B'nai B'rith International CEO and Executive Vice President Dan Mariaschin was quoted in The Jerusalem Post article on a bill in the Texas legislature that would prevent the state from doing business with companies that support the BDS movement.
 
“Comerica should close the account,” said Daniel S. Mariaschin, executive vice president of B’nai B’rith, an organization that testified on Wednesday in Texas in support of the anti-BDS bill. The IADL 'excuses the actions of terrorist organizations and denies Israel’s right to defend itself.'"
 
Check out the article, that includes testimony from the B'nai B'rith International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy Chair Charles Kaufman given at the Texas legislature in support of the bill.
 
Scroll down to read the piece or click here to read it on JerusalemPost.com.

Texas has been a hotbed of anti-BDS activity in recent days, with the passage of a bill in the Senate on Wednesday that will bar state contracts and investment in companies that boycott Israel, and mounting criticism by Jewish organizations of a local bank’s BDS activity.

Chuck Lindell from the American-Statesman paper reported that the Texas Senate passed the bill opposing BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) by a 25-4 vote and that it was sent to the Texas House of Representatives for a vote. “No senators spoke in opposition to [bill] SB 29 before the vote,” the paper reported, adding that the bill’s author, Sen. Brandon Creighton, said Texas should not do business with companies that participate in the BDS movement.

One such company, the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), maintains an account with the Dallas-based Comerica bank.

“Comerica should close the account,” said Daniel S. Mariaschin, executive vice president of B’nai B’rith, an organization that testified on Wednesday in Texas in support of the anti-BDS bill. The IADL ”excuses the actions of terrorist organizations and denies Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Like other financial institutions, Comerica does not have to provide everyone with an account or a loan, he said. “Banks have recognized that they should not truck or have business with these types [BDS] of accounts.”

The IADL supports Iran’s nuclear program and has a chapter in communist North Korea.

Jan Fermon, the secretary-general of IADL and a Belgium-based lawyer, wrote the The Jerusalem Post by email in early March that, “Regarding BDS, IADL supports this movement.”

He added, “IADL engaged in solidarity with the Palestinian people in a very early stage of its existence because it considers the violations of international law and human rights law... by the Israeli authorities as a major obstacle to a just and lasting peace in the region.”

Charles Kaufman, who chairs B’nai B’rith’s International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy, delivered testimony in the Austin legislature in support of the anti-BDS bill. Kaufman, who lives in Texas, said, “In another time, in another place in history, people who wanted to rid the earth of the Jewish people boycotted their businesses. Filled with fear, these good citizens, stripped of their possessions, separated from their families, would subsequently fill boxcars... and you the know rest.

“Today is different, the Jewish people have a state, Israel, their ancestral homeland, a home shared with Christians and Muslims and many other faiths,” he said. “And yet, there are people who still want to rid the earth of Israel and demonize Jews in a shocking reply of antisemitism. The talk of a boycott is back. It is back in the form of an appalling spreading disease called BDS – against Texas’s fourth largest trading partner.

“The BDS movement would like you to believe that this effort will pressure Israel to make existential concessions to enemies who seek its destruction. This is simply the latest in a litany of false narratives that is threatening a democracy and a free world,” said Kaufman.

“Do Texans share the values of individual freedom, tolerance, mutual respect and pluralism with Israel? Absolutely, yes. Do we share a spirit of discovery, enterprise and security with the State of Israel? Yes. Do we need an anti-BDS law in Texas? In the face of a threatening movement? Sadly, yes.”

Joel Schwitzer, the American Jewish Committee’s regional director in Dallas, told the Post: “AJC recognizes that Comerica Bank, and other financial institutions, are clearly free to do business with whomever they choose. AJC urges banks to consider carefully what it means to extend an account to a discriminatory movement like BDS, which seeks to de-legitimize a single country – and that often intersects with antisemitism.”

Wayne Mielke, a spokesman for Comerica, responded to the Post by email, saying, “We don’t discuss customer relationships, and want you to know (again) that we have a robust compliance program at the bank.”

Mielke’s response is “not good enough. It is a legalistic answer,” said Mariaschin. The question for Comerica is: “Do you want to do business with an organization [IADL] that engages in this type of activity?” Mielke declined follow-up Post queries about whether the bank had launched an investigation into the IADL account and about Comerica’s views on BDS.

Itemlive.com (A Massachusetts publication) ran a story on the re-purposing of the Machon School in Swampscott, Mass., into low-income senior housing sponsored by B'nai B'rith. Last year B'nai B'rith was selected to oversee the project and recently unveiled development plans "featuring 38 one-bedroom units and a plan to add a third floor to the former school."

