(Washington, D.C., July 8, 2020)--B’nai B’rith is launching None Shall Be Afraid, our signature response to anti-Semitism. The initiative’s name is inspired by a quote from a letter President George Washington wrote to the congregants of Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island expressing his vision of religious tolerance in America: “Everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.”

“Today, Jews face threats to their safety that have not been seen in decades,” said B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin. “To fight the scourge of anti-Semitism and the hatred it encompasses, we must come together in the spirit of Washington’s letter. Anti-Semitism must be fought in all its forms, including challenging Holocaust denial to fighting the demonization and delegitimization of the State of Israel.”

As part of None Shall Be Afraid, we have produced online resources to instruct about the different facets of anti-Semitism, including anti-Semitism on college campuses, faith-based anti-Semitism and anti-Semitism at global agencies. Click here for resources to understanding anti-Semitism in all its forms.

We all have a critical role to play opposing anti-Semitism and addressing hatred and intolerance as we see it happen. One step everyone can take right now is to sign the None Shall Be Afraid pledge. By doing so you are demonstrating a commitment to fighting intolerance and hatred; that you will not stand by and allow Israel to be demonized or the horrors of the Holocaust to be denied or minimized. Those who take the pledge underscore their respect for equal rights and stand against all forms of stereotyping and bias. The pledge can be found here.

Since our founding nearly 177 years ago, B’nai B’rith has fought anti-Semitism in its many forms, from standing up for Israel at biased international organizations to supporting Jewish diaspora communities that face systemic discrimination. None Shall Be Afraid is our latest effort to combat the world’s oldest hatred.

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.

(Washington, D.C., July 2, 2020)--B’nai B’rith welcomes the introduction of a new Senate bill that would provide financial resources for senior housing in response to COVID-19.
 
The Emergency Housing Assistance for Older Adults Act of 2020, introduced by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) will provide much needed resources to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) assisted senior housing.
 
“B’nai B’rith International, as the largest national Jewish sponsor of low-income, nonsectarian housing for seniors in the United States, is uniquely aware of the need to allocate additional financial resources for HUD senior housing in response to the COVID-19 crisis,” said Mark Olshan, associate executive vice president of B’nai B’rith International and director of the B’nai B’rith International Center for Senior Services. “Consequently, we are pleased to support the Emergency Housing Assistance for Older Adults Act of 2020 introduced by Senator Robert Menendez. This legislation provides critical funding for senior properties to better meet challenges associated with the virus, including the ability to purchase more personal protective equipment, expand service coordination and WiFi accessibility. During a time of national crisis, we are thankful that Senator Menendez is leading the effort in the Senate to ensure that senior housing has the resources to combat the pandemic.”

“Given how vulnerable seniors are to the coronavirus, we call on Congress to quickly pass this legislation." said B’nai B’rith Legislative Director for Aging Policy Evan Carmen. “The legislation provides critical financial resources for the residents of HUD assisted senior housing that will ensure a safer environment for older Americans.”. 

Menendez represents three B’nai B’rith-sponsored senior housing facilities: South Orange B’nai B’rith Federation House, B’nai B’rith Chesilhurt House and B’nai B’rith Elmwood House.

“As the coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on our communities and families, it has had a relentless, devastating impact on our nation’s seniors, especially elderly Americans living in facilities that struggled with lack of protection, staff and resources,” Menendez said. “Congress has an obligation to help our most vulnerable during this crisis and that means making sure our federally-assisted senior housing facilities have the necessary resources to effectively protect and ensure residents remain safe, healthy and have access to key services during the COVID-19 crisis.”

B’nai B’rith would also like to acknowledge Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Dianne Feinstein (D-C.A.), Krysten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore). In addition, we would also like to thank Rep. Katie Porter (D-C.A.) and Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-C.A.) for introducing the Emergency Housing Assistance for Older Adults Act of 2020 in the House last month.  

