Sun Herald (Waterbury, Conn)November 3, 1957 ![]() Waterbury’s B’nai B’rith, whose venture into wrestling promotion several months ago drew a shiny $4,600 gate, hope to top that at their next mat project on Monday, Nov. 18. And the prospects are bright, judging by the all-star program lined up for staging at Buckingham Hall and proudly labeled by Co-Chmn. Robert Kosowsky and Sol Bernstein as “good enough for Madison Square Garden.” The Bras City lodge of the national Jewish fraternal order holding the show to raise funds for its charitable foundation, has a quartet of “big names” in a feature tag team match – Antonino Rocca and Ricki Starr vs. Prof. Roy Shire and Dr. Jerry Graham. This tussle will be two out of three falls, with a one-hour limit. Rocca, from the Argentine, rates as America’s No. 1 grappling attraction via his unique form of acrobatic technique. Starr, a nimble onetime ballet dancer, delights fans with his clever maneuvers and elusiveness. The two will combine their varied talents against two of the game’s more notorious villains in the persons of Professor Shire and Dr. Graham. A growing Puerto Rican fan element will have a chance to root for countryman Luis Martinez when he tackles another badman, Danny McShain, self-styled “world’s toughest wrestler,” in a semi-final set for two out of three falls, with a 45-minute limit. Rounding out the slate will be a one-fall 30-minute opener and another bout set for the same route pairing two other well-known matmen, Sandor Kovacs of Hungary and Chief Don Eagle. The New Haven Arena, running two mat cards a month on every other Saturday, has its next show coming up on Nov. 9. The most recent Arena presentation finished up with a net gate of $4,400 (gross receipts minus taxes) as the New Haven offerings continued to enjoy prosperity. ![]() Ninety-two years ago, The Independent Order of B'nai B'rith in Texas conducted a social experiment with Jewish immigrants that had landed in Mexico with the intention of crossing the border into the United States. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency vault revisits the experiment, which inspired many of the immigrants to put down roots south of the border. As of 2010, more than 67,000 Jews call Mexico home. Read excerpts from the JTA Vault article, below: Large numbers of Jews who entered Mexico with intention of crossing into the States from there are now prospering in Mexico and entirely contend to remain there. A report to this affect has been received by the Independent Order B’nai Brith from Rabbi Martin Zielonka of EL Paso who conducted an investigation for the Order.
In the last two years more than 800 of these Jewish immigrants have landed in Mexico, Rabbi Zielonka hears. “The only problem seems to be that all the young men want to get married and from all conversations with them they want wives of their own nationality, “writes Ed. Saunders of El Paso who has met the young men. [...] “The work of the B’nai Brith should convince the most sceptical that Mexico offers opportunity to immigrants willing to work, to suffer some privation and to settle in a strange environment. The opportunities are especially good for those whose relatives can give them a sufficient fund to start their business.” ![]() With Israel's elections in the rear-view mirror, the debate over Israel-U.S. relations continues among American Jewish organizations, as noted in the Jerusalem Post on Monday. B'nai B'rith International has reiterated its support for Israel regardless of its ruling party, and likewise calls upon the United States and Israeli governments to resolve any differences. Read quotes from Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin in the New York Jewish Week, below: With tensions between the United States and Israel running at a fever pitch, even the benign, ritually symbolic words of the Passover seder have suddenly become charged with divisiveness and political import.
[...] At the State Department, deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters that the U.S. is now looking to Israel for “actions and policies that demonstrate genuine commitment to a two-state solution, not more words.” And Obama repeated Tuesday that his dispute with Netanyahu is substantive and not personal. [...] Dan Mariaschin, executive vice president of B’nai B’rith International, said the “temperature needs to be turned down” and the U.S.-Israel relationship restored.
J Street came under fire Sunday after opening its fifth annual conference in Washington over the weekend with a call for Jewish organizations to distinguish between Israel and the West Bank, including in fundraising.
[...] Several American Jewish organizations also came out strongly against J Street’s call, including B’nai B’rith International, which said: “We totally disagree. In essence this is a call for a boycott, which is destructive for the prospect for peace.” ![]() B'nai B'rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Marchiaschin was interviewed by The New York Jewish Week in the lead-up to the Israeli elections on Tuesday. B'nai B'rith International has made multiple public statements since the polls closed, but Mariaschin explained beforehand that the organization was dedicated to Israel's safety and security regardless of the outcome of the elections. Read highlights from the article, below: [...]
