July 2009

B’nai B’rith World Center Survey Finds Israelis Believe Diaspora Jews Need to Pay More Attention to Israel

Forty-six percent of the Jewish population in Israel believes that American Jewish organizations are not doing enough to bridge policy differences and ease the tensions between the Obama administration and the Netanyahu government, according to the fourth annual Survey of Contemporary Israeli Attitudes Toward World Jewry, which was released on June 14. The survey, conducted by KEEVOON Research on behalf of the B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem, delivered statistics on a variety of current issues including Israeli feelings toward Jews in the Diaspora. World Center Director Alan Schneider said. “Our survey revealed that the Israeli-Diaspora relationship is very important to Israelis.” more>>

Reports on the survey were carried prominently in JTA,the Jerusalem Post, IMRA, YNet, Israel Radio, Arutz Sheva and other publications.

World Center confers 17th annual Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportagè

The B’nai B’rith World Center conferred on June 17 its seventeenth annual Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportagè. The B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism in Memory of Wolf and Hilda Matsdorf for 2009 was conferred at the event upon Jacky Hugi, “Ma’ariv” Hebrew daily Arab affairs correspondent and commentator. Hugi was named winner in consideration of five articles on Jewish communities in Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq and Lebanon published in Ma’ariv between June-December 2008. A Certificate of Merit was conferred on Jerusalem Post Diaspora correspondent, Haviv Rettig Gur for his diverse coverage of Diaspora themes over the course of 2008 while a Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dov Judkowski, founder and past Editor-in-Chief of Yedioth Achronot (1986-1989), past Editor-in-Chief of Ma’ariv (1991-1992), Sokolow Journalism Prize laureate (2000), Israel Prize laureate for journalism (2002) and one of Israel’s pre-eminent media figures. François Zimeray, French Ambassador for Human Rights, lawyer and former Member of the European Parliament delivered the keynote address on “Reconciling Human Rights Standards of the 20th Century with the Age of War and Terrorism”. more>>

B’nai B’rith Leadership Participates in WZO/JAFI Meetings in Jerusalem

A B’nai B’rith International delegation led by President Moishe Smith – B’nai B’rith’s representative on the Zionist Executive and Jewish Agency Board of Governors - participated on June 18-19 in Jerusalem at the annual session of the Zionist General Council. The B’nai B’rith delegation included Past President Richard Heideman, who also serves on the Extended Zionist Executive; Ben Mirman, chairman BBI WZO/JAFI Committee; Special Advisor to the International President Avigdor Warsha; former BB Israel President Zipora Peer; David Geller; Timna Zaray and B’nai B’rith World Center Director Alan Schneider who coordinated BBI activity at the National Institutions (WZO, JAFI and JNF). more>>

Leadership Briefing: The Netanyahu Policy Speech - Bibi does some truth telling
By Alan Schneider, Director, B’nai B’rith World Center – Jerusalem

On Sunday night, June 14 with the entire world watching, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a long-awaited policy speech on the Israel-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab conflicts. His words were carefully planned to counter-balance the speech delivered exactly ten days earlier by U.S. President Barack Obama. Netanyahu chose to speak at Bar Ilan University’s Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies – an institution that bears the names of two great peacemakers, Israel’s former prime minister Menachem Begin and slain Egyptian president Anwar Sadat. In this way, Netanyahu sought to correct one of the most glaring omissions by Obama, who never once mentioned the peace treaty brokered between these leaders, the 30th anniversary of which was just recently marked in Israel. more>>

World Center Holds Consultation on Response to Anti-Israel Media Deception

The B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem held on June 10 a closed consultation for about 20 select government and organizational representatives to discuss the affect of anti-Israel media deception and possible options for effective response. The consultation, entitled “The al Durah Affair, The MSM, The Courts and Cyberspace – Preparing for Future Contingencies” brought together officials from the Prime Ministers Office, IDF Spokesman’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Government Press Office with representatives from media watchdog groups to discuss Western press bias against Israel and its accountability when public opinion is purposely manipulated against the Jewish state. The discussion was opened by Philippe Karsenty, director of the French web-based media watchdog “Media Ratings” and successful defendant in France 2 v. Karsenty. more>>

B'nai B'rith World Center | 22 King David Street | Jerusalem 94101 | Israel
972-2-625-1743 | worldcenter@bnaibrith.org | bnaibrith.org/worldcenter