B’nai B’rith Leaders Send Actress Letter of Support

B’nai B’rith commends Scarlett Johansson for standing up to the anti-Israel boycotts, divestment and sanctions movement as it called for her to break her ties as a brand spokesperson for the Israeli company SodaStream.

In a statement from Johansson on the matter, she writes that SodaStream is committed “to building a bridge to peace between Israel and Palestine, supporting neighbors working alongside each other, receiving equal pay, equal benefits and equal rights.”

The actress also left her Oxfam ambassador position after the organization pressured her to sever ties with SodaStream.

B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs and Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin sent Johansson the following letter of support:

“On behalf of B’nai B’rith International, we applaud your principled and broadminded defense of economic and social cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians.

Anti-Israel activists and supporters of the discriminatory boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement have long engaged in a vicious campaign, rooted in anti-Semitism and aimed at demonizing and delegitimizing the Jewish state. Those that have chosen to align with BDS ultimately impede the peace process by opposing constructive dialogue between Israel and Palestinians. Your recognition of the positive impact of economic cooperation like that offered by the Ma’aleh Adumim SodaStream factory in the West Bank is an important rebuke to the BDS movement and a testament to the value of economic empowerment.

B’nai B’rith stands in solidarity with you and others who favor cooperation between Israel and Palestinians as a means to further the cause of peace. We encourage other public figures to follow your lead.”

From Porcupines and Dragons, Washington Teens Learn lessons of Tolerance and Diversity

Last year, it was a lonely porcupine and a parade that taught children a lesson on fitting in, despite perceived differences. The year before, it was an island full of dragons and a big storm that touted a message of putting disagreements aside to help those in trouble. If the past is prologue, we will be inspired by the entries for the 2014 B’nai B’rith International Diverse Minds Youth Writing Challenge.

For the third year, the Challenge will give Washington, D.C., metro area high school students a chance to write and illustrate original books aimed at helping grade school children celebrate tolerance and diversity. The winning author will earn a $5,000 college scholarship and have his or her book professionally published and donated to local schools and libraries. The book will also be published in an e-book format and available on iTunes for free download.

The winner will be announced, and the book unveiled, at an award ceremony in the spring.

This education and awareness initiative was created as part of B’nai B’rith programming that promotes tolerance and communicates a message of equality among all citizens. Funded by Pepco Holdings Inc. (PHI), the contest aims to enlighten, inspire and educate America's young people and their families in an effort to abolish prejudices and strengthen ties among today’s youth.  

“The Diverse Minds Youth Writing Challenge helps teach children to respect and appreciate the differences in others and how to solve problems constructively,” said Joseph M. Rigby, PHI chief executive officer, president and chairman.

The second-place winner will receive a $2,000 scholarship, and the third-place winner will earn a $1,000 scholarship. In addition, the teacher who oversaw the winning entry and the school of the first-place winning student will each receive a $500 grant. 

Students are eligible to participate if they are enrolled in grades nine through 12 in public schools in the District of Columbia or Montgomery County and Prince George's County in Maryland; or enrolled in private, charter or independent schools in the District and those counties. The deadline for contest submissions is March 7, 2014.

Over the last seven years, B’nai B’rith has published 20 original children’s books and awarded more than $165,000 in college scholarships and grants. Thousands of these published books have also been donated to public schools, libraries and Boys & Girls Clubs around the country.

A diverse panel of judges from the worlds of education, the arts, business and government, along with B’nai B’rith International leaders, will review the submissions and select the winners. Previous judging panel members have included Pepco’s Rigby, author Judy Blume, former New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, District of Columbia Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Sybille Jagusch, chief of the Children’s Literature Center at the Library of Congress.

B’nai B’rith is pleased to work in partnership again with Pepco for the D.C. area Challenge. We are also excited to announce our expanded partnership with Pepco Holdings Inc. to work with Atlantic City Electric and Delmarva Power and hold contests for students in southern New Jersey and the Delmarva Peninsula.  

B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith International welcomes President Obama’s strong support for Israel as a “Jewish state,” during the State of the Union address. We appreciate his attention to specific issues, domestic and international, that we view as priorities.

In referring to “the State of Israel – a Jewish state that knows America will always be at their side…” the president reconfirmed the strong alliance between the United States and Israel. With regard to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, while we share the administration's objective of a peaceful resolution to this contentious conflict, in order to do that, we support a long-term security presence for Israel along the Jordan River line, and the absolute necessity, if there is to be any chance of an end-of-conflict, that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish State.

