thrice-yearly six-week sessions. With the signing of the nuclear deal and the UN Security Council’s endorsement of the agreement, the rehabilitation of Iran in international forums has begun. A number of European states have already embarked on a headlong rush to do business there. Notwithstanding remaining sanctions (for five years) on the acquisition of advanced conventional weapons, it is believed Tehran already is anticipating an armaments buying spree. And Iran will surely bolster its backing (and direction) of Hezbollah and other terrorist proxies.

The forthcoming session at the Human Rights Council should give us a good indication of whether or not Iran will get a pass on its human rights record. Already, some diplomats are reported to have urged “giving Iran some space” on the issue, now that it has agreed to the nuclear deal. That would be bad news for Shaheed, whose 2014 report on human rights in Iran runs 81 pages.

His report, which includes a detailed annex of individual cases, makes for a powerful charge sheet. He notes that there were 753 individuals executed in Iran in 2014, the highest number in 12 years. They included 25 women, and there were 53 public executions. This, while the Tehran regime was negotiating the nuclear deal with the P5+1 powers.

Absurdity is the rule: Shaheed cites the case of a death sentence pronounced on Mohamed Ali Yehari, an expert in alternative medical theories, for “corruption on earth.”

He was originally sentenced to five years for “committing blasphemy.”

Under the category "reprisals against individuals for contact with human rights organizations and U.N. human rights mechanisms," 15 persons were prosecuted or “faced intimidation.”

​The report covers countless examples of arbitrary detention of journalists, lawyers and student activists. Four leaders of the failed 2009 Green Revolution remain under house arrest. Shaheed cites the cases of 30 journalists who were detained on charges of “national security crimes” and “propaganda against the system” and “spreading falsehoods.” Five privately-owned religious TV stations were closed down for “working illegally for satellite TV stations in the United States and Great Britain.”

Last November, 24 Kurdish prisoners went on hunger strikes to protest inadequate medical treatment; they had been arrested on “national security” charges for commemorating International Mother Tongue Language Day. From the outset, followers of the Baha’i faith have been a special focus of social stigmatization. The report notes that 135 Baha’i remain jailed for their religious beliefs. Last year, a Baha’i cemetery was desecrated; to date, no perpetrators have been apprehended. Burials of Baha’is have been delayed or proscribed.

Christians have often been a target in Iran. On Christmas Day last year, nine persons were arrested for celebrating the holiday in the town of Rudehen.

In response to complaints of discrimination against the gay community, the Shaheed report notes that “the government responded by stating its total rejection of homosexual behaviors.”

Violence against women and juvenile offenders is a staple of the human rights abuse catalog: Shaheed cites nearly hundreds of acid attacks on women, many of them for wearing “improper clothing.” No arrests in these cases were reported.

Even with this shameless and pervasive record of rights abuse, one would have thought that Tehran would have released the four Americans it is holding (Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian; Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor from Idaho; Amir Hekmati, a dual citizen and Marine Corps veteran; and Robert Levinson, a US government contractor). The temerity of the Iranian rulers seemingly knows no bounds. Not to have made their release a condition for agreeing to the nuclear deal is one of the major criticisms of its opponents.

Addressing Iranian human rights abuses must be made a visible priority by the P5+1 and others in the community of democracies. Placing Ahmed Shaheed’s reports in the circular file and not acting more forcefully to isolate Iran on these issues will only embolden a regime already brimming with hubris over the nuclear deal.

"Giving Iran some space" is surely the wrong approach.

Related Readings:

Examining Deal’s Convoluted 'Snapback' U.N. Sanctions
A False Choice Between Diplomacy & War
The Invisible Target: Latin America And The Iran Nuclear Deal
Daniel S. Mariaschin is the Executive Vice President at B'nai B'rith International, and has spent nearly all of his professional life working on behalf of Jewish organizations. As the organization's top executive officer, he directs and supervises B'nai B'rith programs, activities and staff in the more than 50 countries where B'nai B'rith is organized. He also serves as director of B'nai B'rith's Center for Human Rights and Public Policy (CHRPP). In that capacity, he presents B'nai B'rith's perspective to a variety of audiences, including Congress and the media, and coordinates the center's programs and policies on issues of concern to the Jewish community. To view some of his additional content, Click Here.
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U.N. Anti-Israel Propaganda Apparatus And Role of Latin America

9/24/2015

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English Version:

PictureAdriana Camisar
A lot has been said about the unfair treatment that the State of Israel receives at the United Nations. But very few people know in depth the causes of this phenomenon and the magnitude of the problem.

