Two major US Jewish groups have expressed disappointment at the American Presbyterian Church for endorsing a series of resolutions aimed at intensifying pressure against Israel over its West Bank policies at their biennial General Assembly last week.

The Anti-Defamation League and B’nai B’rith International in a statement Monday both charged the measures voted in by an overwhelming majority at the June 24 meeting served to “demonize” the Jewish state.

The new resolutions come two years after the Presbyterian Church USA ordered denominational divestment from three major US companies it said had profited from Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.

Among the Israel-centered measures passed at the biennial assembly was a report titled “Israel-Palestine: For Human Values in the Absence of a Just Peace,” that suggested the church consider alternatives to the two-state solution given “Israel’s policy trajectory of continued settlements and brutal occupation,” which it blamed for the stalemate in peace talks with the Palestinians.

Some church delegates critical of the “pugnaciously flawed” report argued at the meeting its language questioned the right of Israel’s existence as a Jewish homeland, and urged officials to “add content that acknowledges and offers a corrective to the ways anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism complicate global discourse about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

After an amendment affirming Israel’s right “to exist as a sovereign nation” was added to the text, the General Assembly endorsed the report with a 429-129 majority vote.

The General Assembly also passed, by a much wider margin of 407-146, another resolution calling on Presbyterians to “prayerfully study the call from Palestinian civil society for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against the state of Israel.”

While the 2014 meeting approved the divestment from Caterpillar, Motorola, and Hewlett-Packard, an amendment to that resolution explicitly rejected support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions umbrella movement which advocates a much broader divestment strategy against Israel and rejects its existence as a Jewish state.

Titled “Standing for Reconciliation and Ending Affiliation with Divisive Coalition,” the text urged the punitive measure be taken against Israel “until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.”

A number of objections to the resolution were addressed by the addition of amendments advising church members that they could also consult “resources that oppose this BDS movement” if they wished.

Denominational publications online noted the objections by dozens of Presbyterian clergy and laypeople ranged from accusations of disproportionate focus on the Jewish state to anti-Semitism.

On Monday, the ADL released a statement denouncing the newly passed resolutions.
“We are deeply disappointed with the Presbyterian Church’s decision to embrace motions which forward arguments in favor of a bi-national state and of the anti-Israel BDS campaign,” said ADL Director of Interfaith Affairs Rabbi David Sandmel.

“The efforts by some in the church to vilify and demonize Israel, rather than promote dialogue and reconciliation, are particularly disturbing,” Sandmel said. “Especially egregious was a video that compared Israeli security checkpoints to the Nazi cattle cars that transported Jews to concentration camps.”

The ADL also praised efforts by delegates who voiced opposition to the resolutions during the meeting.

“We note with gratitude that, despite the efforts of a hostile leadership and activists within the church, rank and file members insisted on reasserting favorable language countering those views which was supportive of Israel’s legitimacy, the Jewish right to self determine and the promotion of Jewish-Christian relations,” Sandmel added.
Meanwhile, the Jewish advocacy group B’nai B’rith slammed the Presbyterian Church for “again display[ing] a stunningly overt preoccupation with demonizing just one side of one complex conflict.”
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“By showing disregard for facts, nuance and fairness, ideological activists in the PCUSA have continued to make the denomination an agent of division, wholly irrelevant to promoting genuine peace and reconciliation,” the statement said.

B'nai B'rith of Union County hosted its 60th annual dinner dance on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 at Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael in Springfield. Over 160 people attended.
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The honorees were feted at a gala dinner dance, which has been held by B'nai B'rith of Union County for the past 60 years. "Each of our honorees has made a unique contribution to the life of our community here in New Jersey and we are proud to honor them and acknowledge their commitment" said Ross who, as a member of the B'nai B'rith International Executive Committee, also brought greetings on behalf of B'nai B'rith International.