Dan Mariaschin, executive vice president of B’nai B’rith International, said he is confident that American Jews will remain committed to Israel no matter the outcome of the election. “At the end of the day, American Jews want a safe and secure Israel, one that will be strong in the face of the tremendous challenges that surround it and that maintains a good relationship with the U.S.,” he said. “There is no question that those in our community may have a favorite candidate or want a certain outcome, but everyone understands that Israelis will make their choices,” Mariaschin observed. “After the coalition is sealed, there will be one government in Israel … and we will all be working together. “The threats from ISIS, Islamic extremists, terrorist organizations and Iran will remain the same. … The threats are far more important and the stakes far higher than one issue or another. Whoever winds up leading the coalition will still have to deal with the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. And we know that the major parties in Israel — if not all — have the same view of the Iranian threat. So regardless of who wins, the fundamental relationship between us and Israel will remain. We have too many issues in common.” ![]() Thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Central Illinois, Peoria, Ill. was able to celebrate its first Good Deeds Day, an international celebration of community service held on March 15, 2015. The Sam J. Stone B'nai B'rith Covenant Apartments were partners in the day of giving, hosting a performance from Hindu dancers, according to an article in the Peoria Journal Star. Read highlights from the event, including thoughts from Susan Katz, a board member at the B'nai B'rith Housing building: [...]
“We wanted to mobilize people to give back to the community and to do good not just today, but every day,” said Susan Katz, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Peoria. “In Hebrew we have a word, ‘mitzvah,’ which means ‘good deed.’ It’s a very basic part of Judaism.” More than 100 volunteers, including members of the Peoria federation, Hindu Temple of Central Illinois and First United Methodist Church, helped in 13 projects.Volunteers donated blood and bone marrow at Congregation Anshai Emeth in Peoria. The kick-off point doubled as a collection center for care bags going to the Center for Prevention of Abuse and United Methodist’s Fish and Loaves program for the homeless and disadvantaged.Good deeds stretched all over the city. That included Springdale Cemetery to paint offices, [Sam J. Stone B'nai B'rith Covenant Apartments] where Hindu Temple members performed Indian dances for residents, and Avalon Street to restore a veteran’s home. “We really made it our objective to serve the community through a variety of events,” Katz said. This year, some two-dozen B’nai B’rith International leaders and supporters, including with three representatives from the national Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), met with senior representatives from more than 40 countries. B'nai B'rith is proud to partner with AEPi through community service, educational programming and advocacy. We work together to encourage brothers to remain involved in the Jewish community after college graduation. AEPi's David Marias, Civic Engagement Coordinator, recorded highlights of his advocacy experience on Instagram. Enjoy a slideshow of his images, below: ![]() On Tuesday, nearly 72 percent of eligible Israeli voters participated in its 20th elections, exercising a defining feature of the Middle East's only democracy. B'nai B'rith celebrated this feat throughout the election process. Forty-six years prior to this election, on March 17, 1969, Golda Meir was selected as the nation's fourth prime minister. In April, 1969, B'nai B'rith's National Jewish Monthly noted her premiership by revisiting her heroic meetings with Emir Abdullah of Transjordan in the lead up to Israel's independence. Read the entirety of the piece, written by Bernard Postal and Henry W. Levy, below: Golda Meir's Secret Missions (National Jewish Monthly, April 1969)
Mrs. Golda Meir, the septuagenarian grandmother who became Israel's Prime Minister on the eve of the Jewish State's 21st anniversary, once made a bold undercover attempt to prevent the Arab invasion of Israel in 1948. In October, 1949, before the United Nations had voted to partition Palestine but after the British had announced their impending withdrawal, the Jewish Agency tried to reach an understanding with Emir Abdullah of Transjordan. In the closing weeks of the Mandate his attitude became crucial. If he did not move against the Jews, neither would the other Arab states. If he ordered his Arab Legion to march, the other Arab armies would follow, not only because of treaty commitments, but because Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon did not trust Abdullah. The Arab states were united in opposition to Zionism but at loggerheads on how to prevent the emergence of the Jewish state. The chief reason for the disunity was Abdullah's ambition to grab the areas of Palestine the UN had set aside for an Arab state, as well as Jerusalem. Abdullah was well aware that the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, as well as Syria, was scheming to set up an independent Arab state in Palestine, with the Mufti as its head. To thwart this planned encirclement by his enemies, Abdullah was willing to come to terms with the Jews.
I travelled to Brussels, Belgium to attend a seminar at the European Union on activism, lobbying, and key political/social issues in the EU. I was sponsored to go entirely for free to the seminar, which was co-hosted by EUJS (European Union of Jewish Students,) DoJAS (Delegation of Jewish American Students,) and B’nai B’rith International .