While there are numerous agencies within the United Nations that display a clear anti-Israel bias, it is very important to understand the role played by the U.N. General Assembly in financing and maintaining a powerful anti-Israel propaganda apparatus.

As Ambassador Richard Schifter—with whom B’nai B’rith International has been working for quite some time now—explains, every year, the General Assembly adopts about 70 resolutions by roll-call vote. About 25 percent of these are resolutions directed against Israel. Most General Assembly resolutions are mere "recommendations" with no binding effect and, therefore, do not have major practical consequences. But there are three anti-Israel resolutions that do have operational consequences and are, therefore, extremely important.

These resolutions are the ones that renew, year after year, the funding authorization and the mandate for the following entities:

  1. The Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat (DPR)
  2. The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP)
  3. The Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinians and Other Arabs in the Occupied Territories (SCIIHRP)

The Palestinians are the only people in the world that have their own division within the Department of Political Affairs of the U.N. Secretariat (In general, divisions deal with specific political topics on a worldwide basis or have responsibility for a geographic region. For example, there is an Americas Division, a Europe Division, and even a Middle East and West Asia Division.

The Division for Palestinian Rights serves as the secretariat of CEIRPP. Even though its staff serves inside the U.N. Secretariat, which is headed by the U.N. Secretary-General, its activities are “de facto” led by the operatives who direct the work of CEIRPP.

CEIRPP consists of the ambassadors of 26 U.N. member States. Latin America is represented by Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The committee organizes four annual conferences. The last two Latin American conferences were held in Caracas (in 2013) and Quito (in 2014).

The organizers of these conferences always invite local opinion leaders, government officials, NGOs and—of course—the media. They usually also invite at least one speaker that is both Jewish and highly critical of Israel, in order to give greater "legitimacy" to these meetings. In each of these meetings, Israel is demonized and characterized as racist. The Palestinians are described as victims and absolved from any responsibility in the conflict. The ties between the Jewish people and their ancestral land are totally ignored, and Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state is denied.

The Special Committee (SCIIHRP) holds annual hearings in the Middle East, in which testimonies against Israel are heard, and then publishes a report denouncing Israel for these alleged human rights violations.

All this anti-Israel propaganda is done in the name of the United Nations, is funded by the United Nations and disseminated through the United Nations public information system.

Now let's examine  the role that Latin America plays in maintaining this harmful propaganda apparatus.

At the 2014 session of the General Assembly, the votes of the Latin American countries divided as follows:

  1. Voting in favor of the three resolutions: Brazil, Chile, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Bolivia voted for SCIIHRP and was absent when DPR and CEIRPP were put to a vote, but its representatives said that, if present, they would have voted in favor of both, as in previous years.
  2. Voting in favor of two (CEIRPP and DPR) and abstaining on one (SCIIHRP): Argentina, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico and Uruguay.
  3. Abstaining on the three resolutions: Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay and Peru.
  4. Abstaining on two (CEIRPP and DPR) and voting against one (SCIIHRP): Panama.

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With regard to the first group, the following countries: Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela, automatically vote in favor of most anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations. This is due to their governments’ geopolitical orientation and their strong "anti-Americanism.” We cannot have any hope for anything different unless there is a change of regime in these states. With respect to Cuba, the rapprochement with the United States gives us a small glimmer of hope, but it is not realistic to expect palpable changes in the near future.

Brazil and Chile also vote consistently against Israel, though their reasons are slightly different. Perhaps the most important reason for Brazil is that its foreign ministry hopes to win a permanent seat for Brazil at the U.N. Security Council (in the unlikely event that the council is enlarged to admit new members). For this, they need the support of countries that oppose the United States and Israel at the United Nations. As for Chile, it has an important population of Palestinian descent, which has become quite active politically in recent years and seems to have much influence in this area.

With regard to the Dominican Republic, its voting pattern changed when it joined PetroCaribe (the oil alliance led by Venezuela), so it can be assumed that its votes were heavily influenced by the Venezuelan government. Therefore, now that Venezuela’s aid is fading, perhaps there is an opportunity for change.

With respect to the countries of the second group, we cannot expect any change in Argentina, at least with the current government. But perhaps there is a chance in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico and Uruguay, all countries that maintain a cordial relationship both with the United States and Israel, regardless of their political orientation. Mexico's case is particularly interesting because its foreign ministry also aims to obtain a U.N. Security Council seat, if or when the council gets enlarged (Even when Mexico's chances of beating Brazil as the favorite Latin American candidate, are extremely remote).