Miriam Gershwin is a survivor of the Holocaust. During the war, at great personal risk, and while seeming to work for the Nazi's, she delivered messages from one ghetto to another keeping each community informed of what was going on at the other. After the war, because of her language skills, she aided the American Joint Distribution Committee helping to resettle many displaced persons. Later she came to America, settled in Springfield along with her late husband Naum, also a Holocaust survivor, and their son Sam. She was one of the founding members of Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael of Springfield and a tireless worker for the synagogue's sisterhood and Hadassah.

Joe Tenenbaum, was honored with the Lifetime Service Award and also received a 50 year member pin for his dedicated service to B'nai B'rith. Joe has been the longtime President of the Union County Lodge, serves as a V.P. on the B'nai B'rith Tri-State Regional Board, the Board of the Elin-Unger Post 273 of the Jewish War Veterans, is a life member of Hadassah, a member of Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael of Springfield and a member of the Senior Set of Congregation Israel of Springfield. Joe was honored for his over 50 years of service to the community and to B'nai B'rith.

Davida Berkowitz, the 2016 Eshet Chayil Award recipient is the Executive Director of Congregation Beth Israel of Scotch Plains. Davida is a graduate of the Solomon Schechter Day School and has worked as a Jewish professional for over 19 years. Davida was recognized for her ongoing committment to the Jewish community in her work as a synagogue professional.

Kenneth Lavroff, the recipient of this year's Keter Shem Tov Leadership Award is the owner/manager of Deli King in Clark, N.J.. Ken was honored for his continuous efforts in serving our community for the past 32 years, including feeding our volunteers on Super Sunday, supplying holiday dinners to families in need after 9/11 and in supporting B'nai B'rith and other community service organizations.

Adam Levoy, the fifth honoree this year, was presented with the B'na' B'rith Young Leadership Award for his work on behalf of the Young Leadership Network (YLN) of B'nai B'rith. Adam currently serves as the groups Chairperson and was a participant in the 2015 B'nai B'rith Young Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. and accompanied the YLN group trip to Japan in March 2016 as a guest of the Japanese Government.

B'nai B'rith is an international Jewish service organization which has been serving our communities for over 170 years and is currently found in over 50 countries. For more information about B'nai B'rith you can contact Mark Ross, c/o P.O. Box 111, Springfield, N.J. 07081.

A citation will be conferred by the B’nai B’rith World Center upon Israeli musician and composer Idan Raichel in recognition of his contribution to fostering Israel-Diaspora relations through the arts. The citation will be presented at B’nai B’rith World Center’s 24th annual Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage in Memory of Wolf and Hilda Matsdorf.

Raichel is very influential in the Israeli cultural world. In a relatively short period of 15 years, this multi-talented artist has become one of the most outstanding musicians in Israel, and one of the most successful Israeli artists abroad. As a producer, keyboardist, lyricist, composer and performer, Raichel created a unique and superb stage presence that was new to the Israeli music scene. The worldwide collaborations that Raichel has created throughout his career have made him a cultural ambassador for millions of fans, hoping to represent a hopeful world, in which artistic collaboration breaks down barriers between people of different backgrounds and beliefs.

He fuses inspiring biblical and original texts with Jewish, African, Latin, and Indian melodies and rhythms to create a winning combination of Israeli and world music in numerous languages. He has sold nearly 650,000 albums in Israel and around the world to date, generated over a million digital downloads, and his YouTube videos have more than 50 million views. 

The Idan Raichel Project represents the beating heart of a conflicted region that has become a source of inspiration for younger generations, aiming for a better future. This is true for international audiences who are enriched by Raichel’s energy and see in him an exceptional vision of Israel open to the world. Their excitement during the many performances Raichel has made to “Birthright” and “Masa” audiences is contagious. This is a testimony to their familiarity with the vast body of his work that has already entered the pantheon of Israeli music.
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The special citation for fostering Israel-Diaspora relations through the arts was established by B'nai B'rith World Center in 2014. To date, citations were conferred upon Norit Hirsh (2014) and David D'or (2015).