Scroll down to read the story or click the button below to read it on Itemlive.com.

B'nai B'rith International Special Advisor on Latin America Affairs Adriana Camisar wrote a blog on Latin American countries voting for blatantly anti-Israel resolutions within the United Nations and the issue with bloc voting that does not truly reflect many countries' positions on these important issues.

The blog was published on The Times of Israel website. 

Scroll down to read the blog, click here to read it on TimesOfIsrael.com.

JBS spoke with B'nai B'rith International's Special Advisor on Latin American Affairs Adriana Camisar for its In the News program, spotlighting the 25th anniversary of the Israeli embassy bombing in Buenos Aires.

Host Teisha Bader interviews Camisar on the 1992 attack "as well as about the murder of Jewish special prosecutor Alberto Nisman, and the state of the Jewish community in Latin America."

Scroll down to watch the interview or click here to watch it on YouTube.

Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (Crif) sent an email and posted to its website about the meeting between a B'nai B'rith International delegation and Crif President Francis Kalifat.

B'nai B'rith President Gary P. Saltzman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin detailed their recent meetings at the United Nations Human Rights Council and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, discussed the state of the French Jewish community with Kalifat and rising anti-Semitism across Europe.

Read the note below or click here to read it on CRIF.org.

Vendredi matin, Gary Saltzman, Président du B'nai B'rith International et Daniel Mariaschin, Chief executive officer, sont venus rencontrer Francis Kalifat, Président du Crif

Ils étaient accompagnés de Daniel Citone, Président du B'nai B'rith Europe et de Stéphane Teicher, Représentant permanent du B'nai B'rith auprès de l'Unesco.

La rencontre fut l'occasion de discuter des préoccupations actuelles des juifs dans le monde, notamment des votes répétitifs à l'Unesco sur Jérusalem (le prochain aura lieu en avril prochain), à l'ONU, à la Commission des Droits de l'Homme de l'ONU, etc. Les discussions ont aussi porté sur la situation politique en Europe et sur le BDS, nouveau visage de l'antisémitisme dans le monde.
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Ce fut aussi pour Francis Kalifat l'occasion de présenter et d'expliquer le Crif et ses préoccupations et batailles actuelles, notamment contre le BDS en France et de répondre aux questions sur la communauté juive française.
Robert Ejnes, Directeur exécutif du Crif, participait également à cette réunion.

The Jerusalem Post cited B'nai B'rith International in a story on the U.S. Department of State’s acknowledgement of the importance of the envoy on anti-Semitism and its intentions to fill, not cut, the position.

B’nai B’rith is mentioned as one of the Jewish groups that spoke out against the proposed elimination of the envoy.

Scroll down to read the story or click here to read it on JPost.com.

The department's acknowledgment comes amid reports that White House officials have no intention to fill the post, despite pressure from Democrats, Republicans and Jewish community leaders.

WASHINGTON – The US secretary of state is responsible by law for appointing a special envoy to combat and monitor antisemitism worldwide, a State Department spokesman told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

The department’s acknowledgment comes amid reports that White House officials have no intention to fill the post, despite pressure from Democrats, Republicans and Jewish community leaders to do so.

“The Global Antisemitism Review Act of 2004 established the special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism,” the official said. “Per the Act, the special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism monitors and combats acts of antisemitism and antisemitic incitement that occur in foreign countries. The special envoy also provides input on antisemitism issues for the annual country reports on Human Rights Practices and International Religious Freedom.”

The position, the State Department official continued, “was created by the Global Antisemitism Review Act. Per the Act, the secretary of state is responsible for appointing a special envoy.”

That legislation, signed into law by George W. Bush, was originally drafted by Republican Rep. Christopher Smith of New Jersey who, earlier this month, called on the Trump administration to fill the vacancy with haste.

“This isn’t a matter of the president ‘may do this.’ This is a statutorily constituted special envoy,” Smith said. “It’s not a matter of discretion. He must do it.”

Smith said he is worried the “rising tide” in antisemitic activity across the US may soon turn violent.

“It’s a very quick movement from threats and bomb threats to actual terrorist acts where people may die,” he said.

On Tuesday, 167 members of Congress from both parties urged President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to fill the post, citing a measurable rise in antisemitic threats, attacks and acts of vandalism both at home and abroad.

“We view US leadership on combating antisemitism and promoting human rights as pivotal components of American diplomacy and foreign policy,” the bipartisan letter reads. “The Office of the Special Envoy enables the US to show the world its commitment to these ideals, particularly at a time when antisemitism is dangerously on the rise.”