As for the countries that abstained in all three of these important resolutions and, therefore, belong to the third group, perhaps there is a chance to get some of them to vote against at least one of these very harmful resolutions. 

The anti-Israel propaganda apparatus that works at the United Nations is very powerful and will not be easy task to try to dismantle it. However, it is not impossible. While there are countries that consistently vote against Israel for ideological reasons (either because they want to oppose the United States or because they hold anti-Israel views), in many cases this animosity does not exist or is less intense and, therefore, there is an opportunity for change.

Often, U.N. ambassadors do not receive precise instructions from their governments on how to vote on these resolutions and, therefore, they yield to pressure from their colleagues at the United Nations. In these cases, it is extremely important to alert their governments about the importance of these resolutions.

An effort both from Israel and the United States to reach out to some of these countries is essential to achieve positive change. But beyond that, the action of the local Jewish communities—and the alliances they can build with other sectors of society—could certainly help persuade these countries to vote in a more balanced and fair way.

Español: El Aparato de Propaganda Anti-Israelí que Funciona en la ONU y El Rol de Latinoamérica

Mucho se habla del trato injusto que recibe el Estado de Israel en las Naciones Unidas. Pero muy pocas personas conocen en profundidad las causas de este fenómeno y la magnitud del problema.

Si bien existen numerosos organismos dentro de la ONU que despliegan una clara tendencia anti-Israelí, es muy importante entender el rol que tiene la Asamblea General en el financiamiento y mantenimiento de un poderoso aparato de propaganda anti-Israelí.

Como nos enseña el Embajador Richard Schifter, con quien B’nai B’rith International trabaja hace tiempo, cada año, la Asamblea General adopta unas 70 resoluciones. Aproximadamente el 25% de estas son resoluciones dirigidas en contra de Israel. La mayoría de las resoluciones que emanan de la Asamblea General son meras “recomendaciones” sin efectos vinculantes y, por lo tanto, no generan mayores consecuencias practicas. Pero existen tres resoluciones anti-israelíes que si tienen consecuencias operativas y que son, por lo tanto sumamente importantes.
Se trata de las resoluciones que renuevan, año tras año, la autorización de financiamiento y el mandato de:

  1. La División para los Derechos de los Palestinos (DPR por sus siglas en ingles)
  2. El Comité para el Ejercicio de los Derechos Inalienables del Pueblo Palestino (CEIRPP por sus siglas en ingles)
  3. El Comité Especial encargado de Investigar las Practicas Israelíes que Afectan los Derechos Humanos de los Palestinos y otros Habitantes Árabes en los Territorios Ocupados (SCIIHRP por sus siglas en ingles)

Los Palestinos son el único pueblo del mundo que tiene su propia División dentro del Departamento de Asuntos Políticos de la Secretaría de la ONU. Ya que, en general, las divisiones se refieren a temas específicos de carácter global o tienen responsabilidad por una región geográfica en particular. Así, por ejemplo, hay una División de América, una División de Europa, e incluso una División de Medio Oriente y Asia Occidental. 

La División para los Derechos de los Palestinos funciona como secretaría de CEIRPP. Y a pesar de que su personal presta servicio en la Secretaría, encabezada por el Secretario General de la ONU, sus actividades son, de hecho, dirigidas por quienes operan hábilmente dentro de CEIRPP.

CEIRPP está integrado por los embajadores de 26 Estados miembros de la ONU. América Latina está representada por Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua y Venezuela. El Comité organiza cuatro conferencias anuales , cada una en un continente diferente. Las dos ultimas conferencias latinoamericanas se celebraron en Caracas (en 2013) y en Quito (en 2014).

A estas conferencias se invita a líderes de opinión locales, miembros del gobierno, ONGs y, por supuesto, a los medios de comunicación. Por lo general, también se invita a por lo menos un orador judío, pero sumamente critico de Israel, lo que le da un “velo” de mayor legitimidad a la conferencia. En cada una de estas reuniones Israel es demonizado y caracterizado como racista. El pueblo Palestino es victimizado y desligado de toda responsabilidad en el conflicto, a la vez que se cuestionan los nexos del pueblo judío con esa tierra y el derecho de Israel a existir como Estado judío. 

SCIIHRP realiza audiencias anuales en Medio Oriente, en las que se escuchan testimonios en contra de Israel, y luego publica un informe denunciando a Israel por supuestas violaciones a los derechos humanos.