[...]​

AROUND TOWN

Bipartisan Policy Center hosts 9 a.m. conference on medical innovation. Sen. Lamar Alexander and former FDA head Andrew von Eschenbach are among those scheduled to speak. Live webcast.

Senate Aging Committee holds 11 a.m. hearing on caring for the seriously ill. Surgeon, researcher and New Yorker writer Atul Gawande is among those on tap to testify. More.

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation holds Teen Advocacy Day. The foundation is hosting a 12 p.m. "mock hearing" in 902 Hart Senate Building, featuring teenage patients affected by the disease and comments from Sens. Edward Markey and Charles Grassley.

Chip Kahn honored with B'nai B'rith International Achievement award. The Federation of American Hospitals CEO received the award at a Wednesday night gala packed with big names in health policy. Spotted on the very bipartisan guest list: Hillary Clinton health adviser Chris Jennings; ex-CMS head Tom Scully; Nancy Pelosi's health adviser Wendell Primus; PhRMA CEO Steve Ubl; and ex-White House health policy czar Nancy Ann DeParle.

Radio France Internationale (RFI) produced a piece on Cuban Jews and spoke with the head of the B'nai B'rith Cuban Jewish Relief Project Sienna Girgenti about the organization's work. B'nai B'rith International's more than 20 years of assisting the Cuban-Jewish community is mentioned in the story. 

Click below to listen to the story or listen to it on RFI's SoundCloud page.

B'nai B'rith International was quoted in a JTA News article, expressing our solidarity with the LGBT community following the horrific shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Click below to read.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his condolences to the American people in the wake of the mass shooting attack by an ISIS supporter at a gay club in Orlando.

“We are all shocked at the horrific massacre in Orlando. On behalf of the government and people of Israel, I would like to again express our condolences to the American people and the families at this especially difficult hour. This terror threatens the entire world and it is necessary – first of all – that the enlightened countries urgently unite to fight it. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the American people,” Netanyahu said Monday morning at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin wrote to President Barack Obama to express his condolences following the attack in Orlando.

“Once again we feel the pain of terrible loss as we see the blood spilled of young and innocent people. There is no comfort for those who have had their loved ones torn away from them,” Rivlin wrote.

“This attack against the LGBT community in Orlando is as cowardly as it is abhorrent. The Israeli people stand shoulder to shoulder with our American brothers and sisters in the moral and just fight against all forms of violence and hatred. On behalf of all of Israel, I send my condolences to the families of the victims, and prayers for a speedy recovery of the injured.”

Forty-nine people were killed after Omar Mateen, 29, of Fort Pierce, Florida, entered the Pulse nightclub armed with an assault rifle and a handgun after 2 a.m. Sunday and opened fire. Mateen, an American-born citizen whose parents are from Afghanistan, called 911 and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State shortly after the start of the attack.

Jewish groups condemned the attack.

“An attack on a prominent Orlando gay club at the start of pride month on a night that celebrated the Latino community has all the markers of both an unconscionable hate crime and an act of terrorism on a scale we have not before witnessed in America,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement.

“This heinous attack on a nightclub serving the LGBTQ community is yet another reminder of the serious threat posed by the Islamic State terrorist group, which has inspired attacks against Jews in Belgium, journalists in France, civilians in San Bernardino and now LGBTQ men and women in America.”

Greenblatt cautioned that “Americans should not blame all Muslims for the actions of one individual. Whether citizens like the individual suspected of committing this act or war-torn refugees seeking safety, we must remember that we do not define people by their faith. We are deeply concerned that this attack could lead to a backlash against American Muslims. We urge all Americans to not fight hatred with hatred, but rather to come together around our common values of decency and respect.”

B’nai B’rith International said in a statement that it is “shocked” by the attack, adding: “The sheer number of dead (at least 50) and wounded (at least 53) defies comprehension.” The group said it “stands in solidarity with the LGBT community.”