[...] We delved into pressing issues like human rights, terrorism, access to education, and Anti-Semitism. After experiencing such an impressive blend of international culture in Brussels I’m inspired to keep seeking out more diversity both here in Spain and back at TCNJ. [...] This made me realize how accessible and real these influential foreign officials can be, given some personal drive and a few connections. In what felt like a matter of minutes I went from TCNJ, to Spain, to Brussels, to speaking in a foreign language with a high-level European government official about an issue I’m passionate about. ![]() B'nai B'rith International World Center is excited to announce a first-of-its-kind live, virtual tour of Israel. Friends and members of B'nai B'rith are invited to watch the three-hour tour of the Old City of Jerusalem on March 11, at 10 a.m. (EDT), or catch it archived after the fact. The announcement was picked up by the New York Jewish Week, which conducted an interview with Alan Schneider, director of the B’nai B’rith World Center. Read highlights from the article below, and view a mention in a JBS (formerly Shalom TV) broadcast (4:40 mark):
“But we know that many people are not able to visit or have not yet visited, and we thought this would be a good way to expose them to the different sights and sounds of the city. It will be an unedited, live look at Jerusalem using high speed video streaming technology so that it can be done in an affordable way.”
He said the current plan is to use one cameraman/producer, Shmuel Benhamou. And viewers will be instructed in how to text questions about the sites being visited. “The plan is to go to one site for 45-minutes, then take a 10 or 15-minute break while we travel to another site,” Schneider said. “We’ll take another break before we get to the third site, and so on. And as we go along, we may stop tourists to ask them about their experiences. We might go to the shook [market place] and stop at a shop and bargain for a chatzka [small item]. We also may stop for lunch in the Jewish quarter. It will not be a formal show. It is designed to give people a sense that you are here on a tour.” ![]() Making his historic third address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke for approximately 40 minutes, addressing reported details of a deal over Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Following his address, B'nai B'rith International released a statement concurring with the overall themes and tone of the speech, citing specific quotations that resonated with the organization. This statement was featured in The Jerusalem Post, J-Weekly, JBS TV and more. View a recap of the B'nai B'rith media coverage, below:
![]() Jewish Disability Advocacy Day 2015 was a busy day for B'nai B'rith International's Director of Aging Policy Rachel Goldberg, who addressed members of Congress as well as leadership from the Jewish, medical and senior communities in Washington, D.C. Goldberg focused her remarks on maintaining and increasing funding for Social Security Disability Insurance, a topic currently being debated in Congress. Her comments were featured in an article in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Read excerpts from that article below, along with featured social media postings from that day:
![]() B'nai B'rith France was a key contributor to the first-of-its-kind European Parliament discussion on anti-Semitism, presenting to the delegation for relations with Israel. The delegation is headed by Italian MEP Fulvio Martusciello, who made his first visit to Israel as a guest of B'nai B'rith International last October. The delegation discussed the disturbing rise in violence and rhetoric against European Jewish communities since Operation Protective Edge brought defensive conflict to Israel in the summer of 2014. Read excerpts from an article written in the European Jewish Press, below: [...]
Other speakers included Stéphane Teicher, Vice- President of B’nai B’rith France and Jane Braden-Golay, President of the European Union of Jewish Students. "The fact that anti-Semitism becomes ordinary to the eyes of the civil society is a matter of concern," said Teicher, who noted the indifference of the population. "There was no mass reaction in France following grave anti-Semitic developments of protests in Paris during last summer Israeli Operation Protective Edge against Hamas in Gaza." But he sees also matters of hope, citing the "very strong commitment of the French government not to tolerate anti-Semitism and its actions," the fact that the January attacks in Paris against a kosher supermarket and in Copenhagen against a synagogue "clearly showed the clear link between radical Islamism and anti-Semitism." "Muslim leaders understand that the French Muslim community is under threat too," Teicher added ![]() With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slated to address Congress this week on the ramifications of a nuclear agreement with Iran, the political ramifications of the address have taken center stage. B'nai B'rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin was the lead quote in an article that appeared in The New York Jewish Week, saying that he did not anticipate the address creating long-term friction between the United States and Israel. Read an excerpt from his reasoning, below: With Israel now a wedge issue, observers split on fallout as Netanyahu’s Congress speech looms.
The top professional of a major Jewish organization has expressed confidence that the rift between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have no impact on U.S.-Israel relations. “Our common values will keep us working together,” said Dan Mariaschin, executive vice president of B’nai B’rith International. “I don’t see this — even in the near term — as a sustained partisan issue because nothing has really changed. Iran is an issue that has ramifications for Israel, the U.S. and Europeans and it is a legitimate topic for discussion.” |
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