Toda esta propaganda anti-Israelí se hace en nombre de la ONU, se financia con fondos de la ONU y se disemina a través del sistema de información pública de la ONU.  

Ahora veamos que papel juegan los países latinoamericanos en el mantenimiento de este aparato de propaganda tan perjudicial:

En la sesión de la Asamblea General del año 2014, los votos de los países latinoamericanos se dividieron de la siguiente manera: 

  1. Votaron a favor de las tres resoluciones: Brasil, Chile, la Republica Dominicana, Ecuador, Nicaragua y Venezuela. (Bolivia voto a favor de SCIIHRP y estuvo ausente cuando se voto por DPR y CEIRPP, pero sus representantes manifestaron que, de estar presentes, hubiesen votado a favor, como en años anteriores)
  2. Votaron a favor de dos (DPR y CEIRPP) y se abstuvieron en una (SCIIHRP): Argentina, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Méjico y Uruguay.
  3. Se abstuvieron en las tres resoluciones: Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay y Perú.
  4. Se abstuvo en dos (DPR y CEIRPP) y voto en contra de una (SCIIHRP): Panamá.

En cuanto al primer grupo, los siguientes países: Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua y Venezuela, en virtud de la orientación geopolítica de sus gobiernos y de su fuerte “anti-americanismo,” votan automáticamente a favor de las resoluciones anti-Israelíes en la ONU. No podemos tener aquí ninguna esperanza de cambio, a menos que haya un cambio de régimen en alguno de estos Estados. Con respecto a Cuba, el acercamiento con Estados Unidos hace que exista una pequeña luz de esperanza pero de seguro no se pueden esperar cambios en un futuro cercano. 

Brasil y Chile también votan consistentemente en contra de Israel, aunque sus razones son un poco diferentes. Quizás la razón mas importante para Brasil sea que su Cancillería aspira a ganar un asiento permanente para Brasil en el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU, (en el remoto caso que este sea reformado para admitir a nuevos miembros). Para ello, necesita el apoyo de países que se oponen a los Estados Unidos y a Israel en la ONU. En cuanto a Chile, este tiene una importante población de origen Palestino que se ha vuelto muy activa políticamente en los últimos años y que parece tener mucha influencia en esta materia.

Con respecto a la Republica Dominicana, su voto cambio cuando se sumo a PetroCaribe (la alianza petrolera liderada por Venezuela), por lo que se puede suponer que su voto estuvo fuertemente influenciado por el gobierno venezolano. Por lo tanto, ahora que la ayuda venezolana se esta desvaneciendo, quizás exista una oportunidad de cambio.

Con respecto a los países del segundo grupo, no se puede esperar ningún cambio en Argentina, por lo menos con el actual gobierno. Pero quizás si haya alguna chance en Costa Rica, El Salvador, Méjico y Uruguay, todos países que mantienen una relación cordial con los Estados Unidos, independientemente de su orientación política. El caso de México es particular porque su Cancillería también aspira a obtener un asiento en el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU, en el caso de que este sea reformado (aun cuando la posibilidad de que Méjico desplace a Brasil como candidato Latinoamericano sea extremadamente remota).

En cuanto a los países que se abstienen en estas tres resoluciones importantes y que por lo tanto pertenecen al tercer grupo, dada la orientación de sus gobiernos y de su excelente relación con Israel, creemos que existe la chance de que Paraguay y Honduras  acompañen a Panamá y empiecen a votar en contra de por lo menos alguna de estas resoluciones tan nocivas.

El aparato de propaganda anti-Israelí que funciona en la ONU es muy poderoso y lograr desbaratarlo no es tarea fácil. Sin embargo, tampoco es una tarea imposible. Si bien hay países que votan consistentemente en contra de Israel por una cuestión ideológica (ya sea porque quieren oponerse a los Estados Unidos o porque tienen una posición anti-israelí), en muchos casos esa animosidad no existe o es mucho menor y por lo tanto hay una oportunidad de cambio.

Muchas veces los Embajadores en la ONU no reciben instrucciones precisas de sus gobiernos sobre como votar en estas resoluciones y por lo tanto ceden a las presiones de sus pares. En estos casos, es sumamente importante alertar a los respectivos gobiernos sobre la importancia de estas resoluciones.