The Israeli-American Council said in a statement: “On behalf of the Israeli-American community, we condemn this act of terrorism in the strongest terms. Whether terrorism strikes in Brussels, Paris, Tel Aviv, or Orlando – responsible leaders, policymakers, and moral people everywhere have a duty to speak out forcefully against this global evil, and to stand against the hateful ideology that fuels it. This is a growing danger that threatens innocents everywhere.”

The National Council of Jewish Women condemned the mass shooting in a statement released Sunday evening.  “We are all wounded by the fear engendered by gun attacks on civilians and by the menace of prejudice that too often endangers individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer and threatens members of the Latino community,” the group’s statement said.
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“NCJW is guided by Jewish values, including the Talmudic teaching that for ‘one who takes one life it is as though that person has destroyed the universe, and an individual who saves one life is as though that person has saved the universe.’ We must all renew our efforts to stop the epidemic of gun violence in this country.”

I wasn't home on my father's last Father’s Day. Not long into my first job out of graduate school at the Boston Jewish Community Council, in June 1974 I left for Israel for a long-awaited vacation. Just before leaving, I drove up to New Hampshire to see my father, who had been hospitalized with pleurisy. I knew he had a heart condition, but as we chatted in his hospital room, I thought he looked like he was on the mend. I don’t remember much about what we chatted about, but I do remember the last words we exchanged.

Two weeks before, over 100 hostages had been taken in a Palestinian terrorist attack in Ma’alot in northern Israel, mostly school children. It ended with the killing of 25 Israelis, including 22 children, and the wounding of 68 others. My father and I talked about the attack. Quickly, and in his manner, he endorsed my intention to travel: “As long as there is a God in heaven, you’ll be OK.” With that, and a strong handshake that convinced me he would be fine, I left first for Boston and then on to New York.

My father was 13 years old when he landed at Ellis Island, newly arrived from a small shtetl in Russia. He lost his mother when he was six; his father remarried, producing altogether 12 children over time. My grandfather was a tailor who worked near the old Brooklyn Navy Yard. My dad went to Boys High in Brooklyn at night, took courses at Pratt Institute and Cooper Union, and worked for decades in the leather goods industry as a foreman, designer and ultimately the owner of a small, short-lived company manufacturing holsters for cowboy sets that were de rigeur for every small boy in America.

He was a man of parts: he loved to read Russian poetry and listen to music by Russian composers (which, as a youngster during the Cold War, I could never understand); listened to opera records or the Texaco Metropolitan Opera broadcasts (Madama Butterfly was a favorite); and had a green thumb, planting outstanding vegetable gardens year after year. No doubt much of that acumen came from a stint working on a farm in upstate New York during the Depression, a job obtained through the Jewish Agricultural Society. He was a great cook who even made a lettuce-and-tomato sandwich taste special.

He was an ardent Zionist, though not affiliated with any particular strain of the movement. He subscribed to the Yiddish-language daily Der Tog-Morgan Journal, which arrived by mail five days a week. In his later years, when we had no rabbi in our tiny congregation, he taught Hebrew school in our hometown of Keene, New Hampshire three days a week, and prepared the occasional bar mitzvah boy for that most important right of passage. He read Megillat Esther at Purim services, and during Yizkor he was asked to read out the names of the deceased, because his Yiddish was so good and most names in those days were handwritten on index cards, and he could figure out the information.

My dad was a straight shooter; you knew, after a brief conversation, exactly where he stood on any issue. He was principled, often buttressing his arguments with “but somebody has to say it.” I knew as a youngster, and then as a young man, that indeed he was right most of the time.

He could see through the “spin” – though that term had not yet been born – of issues foreign and domestic. To this day I don’t know if he was a Democrat or a Republican, but he had opinions that were not blinded by party loyalty.

