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

B’nai B’rith International commends Congress for reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) with a strong bipartisan majority. The legislation sets aside as much as $660 million annually over the next five years for programs to help women who are victims of crime, abuse and sexual assault.

The law was initially enacted in 1994, but lapsed in 2011. The updated VAWA now includes protections for the LGBT community as well as Native American women.

B’nai B’rith hails today’s vote as a breakthrough for millions of vulnerable Americans of varying backgrounds who are victims of domestic violence. This victory is long overdue.

We urge President Obama to swiftly sign VAWA into law.

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

At a United Nations “Alliance of Civilizations” summit, convened to focus on global tolerance, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan engaged in a deplorable act by calling Zionism “a crime against humanity.”

B’nai B’rith International strongly condemns Erdoğan’s effort to revive inflammatory language equating Zionism with racism. This insidious canard was introduced at the United Nations in 1975 and rightly revoked in 1991. Erdoğan has reintroduced this odious charge to the U.N. environment.

Zionism is the embodiment of the millennia-old Jewish longing for self-determination and a return to the Jewish homeland.

Erdoğan made his pronouncement before an audience of senior-international leaders in Vienna, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

This is not the first time Erdoğan has made inciteful remarks about Israel or Jews. In November, he called Israel a “terrorist state,” during the Hamas-instigated fighting in Gaza.

B’nai B’rith calls on Erdoğan to apologize for his remarks and urges the United Nations to condemn these sentiments. 

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

B’nai B’rith International is greatly disappointed that during last night’s Academy Awards on ABC, host Seth MacFarlane used his role in the ceremonies as a platform for jokes which perpetuated Jewish stereotypes. 

During one segment, the McFarlane-voiced character “Ted” appeared onstage and told jokes based on the anti-Semitic stereotype about Jews controlling Hollywood. 

McFarlane’s jokes were tasteless and perpetuate an ugly and dangerous stereotype. The Academy Awards show has one of the largest global audiences of any television event. The offensive stereotyping perpetuates decades-old canards, offering validation to those seeking any justification for anti-Semitism. 

Just ahead of the Senate vote on the nomination of Chuck Hagel to be defense secretary, B’nai B’rith International has released the following statement:

B’nai B’rith International remains concerned with many aspects of former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel’s responses to questions during his confirmation hearing for the position of secretary of defense. Since then, more questions have been raised about Hagel’s views on a number of important issues.

During the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Hagel did not assuage our reservations on how he would approach such topics as terrorism, Iran and Israel. We urge all Senators, as they prepare to vote, to carefully review Hagel’s record and hearing responses to determine his qualifications for the post.

We are concerned that Hagel, unlike the vast majority of his Senate colleagues, underestimates the threat of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.

Hagel was in the minority when 88 of his then-Senate colleagues called on the European Union to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Hezbollah has been a global terror group since it was founded some 30 years ago. Its decades of terror include the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon that killed 241 Marines, soldiers and sailors, and the July 2012 attack on Israeli tourists in Burgas, Bulgaria that killed five Israelis, their Bulgarian bus driver and wounded 30 others. After a six month investigation, the Bulgarian government issued a report unequivocally blaming Hezbollah for that attack.

We are troubled that Hagel, during his confirmation hearings, undermined the importance of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He appeared to endorse a policy of containment of a nuclear Iran before being advised that containment was not administration policy.

In recent days, Hagel has disavowed, or said he didn’t remember, making certain past comments about Israel. At a 2007 speech he is said to have referred to the U.S. State Department as “an adjunct of the Israeli foreign minister's office.”

Our hesitation on his nomination is based on our uneasiness with such updates to his record.

B’nai B’rith International expresses the expectation that members of the Senate will give his record a thorough review prior to the vote.  

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

B’nai B’rith International hopes Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov’s meeting with the European Union Foreign Affairs Council yesterday to discuss the Burgas report will result in designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization throughout Europe.

Mladenov briefed the council on the findings of the report that holds Hezbollah responsible for the July 2012 attack in Burgas that left five Israeli tourists and one Bulgarian dead, while wounding 30 others.

When asked by reporters if he believes Hezbollah should be named a terrorist organization by the EU, Mladenov replied: “Given the fact that we’ve already made quite firm statements about where we believe the responsibility for that attack lies, I think the answer is quite obvious.”

According to various news reports, there is no official timetable for the EU by which to reach a decision on Hezbollah’s designation. The council and other EU officials will examine the Burgas report and then bring it to a debate. A unanimous vote is needed to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

B’nai B’rith will continue to urge EU officials and other interested parties to name Hezbollah for what it truly is—a violent and dangerous organization whose acts of terror have been carried out on three continents.

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

B’nai B’rith International praises the Bulgarian government for demanding the extradition of two suspected Hezbollah terrorists from Lebanon, whom it believes are linked to the July 2012 bus bombing in Burgas that killed five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian bus driver.

Last week the Bulgarian government released a report after six months of investigation, stating Hezbollah was behind the attack. Israel has long maintained that Hezbollah was responsible for the attack.

It is commendatory to see the Bulgarians acting swiftly to bring the perpetrators to justice. The European Union will discuss the Bulgarians’ findings next week.

In the wake of this report, B’nai B’rith has renewed its call for the EU to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. The Netherlands is the only EU member that does so.

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

B’nai B’rith International is encouraged President Obama will focus on aging programs, energy independence, immigration reform and reducing gun violence in his second term. His renewed commitments to Israel’s security and to preventing Iran from attaining nuclear weapons are also positive.