These bills allocate $1.2 billion to senior housing, which will enable buildings to hire more staff, purchase more personal protective equipment (PPE) and deal with decreased revenue due to decreased rent payments caused by the pandemic-related lockdowns and economic crisis. In addition, this money helps advance service coordination, both for buildings that already have and those that do not yet have a service coordinator. A service coordinator is a social service staff person who connects residents with services in the community. This legislation provides $50 million in funding for increasing WiFi accessibility, a crucial service in an age of telehealth medicine. Better WiFi also would enable service coordinators to speak with building residents while practicing social distancing.

While the money in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) is already helping low-income seniors, the long-term and on-going virus threat requires further stimulus legislation. Therefore, we encourage Congress to pass the Emergency Housing Assistance for Older Adults Act of 2020 to ensure that senior housing has the appropriate resources to meet the challenges of the day.

The news release from Menendez can be found here: https://www.menendez.senate.gov/news-and-events/press/menendez-introduces-bill-to-ensure-seniors-in-federal-housing-can-live-safely-stay-healthy-during-pandemic. 

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.

(Jerusalem, June 23, 2020)--The B'nai B'rith World Center and the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers During the Holocaust announced that they will bestow their joint Jewish Rescuers Citation on 16 nominees, all but two posthumously.  
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Alan Schneider, director of the B’nai B’rith World Center, said, “B’nai B’rith is honored to bring to light the phenomena of Jewish rescue and the instructive stories of thousands of Jews who risked their lives to save their endangered brethren throughout Europe. Many who could have tried to flee preferred to stay and rescue others; some paid for it with their lives. With great heroism, Jews in every country in occupied Europe employed subterfuge, forgery, smuggling, concealment and other methods to ensure that Jews survived the Holocaust, or assisted them in escaping to a safe heaven, and in doing so foiled the Nazi goal of total genocide against the Jews. They are role models of Jewish solidarity and courage.” 

Recipients of the citation are:

1. Fred Șaraga (1891-1961) – A leader of the Jewish community of Romania who led rescue missions to Transnistria,, negotiating the release of some 2,000 orphans from life-threatening conditions.
2. Yitzhak Artzi (1920-2003) – - A leader of the Zionist Federation in Romania who participated with Fred Saraga in a mission to Transnistria and the rescue of Jewish children.
3. Beate Berger (1886-1940) – Founder of a boarding school for orphans and abandoned children in Germany. Recognized the danger posed by the Nazi regime and brought all 300 children at the boarding school to pre-state Israel.
4. Vladka Meed (1921-2012) – Arranged hiding places for Jews who escaped from the ghetto in Poland, mostly women and children, and smuggled weapons and documents.
5. Rabbi Itzack Cassuto – Rabbi in Larisa, Greece. Warned his community to escape the city. Some 950 Jews escaped and 255 Jews were arrested. He remained but refused to compile a list of members of the community for the Germans.
6. Jacob Gutfrajnd (1909–1991) – Established the first Jewish partisans group in Brussels, targeting Jewish collaborators and informers and destroying Jewish community records to prevent their discovery and deportation.
7. Sara Gutfrajnd (1909-1993) – A member of Committee for the Defense of Jews (CDJ) in Belgium. She smuggled weapons, placed Jewish children in monasteries and Christian homes and furnished false documents, money and food.
8. David Liwer (1903-1968) – Leader of a resistance group in Bedzin, Poland. Hid Jews in his home and helped many escape from the ghetto. Provided passports from Latin American countries to members of the Zionist movements that aided in their rescue. Fled with his family to Budapest, where he became active in the Zionist movement.    
9. Yosef Givon (1923-1968) – Smuggled food and medications to Jews from a hospital storeroom where he worked and led Jews incarcerated in the hospital to safety.
10. Shulamit Roitman Einhorn (1924-2020) –Member of the Jewish Resistance in France. Aided families in hiding and provided them with falsified documents.
11. Leon Roitman (1925-1993) – Member of the "Jewish Army." Only 16 years old, he rescued children detained in the camps and transported Jews to the south of France. Recruited by Dr. Eitan Guinat, he worked in the lab to falsify documents and recruited others to work there.
12. Jack Roitman (1922-1988) – Member of the Jewish Resistance and Jewish Army in France. Transported Jews across the border to Spain.
13. Arthur Einhorn (1923- ) – Member of the Youth Zionist Movement of the Jewish Resistance in France. Smuggled Jews across the border to Spain, falsifiedand distributed documents and helped locate hiding places for Jews in villages in the area. Lives in Washington D.C.,.
14. Erna Einhorn (1929-2007) – Sister of Shulamit and Arthur Einhorn, she was a member of the Jewish Resistance in France. Einhorn falsified and issued documents and provided food to families in hiding.
15. Oscar Neuman (1894-1981) – Leader of the Zionist Movement in Slovakia. Founded the "Working Group" that disseminated information about the massacre of Jews in death camps; established three work camps where 4,000 Jews were employed, saving them from deportation to death camps; bribed German officers and clerks to prevent deportations; and aided the escape of 12,000 Jews to Hungary.
16. Hetty Verolme (1930 - ) – At age 14, served as a "little mother" for children in Bergen Belsen. She stole food and hid it in her coat, risking her life to help the children survive until liberation. Lives in Perth, Australia.