All of this set my Jewish compass for life. He and my mother, both well read on what we called “current events,” and both dedicated to creating a warm Jewish atmosphere for my sisters and me in our home in northern New England, wouldn’t have it any other way. The table talk in our house invariably centered on our place as Jews in America and beyond. At that table, on any given day, we would discuss anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, my father’s life in the shtetl, my mother’s strong Jewish upbringing in Maine, and, of course Israel.

Indeed, my first recollections of Israel were the photo of my cousins who lived on a kibbutz that adorned a shelf above our fireplace, and the Sinai Campaign of 1956. I recall his predicting to a visiting Israeli relative in 1966 – around an opened map of the Middle East on our dining room table – that should war be forced on Israel by its Arab neighbors, it would need to capture the West Bank to provide a security buffer for the future. When the 1967 Six Day War broke out, my father carried a petition supporting Israel from merchant to merchant along Keene’s main street.

Two months before my visit to him in the hospital, I had been asked to give a speech in Boston for Israel’s Independence Day. It was to be my first major presentation, and I rehearsed it at home before my father the weekend before the event.

“Something’s missing in your closing,” he said, “it needs to be stronger.” He took a Bible off one of the bookshelves, sat at the table for a few minutes and then read aloud to me from the prophet Amos, chapter 9, verse 14: “And I will turn the captivity of My people Israel, And they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; And they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; They shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.”

I accepted the suggestion willingly, not only because it was a good way to close, but because I saw my father’s innate belief at work. He was a proud Jew in both the spiritual and national sense.

Five weeks later I was at the hospital for that reassuring exchange and handshake. In Tel Aviv, one day before the end of my trip, one of my cousins came to the home of another in whose home I was staying. She had just received a phone call that my father was seriously ill, and I needed to get back to the States right away. In fact, he had already passed away, and my mother wanted to spare me the agony of the long flight home knowing he was gone.

It was a heart attack that brought his end. He was giving tours of our new synagogue. He hadn’t felt well that day, but he went anyway, to explain to the mixed crowd of Jews and Christians who came for the opening, about the Torah, the Ark, the eternal light and the other religious objects in the sanctuary.

It was June, and sunset comes late. I was able to make it back in time for the funeral, but I was too numb to absorb the loss. At the time, though, I remember having one consoling thought: before leaving on the flight from New York, I bought a Father’s Day card and tucked it into my suitcase. Thinking it would take at least 10 days for it to arrive on time, I mailed it immediately when I arrived in Israel. When I came home, I saw the opened card on our dining room table.

The author is executive vice president and CEO of B’nai B’rith International.

La visita que el diputado español del Parlamento Europeo (PE) Juan Fernando López Aguilar realizó a Israel hace unos días en calidad de presidente del Grupo de Trabajo de Antisemitismo de la Eurocámara ha generado polémica en las redes sociales. Grupos como la Red Solidaria contra la Ocupación de Palestina (RESCOP) han criticado a López Aguilar, miembro del PSOE y del Grupo de la Alianza Progresista de Socialistas y Demócratas en el PE, por haberse fotografiado junto a soldados israelís ante un muro que parece el que Israel levantó en Cisjordania, pero que no lo es.

​El ex-ministro de Justicia español ha asegurado a EL PERIÓDICO que la pared de su fotografía, "no es el muro de Cisjordania, pretende ser una obra artística colectiva de niños que han puesto colores y nombres, pero está en territorio israelí, y tampoco rodea Gaza, se trata de un dispositivo militar con torres, a kilómetros de Gaza".

El muro pintado, donde aparece el mensaje "Path to Peace"(Camino a la paz), es un tramo de una pared de protección de posibles disparos desde Gaza sobre la comunidad israelí de Netiv Haasarah, situada a menos de medio kilómetros de la frontera con la franja. El muro fue decorado por iniciativa de la artista israelí Tsameret Zamir. La valla de hierro y alambrada que se ve detrás también es para salvaguardar a Netiv Haasarah, pero no está a kilómetros de este territorio palestino sino a unos metros del muro de la frontera, visible perfectamente desde el muro decorado.