El acercamiento de los Estados Unidos y del Estado de Israel con estos países es imprescindible. Pero además de esto, la acción de las comunidades judías locales – y las alianzas que estas puedan generar con otros sectores de la sociedad – son un factor muy importante que podría sin duda ayudar a lograr que algunos de estos países comiencen a votar de una forma mas equilibrada y justa.

Related Readings:

U.N. Security Council “Statement” Erases Jewish History
Palestinian Flag At U.N. Disincentivizes Steps Toward Peace
No Surprise: UNHRC "Welcomes" Report On Gaza Conflict

Adriana Camisar, is an attorney by training who holds a graduate degree in international law and diplomacy from The Fletcher School (Tufts University). She has been B'nai B'rith International Assistant Director for Latin American Affairs since late 2008, and Special Advisor on Latin American Affairs since 2013, when she relocated to Argentina, her native country. Prior to joining B'nai B'rith International, she worked as a research assistant to visiting Professor Luis Moreno Ocampo (former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court), at Harvard University; interned at the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs; worked at a children's rights organization in San Diego, CA; and worked briefly as a research assistant to the Secretary for Legal Affairs at the Organization of American States (OAS). To view some of her additional content, Click Here.
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shared history of persecution, Flight compels us to act For Refugees

9/21/2015

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PictureSienna Girgenti
"If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?” – Hillel

Over the past year, human rights advocates and policy experts alike have warned of the growing plight of refugees fleeing the humanitarian crisis triggered in the Middle East. And over the past few weeks, headlines finally began to reflect this desperate reality.

Stories on the human toll of the refugee crisis abound. Laith Majid in tears clutching his two children just off the Greek Island of Kos. Drowned three-year-old Aylan Kurdi on the shores of Turkey. A truckload of more than 70 refugees die of heatstroke in Austria. 

The number of displaced people in the world today is the highest number since World War II at 60 million people. Currently there are four million Syrian refugees who have escaped war and dire living conditions and an additional seven million Syrian citizens currently displaced within their country’s borders. The European Union’s (EU) border agency has said more than half a million migrants have arrived at the EU's borders this year, a massive influx nearly double the number from 2014, with origins ranging throughout Africa and the Middle East.

Just last week, President Barack Obama pledged a commitment for the United States to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees next year, up from 1,000 this past year. But refugee advocates and some members of Congress say taking in an additional 10,000 refugees does not go far enough toward addressing the crisis at hand.  The 10,000 refugees would come almost exclusively from the backlog of Syrians who have already applied for asylum, and not those individuals fleeing now.

Indeed such a commitment is fewer people than what some other countries have pledged to accept or have already accepted. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced that Germany intends to take in up to 800,000 people who have fled war and persecution, and Canada has committed to 11,300, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Still, most European countries have not yet committed to absorb refugees, let alone at such impressive numbers.

A dialogue has also been triggered in the global Jewish community about what our organized reaction should be, particularly in light of our own history as refugees seeking asylum from anti-Semitism.  Certainly the treatment of migrants evokes, in many, memories of Europe’s darkest hour. 

Hundreds of refugees surrounded by armed police officers and razor-wire fences and imagery of asylum seekers in the Czech Republic led off a train where identification numbers were written on their hands, fueled with rising trends of nationalism appear to present Europe’s worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. 

To be sure, the migrant crisis is no genocide. Some refugees are Christians fleeing religion-based persecution, but many others are those simply caught in a terrible crossfire of civil war, starvation, chlorine gassing, and barrel bombing, who seek refuge. But it is our shared history of persecution and flight that compels us to act.

Tackling a crisis of this magnitude is going to require the world coming together to not only open borders to more asylum seekers, but also to increase humanitarian assistance to Syria and its neighbors in crisis and push for a political solution to the war. An emergency meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers will convene tomorrow to address a comprehensive and united EU response to the migration crisis. This is indeed the moment for the international community to gather and create solutions addressing both the immediate and long-term needs created by these challenges, including addressing housing, feeding and clothing the refugees, instituting a practical security screening process, while also establishing a division of responsibility for quota intake of refugees for the foreseeable future.

At this time of year, our global Jewish community is celebrating the high holidays.  Although a joyous occasion, Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection.  In this week between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we should pause to reflect on this global crisis, and commit our resolution to tackling the humanitarian challenges.