The letter earned support from some of the nation’s largest Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee and B’nai B’rith International. Also supporting the effort are J Street and the Zionist Organization of America – Jewish groups considered within the community as on opposite sides of the political spectrum.

After two months in office, Trump is lagging behind his predecessors in appointing major department deputies, aides and envoys. He has yet to appoint a special envoy to the Middle East peace process; an ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom; or a White House liaison to the Jewish community, among several other posts that have historically provided the community with channels to interact with the president’s team.

Those positions, however, are filled at the discretion of the president. The antisemitism post at the State Department is not.

The spokesman told the Post that no one had yet been chosen for the role. “At this time, we have nothing to announce,” the official said.

Since the beginning of the year, at least three American Jewish cemeteries have been desecrated; New York State has recorded an unprecedented spike in Nazi-themed vandalism; and more than 100 bomb threats have been called or emailed in to Jewish Community Centers nationwide. The president, at the top of his first address to a joint session of Congress, condemned the phenomenon as an “evil” with no place in American society.

While lawmakers from both parties praised the president for his remarks, several are now calling for an actionable plan.

A Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism in the House of Representatives, comprised of four Republicans and four Democrats, sent a letter to the president two weeks ago urging a more “comprehensive federal response,” including adequate funding for the civil rights division of the Justice Department; the creation of an interagency mechanism to detect and respond to new threats; and a review of antisemitic activity online.

JTA quoted B’nai B’rith International in an article on the American Health Care Act proposal.

In the story B’nai B’rith says “Changing any portion of the Medicaid funding to a per capita cap proposal would have a significant negative impact on seniors, because capping federal funding for Medicaid would add an additional layer of pressure to state budgets, and put the health care and financial security of millions of older adults at risk.”

Scroll down to read the story or click below to read it on JTA.com.

Two Jewish agencies charged with elderly care sharply criticized the new Republican health care bill.

B’nai B’rith International, which sponsors low-income housing for the elderly, and the Jewish Federations of North America, which advocates for funds for the poor and the elderly, took aim changes contained in the American Health Care Act, the bill Republican leaders hope to pass as a replacement for the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

“Congress and the Trump Administration appear to be moving quickly to pass potentially devastating cuts to Medicaid,” JFNA said in an action alert sent this week to its constituent groups, urging them to lobby Congress against the cuts.

The organization said the cuts “would greatly impact Jewish federation partner agencies that provide health, long-term care and home and community-based care,” noting that federation partner agencies get about $6 billion from Medicaid each year.

Medicaid is the government program that supports health care for the poor. The bill proposes to cap Medicaid funding to each state according to the number of eligible participants at the beginning of the fiscal year. B’nai B’rith and JFNA said such caps would not take into account changes in enrollment numbers and other unexpected health care cost increases.

“Changing any portion of the Medicaid funding to a per capita cap proposal would have a significant negative impact on seniors, because capping federal funding for Medicaid would add an additional layer of pressure to state budgets, and put the health care and financial security of millions of older adults at risk,” B’nai B’rith said in its March 8 statement.
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B’nai B’rith also took aim at a component of the bill that would reduce premiums for younger, healthier Americans, citing studies predicting “low-income adults in their 60s could see dramatic increases in premiums.”

WUSA 9 interviewed B'nai B'rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin on the 40th anniversary of the Hanafi Siege. On March 9, 1977 a dozen gunmen seized three buildings, including B’nai B’rith headquarters, in Washington, D.C.

Mariaschin says of the siege, "It was a precursor to all that we see, not only in the Middle East but here."
​
Scroll down to read the story or watch the interview below or click below to read it on WUSA9.com.

​It was 40 years ago on Wednesday, terrorists took over the District like a bloody scene out of a movie. 
But, this was real. Gunmen stormed three buildings in D.C., held nearly 150 people hostage, and killed two people just doing their job, a security guard, and a radio reporter.

It was called the Hanafi Siege, led by the founder of the Hanafi Muslim sect.

It was March 9th, 1977. Gunmen seized control of the Islamic Center on Massachusetts Ave., the Wilson Building (then known as the District Building) and B’nai Brith’s headquarters, back when it was on Scott Circle. They busted in with rifles and machetes, and they didn’t care if people lived or died.

One witness recounted, "They put a 44 magnum in my face, telling me to get up, don’t move, go to the back and lay on the floor. "

Dan Mariaschin, the CEO of B’nai Brith told WUSA9 it was the first major terrorist attack in a major city, "It was a precursor to all that we see, not only in the middle east but here."