López Aguilar estuvo en Israel entre el 16 y el 19 de mayo y luego publicó en su página web diversas fotografías de su viaje, en el que participó también un eurodiputado de nacionalidad rumana, según confirmó a este diario Alan Schneider, director del Centro Mundial de B'nai B'rith en Jerusalén, que intervino en la organización de la visita del eurodiputado. B'nai B'rith es un grupo que combate el antisemitismo y la intolerancia y dice estar "comprometido" con la continuidad del pueblo judío y el Estado de Israel".

​En las imágenes difundidas por López Aguilar en su cuenta de Twitter aparece él recibiendo explicaciones de Dani Dayan, ex-presidente del Consejo Yesha (organización de consejos municipales de las colonias israelíes en el territorio palestino ocupado de Cisjordania) en el mirador del asentamiento israelí de Alfei Mensahe, cercano a la ciudad palestina de Qalqilia. 
En el 2015, el Gobierno israelí nombró a Dayan Embajador de Israel en Brasil, pero las autoridades brasileñas lo vetaron por su condición de colono y el pasado marzo fue designado Cónsul General de Israel en Nueva York.

King Firemarth is falling down a cliff. The drop is long, and the king is certain of his death until a friendly dragon scoops him up and deposits him safely on level ground.

The unexpected rescue teaches Firemarth, who had previously feared the dragon - and all different-looking beasts in the kingdom - that "you shouldn't deny someone respect simply because they're different."
So goes The Legend of Firemarth, a children's book written and illustrated by Paulsboro High School sophomore Samson Beaver, who took home first prize this week in B'nai B'rith's "Diverse Minds Writing Challenge" in South Jersey.

Beaver's prize was a $5,000 college scholarship he hopes to eventually put toward art school. And 1,000 copies of The Legend of Firemarth will be professionally printed and distributed to local schools, libraries, and community organizations.

Beaver, 17, made sure that the dragon looked sufficiently frightening to drive home the point that appearances can be misleading. In too many children's books, he said, everything is "super-duper cutesy looking."

Firemarth also comes with a message fit for readers of any age. "Don't judge someone by their appearance," Beaver said, leaning over the cluttered art-room table where he spent weeks in February piecing together his first drafts. "Get to know the person."

​The Diverse Minds contest, launched 10 years ago by the human rights advocacy group, and geared toward teaching elementary school children lessons of tolerance and equality, awards scholarship prizes to first-, second- and third-place winners in four regions.

Israeli envoy says movement represents ‘modern-day anti-Semitism’; WJC’s Ron Lauder vows to ‘commit all resources’ to fight it
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UNITED NATIONS – More than 2,000 people attended on Tuesday the first-ever conference at the UN General Assembly aimed at combating the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, the largest gathering to date focused on battling the attempt to pressure Israel over its perceived ill-treatment of the Palestinians.

Students, activists, dignitaries legal professionals and representatives of Jewish organizations took part in the “Building Bridges, Not Boycotts” day-long summit, a partnership between Israel’s Mission to the UN and a dozen pro-Israel organizations including the World Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, the Zionist Organization of America, StandWithUs, B’nai B’rith International, Hillel and CAMERA.

Among those who addressed the participants in the General Assembly were Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, Vice President of the Israeli Supreme Court, Jay Sekulow, Chief Legal Counsel of the American Center for Law, and Ronald Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the opening session via video.
American-Jewish singer and songwriter Matisyahu — who BDS activists tried to have banned in 2015 from a performance at a festival in Spain over his support of Israel — also gave a speech, later singing his hit “Jerusalem,” to cheers and applause from the audience.

Speaking to The Times of Israel, Danon said the impetus of the conference came after the UN Human Rights Council in March voted to create a “blacklist” of companies operating in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, a motion that passed with 32 countries voting in favor, and none against.

