Press Releases
(Washington, D.C., May 19, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
We commend the government’s decision in the Spanish region of Valencia to revoke its sponsorship of a seminar organized by BDS País Valencia, a local branch of the international anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.
B’nai B’rith called for this action last week.
The seminar, entitled “Solidarity and human rights: learning to teach against hatred and racism (Judeophobia, Islamophobia and Palestine-Israel)” purported to be against discrimination directed toward all religious groups. However, the group’s obsessive anti-Israel focus disproves this claim. The BDS movement’s goal is the delegitimization of Israel, and it is best-known for orchestrating a pressure campaign against American Jewish singer Matisyahu that demanded he endorse Palestinian statehood or be disinvited from a music festival; ultimately, he was disinvited.
According to a Fundamental Rights Agency Survey conducted in 2018, 78 percent of the respondents in Spain consider anti-Semitism to be a big problem with 73 percent finding that anti-Semitism had increased over the previous five years. A higher percentage, 84 percent, said the Arab-Israeli conflict impacts their feeling of safety in Spain.
B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit www.bnaibrith.org
We commend the government’s decision in the Spanish region of Valencia to revoke its sponsorship of a seminar organized by BDS País Valencia, a local branch of the international anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.
B’nai B’rith called for this action last week.
The seminar, entitled “Solidarity and human rights: learning to teach against hatred and racism (Judeophobia, Islamophobia and Palestine-Israel)” purported to be against discrimination directed toward all religious groups. However, the group’s obsessive anti-Israel focus disproves this claim. The BDS movement’s goal is the delegitimization of Israel, and it is best-known for orchestrating a pressure campaign against American Jewish singer Matisyahu that demanded he endorse Palestinian statehood or be disinvited from a music festival; ultimately, he was disinvited.
According to a Fundamental Rights Agency Survey conducted in 2018, 78 percent of the respondents in Spain consider anti-Semitism to be a big problem with 73 percent finding that anti-Semitism had increased over the previous five years. A higher percentage, 84 percent, said the Arab-Israeli conflict impacts their feeling of safety in Spain.
B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit www.bnaibrith.org