As Hillel’s teaching reminds us, the Torah commands we should love the stranger in our midst. During this important window of reflection, for now and the future, we pray for a good year to come not only for ourselves and our families but also for all those fleeing persecution in search of safety and freedom, and resolve to work toward eradicating their suffering. 
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Related Reading:

B'nai B'rith Provides Food to Syrian Refugees in Bulgaria
B'nai B'rith Assists Mental Health Needs of Syrian Refugees
Time for Historical Balance on Middle East Refugees

Sienna Girgenti is the Assistant Director for the International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy at B'nai B'rith International. To view some of her additional content, Click Here.
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Australian Jewish News Op-Ed: Why Congress must reject the Iran deal

9/17/2015

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Daniel S. Mariaschin
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Dr. Dvir Abramovich
The following op-ed regarding the Iran nuclear agreement appeared in The Australian Jewish News on Sept. 11, 2015, co-authored by Dr. Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission in Australia, and B'nai B'rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin.


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Related Reading:

B’nai B’rith Urges Congress To Reject Iran Deal
Examining Iran Deal’s Convoluted 'Snapback' U.N. Sanctions
The Invisible Target: Latin America & The Iran Nuclear Deal

Daniel S. Mariaschin is the Executive Vice President at B'nai B'rith International, and has spent nearly all of his professional life working on behalf of Jewish organizations. As the organization's top executive officer, he directs and supervises B'nai B'rith programs, activities and staff in the more than 50 countries where B'nai B'rith is organized. He also serves as director of B'nai B'rith's Center for Human Rights and Public Policy (CHRPP). In that capacity, he presents B'nai B'rith's perspective to a variety of audiences, including Congress and the media, and coordinates the center's programs and policies on issues of concern to the Jewish community. To view some of his additional content, Click Here.

Dr. Dvir Abramovich serves as chairman of the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission in Australia. To learn more about the commission's programs and policies, Click Here.
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India's Friendship with Fellow Democracies Deepens

9/8/2015

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PictureDavid Michaels
India is the world's largest democracy, second most populous nation, and one of the foremost emerging powers -- a member of the so-called BRICS group (which also includes Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa). It is highly influential at the United Nations, where it has historically been a leader of the "non-aligned" states.

Over recent years, bilateral Indian relations with both Israel and the United States have deepened significantly—and an Indian administration in place since 2014 offers promise of a substantial further flourishing of these ties. As with predecessors of his, B'nai B'rith joined in meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The prime minister is scheduled to return to the United States later this month for the opening of the 70th session of the body.

India's growth has been dramatic, and this growth, notwithstanding varied challenges, stands to continue. No less, India is at once a vital partner in the struggle against international terrorism (a scourge that notoriously struck across Mumbai, including its Jewish Chabad House, in 2008) and home to unparalleled demographic diversity. India's Jewish community—increasingly small and overshadowed in a society of 1.2 billion members, and itself fragmented into distinct subgroups—is among the world's oldest and most unique, with outsize contributions to the history of India, which takes pride in its relative lack of indigenous anti-Semitism.

Although Delhi's traditional Middle East policy has in the past created some distance between India and Israel—a reality perhaps reinforced by Britain's early endorsement of Jewish statehood, and the presence of far more Muslim citizens in India than in any country in the Arab world—these two democracies have come to develop an array of common interests in the economic, cultural, scientific and defense spheres. Modi, who has developed a close relationship with his Israeli counterpart, has taken to periodically tweeting greetings in Hebrew. Although India utterly dwarfs Israel in size, travel to India has also become a rite of passage for many young Israelis, particularly following their mandatory military service, so much so that Hebrew signage is to be found in certain areas of the country.

More substantively, in several months Modi is expected to become the first sitting Indian premier to visit the Jewish state. Before then, President Pranab Mukherjee will be the first Indian head of state to do so. Notably, over the recent period, India has declined to vote in favor of several anti-Israel votes at the United Nations. While expressing continued support for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, India's external affairs minister recently referenced Israel as an "ally country."

Meanwhile, with extensive shared interests in Asia as well as globally, America's friendship with India has been further developing of late. The United States., Israel and India can each gain substantially from the growing partnership between them.

As a global Jewish organization long invested in strengthening ties to India, and celebrating its contributions to intercommunal coexistence, B'nai B'rith will redouble its efforts to expand wide-ranging engagement with this vital country, its leadership and society.


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David J. Michaels is Director of United Nations and Intercommunal Affairs at B'nai B'rith International, where he began working in 2004 as Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President. A Wexner Fellow/Davidson Scholar, and past winner of the Young Professional Award of the Jewish Communal Service Association of North America, he holds degrees from Yale and Yeshiva University.To view some of his additional content, Click Here.
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