The start of this attack started percolating long before, when Hamaas Abdul Khaalis broke with the Nation of Islam and founded the Hanafi sect, its rival. He published a letter critical of them.

Gunmen murdered seven of his family members. Many of them were his children. Four years later, he ordered the 1977 Hanafi Siege, in which WHUR radio reporter Maurice Williams was killed.

Security guard Mark Cantrell was hurt, and later died. Several people were pistol whipped, or shot, including then-Councilman Marion Barry.

The standoff lasted two days. Abdul Aziz, the son-in-law of Khaalis told reporters this about the hostages, "If the demands aren’t met, their heads will be chopped off and thrown out the window."

Khaalis had demands for their release. He wanted the murderers of his family turned over to him, even though the men were arrested and sentenced to life behind bars. He also wanted the film 'Mohammed, Messenger of God' to be pulled from the theaters, because he sad it was disrespectful.

Eventually, three Muslim ambassadors talked Khaalis into letting the hostages go.

Mariaschin shared, "I think we really need an international effort, a global effort to defeat the terrorist organizations."

On this anniversary, WHUR overnight DJ John Blake remembering that day and his friend, WHUR radio reporter Maurice Williams,  "I remember the moment so vividly. The news department is in disarray. Because we couldn't believe it first of all. a young man is gone so quickly."

​Khaalis and several others were sentenced to prison. Khaalis died in prison in 2003.

The Jerusalem Post ran a photo and caption on the B'nai B'rith World Center and the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jews who Rescued Fellow Jews During the Holocaust (JRJ) conferring their joint "Jewish Rescuer's Citation" upon Naftali Backenroth-Bronicki who risked his life saving Jews from deportation and extermination during the Holocaust in Drohobych, Poland.

​Check out the photo and caption below. 

WUSA 9 interviewed B'nai B'rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin on the 40th anniversary of the Hanafi Siege. On March 9, 1977 a dozen gunmen seized three buildings, including B’nai B’rith headquarters, in Washington, D.C.

Mariaschin says of the siege, "It was a precursor to all that we see, not only in the Middle East but here."

Scroll down to read the story or click here to read it on WUSA9.com and to watch the broadcast story.

WASHINGTON (WUSA9) - It was 40 years ago on Wednesday, terrorists took over the District like a bloody scene out of a movie. 

But, this was real. Gunmen stormed three buildings in D.C., held nearly 150 people hostage, and killed two people just doing their job, a security guard, and a radio reporter.

It was called the Hanafi Siege, led by the founder of the Hanafi Muslim sect.

It was March 9th, 1977. Gunmen seized control of the Islamic Center on Massachusetts Ave., the Wilson Building (then known as the District Building) and B’nai Brith’s headquarters, back when it was on Scott Circle. They busted in with rifles and machetes, and they didn’t care if people lived or died.

One witness recounted, "They put a 44 magnum in my face, telling me to get up, don’t move, go to the back and lay on the floor. "

Dan Mariaschin, the CEO of B’nai Brith told WUSA9 it was the first major terrorist attack in a major city, "It was a precursor to all that we see, not only in the middle east but here."

The start of this attack started percolating long before, when Hamaas Abdul Khaalis broke with the Nation of Islam and founded the Hanafi sect, its rival. He published a letter critical of them.

Gunmen murdered seven of his family members. Many of them were his children. Four years later, he ordered the 1977 Hanafi Siege, in which WHUR radio reporter Maurice Williams was killed.

Security guard Mark Cantrell was hurt, and later died. Several people were pistol whipped, or shot, including then-Councilman Marion Barry.

The standoff lasted two days. Abdul Aziz, the son-in-law of Khaalis told reporters this about the hostages, "If the demands aren’t met, their heads will be chopped off and thrown out the window."

Khaalis had demands for their release. He wanted the murderers of his family turned over to him, even though the men were arrested and sentenced to life behind bars. He also wanted the film 'Mohammed, Messenger of God' to be pulled from the theaters, because he sad it was disrespectful.

Eventually, three Muslim ambassadors talked Khaalis into letting the hostages go.

Mariaschin shared, "I think we really need an international effort, a global effort to defeat the terrorist organizations."
On this anniversary, WHUR overnight DJ John Blake remembering that day and his friend, WHUR radio reporter Maurice Williams,  "I remember the moment so vividly. The news department is in disarray. Because we couldn't believe it first of all. a young man is gone so quickly."

Khaalis and several others were sentenced to prison. Khaalis died in prison in 2003.