The Jewish Rescuers Citation was established in 2011 in an effort to help correct the generally held misconception that Jews failed to come to the aid of fellow Jews during the Holocaust. To date, 330 heroes have been honored for their rescue activities in Germany, France, Hungary, Greece, Slovakia, Yugoslavia, Russia, Lithuania, Poland, Holland, Italy, Morocco, Romania, Belgium, Ukraine, Latvia and Austria.

The B'nai B'rith World Center and  the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers During the Holocaust published a book on Jews rescuing Jews which you can find here. Additional information published by Yad Vashem is available on Yad Vashem website Hebrew and English.

For more information please contact: Alan Schneider, Director, B'nai B'rith World Center aschneider@bnaibrith.org 
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

​(Washington, D.C., June 17, 2020)--The B'nai B'rith World Center-Jerusalem and the Jewish National Fund unveiled a plaque at a ceremony Wednesday honoring Samuel (Sally) Bein, outstanding educator and founding principal of the first boarding school for Jewish children with special needs in Germany. The ceremony took place at the B’nai B’rith Cave at the B’nai B’rith Martyrs Forest.

In his remarks at the event, Director of the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Alan Schneider said, “The innovative and dedicated principal Sally Bein opened the doors of the first boarding school for Jewish children in Germany – established by B’nai B’rith and the German-Israelite Community in 1908 – and shut them on June 13, 1942, when he, his wife and daughter and the last 47 wards and staff were deported to the Sobibor death camp in German-occupied Poland via Berlin, and murdered.  The school was just one of hundreds of charitable projects undertaken by the 100 B’nai B’rith lodges in pre-war Germany [and] was the first Jewish organization targeted by the Nazis. This explains why B’nai B’rith together with the Jewish National Fund established the first Holocaust commemoration site in Israel – the Martyrs Forest – where the Bein family and the staff and students of the school are now being memorialized, for the first time in Israel.”

During the ceremony, David Etzioni, vice chairman of KKL-JNF, also spoke: “In his death as in his life, Sally Bein served as an example to the students he believed in and with whom he marched to their bitter end. The commemoration of Sally Bein, his family, students and staff here in the Martyrs Forest established by B’nai B’rith that was partner to the founding of the boarding school in Germany, is the least we can do for them,”. “The historical thread that connects the boarding school, the Martyrs Forest, the Scroll of Fire at the crest of the mountain and many other projects in Israel, is B’nai B’rith. B’nai B’rith has marched with KKL-JNF since before the establishment of Israel, when land was acquired on which two communities were established under the Tower and Stockade method – Moledet B’nai B’rith and Ramat Zvi, named for B’nai B’rith President Henry Zvi Monsky.