On Iran, there is no question that all of us want an Iran without nuclear weapons. There is, though, an honest disagreement on the issue of additional pressure on Iran to make it absolutely clear to Tehran that it has no room to dissemble and deceive its way out of totally dismantling its nuclear weapons program and the infrastructure that comes with it. It was important that the president acknowledged Iran’s support for terror groups such as Hezbollah. B’nai B’rith has consistently called for the strongest sanctions against Iran, including those now being considered by the Senate. But we will watch with great caution and concern the global engagement with Iran and the president’s warning that he will veto additional sanctions measures. Sanctions have proven effective in impacting Iran’s economy—their strong, and continuing bearing on the Iranian economy should serve as a constant reminder to the Iranian regime that it must end its nuclear ambitions.  

As a long-standing advocate of meaningful gun control, B’nai B’rith is encouraged that the topic of gun violence was given significant attention.

Energy independence received renewed attention as well. Our current dependence on foreign oil undermines our security as it forces the United States to rely on fossil fuels from countries whose interests are at odds to our own.  B’nai B’rith supports the president’s call for investment in alternative energy programs.

We commend the president for once again spotlighting immigration reform. B’nai B’rith is a strong advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. As a country of immigrants, America must embrace a reform plan. Creating a path to citizenship for millions of the country’s undocumented immigrants will contribute to the well-being of the country.

We are disappointed more attention was not given to issues facing senior citizens—a core issue for B’nai B’rith. The president’s only major mention of retirement, or aging in general, was about his “MyRA” idea which would create an IRA-like savings vehicle for more Americans.  While noting this initiative, we are concerned he did not address ways to make Social Security more adequate for the millions of Americans who, as workers, live pay check to pay check and cannot avail themselves of existing or new IRAs simply for lack of disposable income.  

We recognize the State of the Union is a framework and a guideline for the president’s top priorities. But it does offer constructive insights. B’nai B’rith will review additional details and continue our strong advocacy on our top priorities.

B’nai B’rith International will award Rich Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association (AHA), with the National Healthcare Award, which has recognized outstanding leaders in the health care field for more than 30 years. A gala award dinner will be held June 10 at the Park Hyatt hotel in Washington, D.C.

For three decades, B’nai B’rith has underscored the outstanding work of health care leaders and corporations that set the standards for health and education initiatives. The standards set by these distinguished professionals ultimately better the lives of people throughout their communities and around the world.

“Solid leadership and dedication to the community are the hallmarks of Rich Umbdenstock’s outstanding career, and we are pleased to honor him with the National Healthcare Award. As the leader of an organization with a mission ‘to advance the health of individuals and communities,’ Rich understands the vital link between healthy individuals and thriving communities,” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said.

Umbdenstock leads an organization intrinsically linked with the history of heath care in this country. With nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems and other care providers in its network, the AHA’s impact on health care is significant. A published author on health care topics, Umbdenstock is a recognized and respected voice on health care in America.

“We are especially pleased with the American Hospital Association’s long history of recognizing the unique health needs of seniors. B’nai B’rith has long been a strong advocate for seniors. We are the largest national Jewish sponsor of low-income housing for seniors, and we are committed to life-long access to affordable, dependable health insurance. B’nai B’rith and the AHA share the same values when it comes to healthy aging and its impact on a healthy society. That is what makes Rich Umbdenstock such a supremely accomplished and deserving recipient of this award,” B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said.

The recipients of the B’nai B’rith National Healthcare Award have shown a history of dedicated leadership and outstanding civic involvement in the health care field and in the broader community. Award winners support philanthropic causes benefiting health, youth, seniors and education programs.

To learn more about the American Hospital Association, visit www.aha.org.

To commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, B’nai B’rith International held a panel discussion titled, “A Community Saved: The Rescue of Jews in Albania” at the United Nations in New York City. Ambassador Ferit Hoxha, permanent representative of Albania to the United Nations, delivered the opening remarks and spoke about his countrymen’s heroic wartime endeavors to save not only the Jews of Albania, but also Jewish refugees from other parts of Europe.

“I would like to continue to thank B’nai B’rith. B’nai B’rith is an organization that is well-known well beyond the United States, including in my own country, where it’s done tremendous work in peace, cooperation and understanding,” Hoxha said. “I feel particularly privileged to be among this distinguished panel of speakers today to share a few words [about] what came to be known, rather late, but convincingly, [as] an extraordinary story of saving Jews in Albania through the terrible times.”

B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs introduced Hoxha and said of the program: “Our Holocaust Remembrance Day event symbolizes the uniqueness and vitality of B’nai B’rith’s work and mission ... As fewer Holocaust survivors remain among us, as horrific atrocities continue to be encountered in our world, our discussion and remembrance is timely, vital and urgent.”

Among the other panelists at the U.N. event was Johanna Neumann, a Holocaust survivor born in Hamburg, Germany, who described her own experience hiding in Albania. Neumann said Albanians of all backgrounds accepted her and her family and that she never experienced religious intolerance. She also stressed the Albanian people’s collective will in refusing to assist the Nazis, while emphasizing the grave danger Albanians faced during the country’s occupation.