Danon decided it was time to bring the fight against BDS inside the United Nations.

“For me it was a red line. BDS is not only about the campuses. Now we see BDS entering the halls of the UN,” Danon told the Times of Israel on Tuesday. “This is the exact kind of hatred the UN was founded to eradicate. Now that very same organization is funding a blacklist of Jewish companies and businesses. For me, it is outrageous and disappointing. We need to fight it.”

Ron Lauder, president of the WJC, said the World Jewish Congress would “commit all of our resources, and all of our abilities, to help fight BDS.”

Lauder criticized the movement, saying it did not really support the Palestinian people.

“It is strictly a campaign to delegitimize Israel, which is simply the latest attempt to deny the Jewish people their right to self-determination. Every other people on earth have that right, but BDS wants to deny that basic right to Jews,” he said.

“I actually understand the power of BDS. It’s a political movement that makes you think you are standing against tyranny; especially when you are joined by celebrities, rock stars, or your favorite professors, but I wonder if all those people that support BDS have the slightest understanding of what this movement really means,” Lauder added. “These activists are calling for the destruction of the State of Israel. Make no mistake.”

Rubinstein vowed that the movement will be defeated.

“As we say every Passover, ‘In each and every generation they rise up against us to destroy us.’ The BDS movement is the latest group who wish to destroy us. They will not succeed in their mission. Just as we defeated the Arab boycott, we will defeat BDS and this movement will be thrown into the trash bin of history,” he said.
Two parallel workshops followed the plenary session, “Fighting BDS on Campus” and “Legal Aspects of Boycotts and De-legitimization.”

“The BDS [movement] uses ‘lawfare,’” said Sekulow of the American Center of Law. “They use the legal system to delegitimize. Well, we are using the law to fight them. The law is on our side.”

Sekulow said BDS initiatives often violate US non-discrimination laws as well as university policies. He cited legal victories against BDS at several universities including University of Chicago Loyola, University of Texas, University of Michigan, UCLA and City University of New York, CUNY.

Many students attending the conference said they were struck by the way the law can be used to combat BDS.
“Campuses can be their own worlds and I think the conference is doing a great job of showing what can be done to fight BDS beyond the campus,” said Yael Smolar, a business student at Binghamton University in New York.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, agreed that legal action could be useful, though he cautioned there was no “silver bullet” against BDS.

“There are a variety of ways we can combat BDS and we must be prepared to use many tools. Different initiatives are needed in different situations,” he said.

Some of those ideas and initiatives were included in an “ambassadors against BDS” tool kit handed out to participants. The kit was part of an effort to galvanize the community and show a unified front, said Shahar Azani, Northeast Executive Director for StandWithUS.

During the session on BDS activity on campuses, students listened to suggestions on how to counter Israel Apartheid week, an annual spring event, which includes “Apartheid” walls and checkpoints. Ideas included holding an Israel Week on their campus, an Israel Education Day, and building relationships with groups across campus.

For Professor Asher J. Matathias, the situation on university campuses is especially alarming.

“I am a Holocaust survivor. This is very personal for me,” said Matathias, a social science professor at St. Johns University in Jamaica, NY. “The American public has to be informed with what is happening on campuses. It’s atrocious.”

It was a big week for anti-BDS events across the city.

On Thursday, the World Zionist Organization and American Zionist Movement will host “BDS – The New anti-Semitism? Confronting a Global Campaign.” A special delegation of mayors and deputy mayors from Israel are slated to attend the program.

The UN event came a week after the State Comptroller’s office in Israel issued a scathing report remonstrating the Foreign Ministry for not having a cohesive strategy to fight BDS. The office urged the Foreign Ministry to allocate more of its budgets for diplomatic efforts.
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In 2015, the ministry spent NIS 132 million, or $33 million, on diplomacy, development aid and public diplomacy compared with NIS 1.65 billion, or $423 million, on security for missions abroad.