​KKL-JNF is honored to partner with the B’nai B’rith World Center in commemorating Jews who rescued fellow Jews during the Holocaust in a joint annual event that has taken place for the past 18 years. I am happy to announce that to mark 70 years since the founding of the Martyrs Forest, we will continue our cooperation with B’nai B’rith and begin a process of turning the forest into a source of knowledge about the Holocaust for youth. In the spirit of Sally Bein’s legacy we will make the forest accessible, through technological means, also for children with special needs, so that they will be equals among equals.”

Other speakers at the event included: Ronny Dotan, researcher and initiator of the memorial; Lihi Lapid, author; Shay Cucuy, representative of the families; Major General (Res.) Doron Almog, chairman, Aleh Negev-Nahalat Eran; Holocaust survivor Major General (Res.) Yossi Peled; and Amikam Raz, representative of Akim Israel.

B'nai B'rith has partnered with JNF on many projects, beginning with land acquisition in the 1930s, on which two collective communities - Moledet B'nai B'rith and Ramat Zvi (named for B'nai B'rith President Henry Zvi Monsky) - were established. The largest joint project is the Martyrs Forest, which dates from the early 1950s and was the first site built in Israel to commemorate the six million Holocaust victims. For the past 18 years, KKL and the B'nai B'rith World Center have partnered in a Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day ceremony – the only annual event dedicated to honor the heroism of Jewish rescuers during the Holocaust.

B’nai B’rith has been active in Germany since 1882. It was the first Jewish organization targeted by the Nazis, who obliterated 100 active lodges in Germany alone and some 100 more across vanquished Europe. B’nai B’rith is represented today again in Germany and throughout western and eastern Europe.
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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.

The unique public awareness campaign is designed to harness the creativity of students in order to boost education about anti-Semitism and the prejudice, bigotry, hatred and violence it engenders. 

B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin said: “Illuminating  the issue of anti-Semtism – one of the most pervasive, long-running and deadly dangers in the world – through inventive video production will bring the immediacy and urgency of the topic to a global audience.  As anti-Semitism proliferates globally, today’s high school and undergraduate university students will create messages to educate and inspire us.”

High school and undergraduate university students worldwide are invited to submit their work to the contest and will be judged in separate categories by a prestigious panel of judges. The winner and runners-up of each academic  group and each category will receive cash prizes, to be awarded at a virtual awards ceremony. The top cash prizes in each category: $5,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place and $1,000 for third place.  

Students are asked to submit entries in one of the following two categories:

• Educate the general public on the value of a universally adopted definition of anti-Semitism, specifically the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition. 
• Educate about how anti-Semitism impacts Jews of all racial backgrounds and inspire young people to be more tolerant toward others by illustrating the modern manifestation of anti-Zionism as anti-Semitism. 

 
Full eligibility and submission requirements can be found here.
 
In addition to a cash prize, the winning entries will be showcased by CAM and B’nai B’rith  across a variety of media channels as part of a national public awareness campaign to strengthen the fight against anti-Semitism, hatred and discrimination.
 
Sacha Roytman-Dratwa, the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement director, commented, “Not only is anti-Semitism increasing globally, but studies continue to show that young people don’t know enough about it. They are the future, if we are to defeat anti-Semitism and hatred. This innovative contest will empower students to educate their peers in a meaningful way, speaking to them through a powerful medium. We are excited to give them a platform for their creativity and the chance to make a real impact on people across the world.”   

A 1-minute video outlining the contest can be viewed here.

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

The Combat Anti-Semitism Movement is a non-partisan, global grassroots movement of individuals and organizations, across all religions and faiths, united around the goal of ending anti-Semitism in all its forms. Since its launching in February 2019, 245 organizations and 245,000 individuals have joined the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement by signing the campaign’s pledge. The CAM Pledge draws upon the IHRA international definition of anti- Semitism and its list of specific behaviors used to discriminate against the Jewish people and the Jewish State of Israel.

(Washington, D.C., June 16, 2020)-- B’nai B’rith representatives delivered two statements to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Tuesday, calling out the hypocrisy and anti-Israel bias of standing agenda Item 7, which is devoted exclusively to demonizing Israel. No other UN agenda item is exclusively devoted to one country. 
 