“I’m addressing myself to the Albanian audience in this room,” Neumann said. “I have four children, I have 14 grandchildren and I have 13 great-grandchildren, and all of that is thanks to the courage, the magnanimity, the generosity of your parents and grandparents and uncles and aunts. It’s not a big country. [The presence of Jews] was known. Everybody [among Albanians] knew. And they all held together to save more than two thousand lives.”

The other panelists included Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi, a journalist who has written extensively on the rescue; Majlinda Myrto, whose father-in-law rescued Jews in Albania during Nazi occupation; and Melina Lito, whose grandfather was a doctor and helped to rescue Jews.

B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin moderated the discussion.

B’nai B’rith’s program followed an official U.N. Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony, which leaders of the organization also attended. B’nai B’rith played an active role in the United Nations’ adoption of Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2005.

B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith condemns Harper’s Magazine for invoking Nazi imagery on its February cover.

The cover, illustrating the story “How Germany Reconquered Europe” is another example of trivializing the Holocaust by making an inappropriate historical comparison.

Such imagery, much like the use of offensive language, such as calling someone with different political views a “Nazi,” desensitizes the public to the unique horrors of the Holocaust.

The global community faces dangers when the significance of the Holocaust is minimized or ignored, and the imagery invoked by the Harper’s cover is a step in that direction.

Harper’s should apologize.

B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith International commends the Knesset for planning to hold a special legislative session at Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland, the largest Nazi death camp, on Jan. 27, the 69th anniversary of the camp’s liberation. Sixty-four members of Knesset, along with numerous Israeli ministers, Holocaust survivors and politicians from around the world will take part in the Polish government’s annual ceremonies on the site of the camp.

The historic visit—also occurring on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a date selected to coincide with the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—by the Knesset-led delegation cannot be understated. For members of the Israeli legislature and Holocaust survivors to stand on the killing floor of the Nazis’  factory of genocide is a powerful message of   perseverance of the Jewish people and a necessary reminder of the evils that racial hatred can produce.

B’nai B’rith also commends its Polish counterpart, B’nai B’rith Poland, for its efforts to promote tolerance and ensure the memory of Holocaust victims is never forgotten. 

B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith International is pleased with the recently signed, bipartisan federal funding bill that passed by wide margins in both chambers of Congress. The bill was signed into law on Jan. 19 and will fund the country through the end of the fiscal year. We are hopeful that this signals a return to regular order and that the appropriations process for 2015 can be carried out in a manner that allows for debate, compromise and resolution. 

B’nai B’rith will continue to pursue its advocacy objectives in 2014, including working to increase funding for and understanding of senior housing and the role it plays in supporting aging in place and controlling health care spending. B’nai B’rith will also seek the reauthorization and adequate funding of the Older Americans Act and its programs, as well as advocating for expanded Social Security to close the retirement-savings gap created by the recession.

Improving Medicare also remains a priority. B’nai B’rith will call for the protection of Medicare beneficiaries--most of whom live on modest and fixed incomes--from proposals that would increase their costs and limit their ability to afford necessary services.

B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith International praises Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his historic speech before the Knesset, reaffirming his country’s commitment to Israel and declaring the double standard that Israel faces in the international community intolerable.

Harper, the first Canadian prime minister to address the Israeli parliament, spoke to the members of Knesset amidst a four-day visit to the Jewish state, leading a 250-person delegation. The Canadian prime minister declared his country’s unwavering support for the Jewish state, saying the two nations have much in common, including shared values of freedom, democracy and rule of law. Harper also refuted those who deny Israel’s legitimacy, equated anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism and stood firm on Canada’s sanctions against Iran.

Harper received standing ovations throughout his speech.

B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith International is dismayed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) indefinite postponement of an exhibition at its headquarters in Paris detailing the Jewish people’s 3,500 year history in the land of Israel.

B’nai B’rith has contacted UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova to express our dismay with the situation. After the exhibition (which was organized by the Simon Wiesenthal Center) was called off, Bokova said it was out of concern of disrupting peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. However, by postponing the exhibition, UNESCO is enabling bias and succumbing to pressure exerted by the bloc known as the Arab Group. B’nai B’rith has non-governmental organization status at UNESCO.

UNESCO’s acquiescence to the Arab bloc’s demand is a sign that the organization has once again become politicized, very much contrary to its stated mission. Additionally, notwithstanding the indefinite postponement of the exhibition, this action betrays the Arab Group's real intention, which is to continue to deny the Jewish people's millennia-old connection to the land of Israel.

We urge UNESCO to proceed with the program as planned for Jan. 20.