![]() We could not have imagined that within just a few shorts weeks the world would endure the devastation of three major hurricanes in the Atlantic basin and multiple earthquakes across the region. These natural disasters have put an immense strain on international humanitarian relief efforts. The B’nai B’rith Disaster Relief Fund has made appeals to support the recovery in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean, and continues to monitor the urgent recovery needs in Puerto Rico and other areas facing dire situations. The B’nai B’rith Cuban Jewish Relief project is also closely following the evolving needs of the Jewish community in Cuba, where Hurricane Irma made landfall as a Category 5 storm on Friday, Sept. 8. Hurricane Irma was the first Category 5 storm to make landfall in Cuba since 1932. B’nai B’rith International learned quickly from our partners on the ground that the damage was severe, and the impact devastating. Storm surge pushed about a third of a mile inland into low-lying neighborhoods and adjoining towns, and two of the synagogues in Havana took on water. Immediately, power, gas and water services were affected. Although thousands of people were evacuated, innumerable buildings suffered partial or total damage. Medicines, foodstuffs and other basic necessities were difficult to locate or afford before Hurricane Irma, and the crisis in these realms continues to worsen, despite a coordinated international humanitarian response. A United Nations report says between 210,000 and 220,000 homes were severely damaged, agricultural crops and livestock hit hard and 14 municipalities from the northern coast of Villa Clara province east to Camagüey critically impacted. ![]() While the flood waters have receded, the hardest hit provinces of Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spiritus and Villa Clara—three of which maintain active Jewish communities—are still facing interruptions to electrical service nearly a month after the storm. Compounding the devastation left in Irma’s wake are new travel regulations announced by the Trump administration and their chilling effect on travel by Americans. While much of the enterprises catering to tourists in and around the capital of Havana have been repaired, Cuba has seen a marked drop in U.S. visitors during what is traditionally recognized as the high season. Tourism being the largest factor in the Cuban economy, it is anticipated that these new regulations—particularly during this time of crisis—will stymie recovery efforts even further. It will take a long time for Cuba to recover from this natural disaster. In an immediate response to the challenges on the ground, the Cuban Jewish Relief Project, in partnership with the Disaster Relief Fund, mobilized over 50,000 water purification tablets for distribution to those affected by water outages. We continue to coordinate with our partners on the ground to assess the damage and the long-term needs of the community. If you would like to help the Cuban Jewish Relief Project and our recovery efforts, please consider a contribution and Donate Now ![]() Sienna Girgenti is the Assistant Director for the International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy and Director of the Cuban Jewish Relief Project at B'nai B'rith International. To view some of her additional content, Click Here. It hardly mattered that few of the players representing Israel in the World Baseball Classic last month knew the Hebrew terms for balls and strikes. Nor did it cause concern that only two of them possessed Israeli citizenship. What mattered was that the team, compromised mostly of American players of Jewish descent (persons who are eligible for Israeli citizenship could play for the team), willed and plucked its way to the second round of the international championship. In doing so, they captivated the baseball world and provided both Israeli and American fans with that most irresistible of all sports narratives: an underdog story. Who were these guys? An compendium of has-beens and never-weres (only two of the team's players appeared on a Major League roster last year), Team Israel was ranked 41st in the world and tagged by ESPN as the "Jamaican bobsled team of the WBC." The ace of their pitching staff, 38-year-old Jason Marquis, hadn’t played organized baseball since June 2015. Catcher Ryan Lavarnway spent last season in the minor leagues with two different clubs, but as a Yale alumnus, he helped cement Team Israel’s place as the most educated squad in the WBC. And yet they won—all three of their qualifying games, all three of their first round games, and a second round game against Cuba in the Tokyo Dome, witnessed by a visiting B'nai B'rith delegation waving Israeli flags and Purim groggers. The players wore t-shirts that read "Jew Crew." During the pre-game playing of "HaTikvah," the Israeli national anthem, they would remove their game caps and don matching blue kippahs. But what particularly captured the team ethos of cheekiness and unflappability was its designation of the kitschy life-sized doll "Mensch on a Bench" (the players called him Moshe) as the team's mascot. One player referred to Moshe as "a metaphysical presence" within the team. They defeated more highly regarded squads from three different