B’nai B’rith representative Nurit Braun delivered a statement attacking the body’s unprecedented move of creating a blacklist of companies doing business with Israelis. View a video of her remarks or read a transcript here.
 
“Threats against doing business with Israel are not new, and boycotts against ‘Jewish-owned’ businesses go back even further,” Braun said. “To those who vote in favor of economic warfare against the Jewish state, we say: We are not intimidated and we will not be defeated. Israel will continue to thrive economically, culturally and as a humane, diverse and democratic state.”
 
B’nai B’rith representative Sonia Elkrief’s statement emphasized that, especially in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, it is unconscionable that the UNHRC continues to waste its time singling out Israel for unjust criticism instead of calling out actual human rights violators. Watch a video of her remarks or view a transcript of her statement here.
 
“As the world is dealing with true emergency conditions, all of us are forced to sit through yet another of these sessions dedicated solely to bashing the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel,” Elkrief said.  “Come natural disasters, wars and pandemics, Item 7 is always with us, at each and every regular session. This council never seems to want to miss an opportunity to obsessively attack the nation-state of the Jewish people.”
 
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
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(Washington, D.C., June 14, 2020) -- The B'nai B'rith World Center-Jerusalem and the Jewish National Fund will honor the memory of Samuel (Sally) Bein, outstanding educator and founding principal of the first boarding school for Jewish children with special needs in Germany, established in Beelitz in 1908 by the German-Israelite community and B'nai B'rith in Germany.

The unveiling ceremony of a plaque in honor of Bein, his wife Rebeka, their young daughter, Lisa Karola, and 47 pupils and staff who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators will take place at the B'nai B'rith Cave in the B'nai B'rith Martyrs Forest (location) on Wednesday, June 17th at 11:00 a.m., marking 78 years since their deportation and subsequent murder in the Sobibor death camp.

​Speakers will include: Daniel Atar, world chairman, Jewish National Fund (JNF); Alan Schneider, director, B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem; Ronny Dotan, researcher and initiator of the memorial; Lihi Lapid, author; Shay Cucuy, representative of the families; Major General (Res.) Doron Almog, chairman, Aleh Negev-Nahalat Eran; Holocaust survivor Major General (Res.) Yossi Peled; and Amikam Raz, representative of Akim Israel. 

B'nai B'rith has partnered with the JNF on many projects, beginning with land acquisition in the 1930s, on which two collective communities - Moledet B'nai B'rith and Ramat Zvi (named for B'nai B'rith President Henry Zvi Monsky) - were established. The largest joint project is the Martyrs Forest, which dates from the early 1950s and was the first site built in Israel to commemorate the six million Holocaust victims. For the past 18 years, KKL and the B'nai B'rith World Center have partnered in a Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day ceremony – the only annual event dedicated to honor the heroism of Jewish rescuers during the Holocaust.

B’nai B’rith has been active in Germany since 1882. It was the first Jewish organization targeted by the Nazis, who obliterated one hundred active lodges in Germany alone and some one hundred more across vanquished Europe. B’nai B’rith is represented today again in Germany and throughout western and eastern Europe.

(Washington, D.C., June 12, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:  
 
We commend U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for his strong defense of close friend and ally Israel, in the face of spurious and politically motivated charges by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Jewish state regarding supposed war crimes.
 
In the wake of the announcement of a war crimes investigation of the United States and other nations into actions in Afghanistan, the White House announced its own sanctions against the ICC. Pompeo was clear in including ICC actions against Israel as additional reasoning for the administration’s actions against the criminal court. Pompeo noted that the ICC’s December decision to investigate Israel was also a factor in new sanctions against the ICC.
 
At a news conference today, Pompeo said: “Given Israel’s robust civilian and military legal system and strong track record of investigating and prosecuting wrongdoing by military personnel, it’s clear the ICC is only putting Israel in his crosshairs for nakedly political purposes.”
 
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.