continents before succumbing to the Netherlands and Japan. What is also significant, though, is the fact that they competed on equal terms against teams who saw the matchup with Israel not as an opportunity to stoke Israel's political isolation—as is so often the case in international gatherings—but simply to play ball. Israel's supporters view the Jewish state as blessedly unique, a source of intense pride. But what they want for Israel on the international stage is for it to be treated like any other country, subject to the same rules and standards. The WBC offered the Jewish community, and the world, a glimpse into a present and future in which Israel takes its rightful place among the nations and generates little controversy or backlash for doing so. No boycotts, no demonstrations, no extra security precautions. May the best team win. Team Israel was a 200-1 underdog in 2017, but how can you not like their chances in the next WBC tournament, in 2021. 200-1? Feh. According to Mensch on a Bench creator Neal Hoffman, "We've faced worse." ![]() Eric Fusfield, Esq. has been B’nai B’rith International’s director of legislative affairs since 2003 and deputy director of the B’nai B’rith International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy since 2007. He holds a B.A. from Columbia University in history; an M.St. in modern Jewish studies from Oxford University; and a J.D./M.A. from American University in law and international affairs. Click here to read more from Fusfield. ![]()
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.
![]() Every few months, the B’nai B’rith International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy hosts a Washington-area diplomat to speak about the pressing domestic and foreign policy issues of the day. The Diplomatic Encounter Series gives members, supporters and area professionals a chance to meet with high-ranking foreign and domestic officials and engage them in a conversation on topics of interest to B’nai B’rith. Since 2002, ambassadors have shared their perspectives pertaining to bilateral relations with the State of Israel, the status of their respective Jewish communities, regional affairs and their role in international bodies such as the United Nations, the Organization of American States and the European Union.
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.
![]() Eduardo Kohn, B’nai B’rith International Director of Latin America Affairs, reporting from Panama. Here are seven observations from the Summit of the Americas, specifically the O.A.S. Civil Society Forum: 1. The Summit was unable, once again, to issue a document with resolutions signed by all the Americas. This was a historic summit, with all of the Americas attending in Panama, including Cuba. Venezuelan President Maduro attempted to blame the U.S. for the decision to ban seven Venezuelan officers and declare Venezuela a threat for national security, but Maduro had no support for even a majority vote, and no statement was issued. Major differences between the 35 member nations make finding consensus on important issues very unlikely. 2. The most important political event was the shaking of hands between Cuban President Raul Castro and President Barack Obama, and the private meeting they had. President Obama insists the Cold War is over, but there is still a long way to go to normalize relations between the countries. Today, diplomatic relations between U.S. and Cuba are in place, and there is the groundwork for economic relations. 3. President Nicolás Maduro (Venezuela) was received with rallies against him in Panama City. He, President Rafael Correa (Ecuador) and President Evo Morales (Bolivia) had an agenda of demonizing the United States based on strained relations over the last century. President Obama tried to explain that the U.S. is looking toward future relations, but Correa, Morales and Maduro responded with insults and threats. 4. Panama made a big effort to host not only a great summit, but also great forums for Business, Academia, Youth and Civil Society. Civil Society had almost a thousand attendees. 5. B'nai B'rith attended the Social Forum and shared analysis on the speeches from President Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela, and the farewell speech of departing OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza, who leaves office on May 25. 6. B'nai B'rith had fruitful meetings with Insulza; Emilio Alvarez Icaza, executive secretary of the Interamerican Comission of Human Rights, which is doing a great job, despite being harassed by Presidents Correa and Morales. 7. B'nai B'rith participated in the Working Group on Governance and Democracy.The group was comprised of more than 100 delegates, representing 40 NGOs, asked me and a Panamanian member to discuss the statement with Panamanian foreign ministry officers. I expressed my gratitude for the appointment to the Group and to the leaders of the NGOs. The group, without Cuban delegates, wrote a document stressing the importance of the Democratic Charter to all members. The document was presented before the governmental officers in the plenary and is on the record with the summit’s final documentation. 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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