We are pleased with the president’s spirited defense of both domestic discretionary spending and the jobs created by these programs. The president spoke of aging programs like Medicare, and we are open to hearing more about his plan. B’nai B’rith is particularly interested in hearing about savings in Medicare from lower prescription drug costs and from encouraging better health care. We remain concerned, however, that unreasonably or arbitrarily high savings targets could force ill-advised measures that weaken the nature of the program by undermining its universality or eroding benefits. 

Energy independence received renewed attention from the president during his address. Our current dependence on foreign oil undermines our security, forcing the United States to rely on fossil fuels from countries whose interests are adverse to our own. B’nai B’rith supports the president’s call for investment in alternative energy programs. 

B’nai B’rith has long been a supporter of comprehensive immigration reform and we are pleased the administration is making it a priority. Creating a path to citizenship for millions of the country’s undocumented immigrants is important for the well-being of the country. 

We commend the president’s insistence that the United States will “do what is necessary” to prevent Iran from “getting nuclear weapons.” Iran, the world’s largest state-sponsor of terror, continues to pursue nuclear weapons, even as an international coalition has instituted tough sanctions.

B’nai B’rith is also encouraged the president outlined a firm commitment to Israel: “And we will stand steadfast with Israel in pursuit of security and a lasting peace.”

We welcome the president’s commitment to reducing gun violence. The president said: “Police chiefs are asking our help to get weapons of war and massive ammunition magazines off our streets, because they are tired of being outgunned.”

Last month, the B’nai B’rith International Executive Committee passed a formal resolution that called for a ban on assault weapons, as well as a limit on ammunition magazine capacity. B’nai B’rith pledges to work with all political parties, interest groups and coalitions to make sure meaningful bipartisan gun regulations become reality. 

Of course the president’s annual address to Congress and the nation offers a framework for the president’s priorities. B’nai B’rith will review details as they emerge and work to ensure action on our key priorities.

B’nai B’rith International offers its best wishes to Pope Benedict XVI as he plans to step down as the leader of the Catholic Church on Feb. 28.

Benedict held the papacy for eight years and will be the first pope to resign in 600 years, a decision he has made in light of his increasing frailty.

“We wish Pope Benedict only good health as he steps down from his position,” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said. “He consistently expressed his commitment to Catholic-Jewish relations, and his accessibility to Jewish leaders was significant. We are very grateful for the opportunities we had to meet with him to further the Catholic-Jewish friendship.”

B’nai B’rith leaders met with Pope Benedict, as with a line of his predecessors, on multiple occasions. In 2011, Jacobs and B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin led a B’nai B’rith delegation to the Vatican to meet with Benedict. Jacobs and Mariaschin spoke with him about the Middle East and the challenges facing Jews and Christians in the region. Representing the American Jewish community, B’nai B’rith Director of United Nations and Intercommunal Affairs David Michaels presented a gift to Benedict from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum during the pope’s 2008 visit to Washington.

Benedict’s papacy was characterized by some controversies, including elevation of the status of the Tridentine Mass, with its Good Friday liturgy which, though revised by the pope, still included a prayer for Jews’ hearts to be “illuminate[d]” so that they would acknowledge Jesus as “Savior of all men.”

Despite this, Benedict visited Israel—and spoke warmly of the Jewish state—as well as important synagogues and other Jewish sites around the world, increasing goodwill between Jews and Catholics. Michaels and B’nai B’rith World Center Director Alan Schneider greeted the pope at the Western Wall in Jerusalem in 2009.

“Pope Benedict deserves appreciation for his contributions to the great cause of Catholic-Jewish engagement,” said Mariaschin. “We hope that Benedict’s successor will continue to build upon decades of historic progression in Catholic-Jewish relations.”

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

B’nai B’rith is deeply disappointed with Facebook’s response to a request to shut down a dangerous page aimed at Israel.

Facebook’s response: “Thanks for your recent report of a potential violation on Facebook. After reviewing your report, we were not able to confirm that the specific page you reported violates Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.”

In fact, Facbook’s own Community Standards (http://www.facebook.com/communitystandards) expresses it best:  “Facebook does not permit hate speech, but distinguishes between serious and humorous speech. While we encourage you to challenge ideas, institutions, events, and practices, we do not permit individuals or groups to attack others based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability or medical condition.”

The page in general and some particular posts most especially are clearly in violation of Facebook’s own standards.

While we support free speech, this page degenerates into incitement.

We urge Facebook to immediately review and enforce its own policy regarding outright expressions of hate and intolerance.

B’nai B’rith International sponsored and participated in Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations across Latin America in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela during January and into February.

On Feb. 4, B’nai B’rith Argentina took part in a commemoration ceremony chaired by Minister of Education Alberto Sileoni, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Julio Alak and other government figures. The top Jewish community leadership participated in the event as well, including B’nai B’rith Argentina President Mario Wilhelm and the chairman of a survivors of the Holocaust organization in Argentina.

Argentina is the only Latin American country that is a member of the International Task Force for Education and Remembrance of the Shoah.

Argentine Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs for Religions Guillermo Olivieri spoke at the event, saying that those who risked their lives to save Jews during the Nazi era had “a very special and remarkable concept of ethics.” He also commented on Holocaust deniers, saying it is “completely unacceptable to deny the Holocaust, the largest and most heinous crime in the 20th century.”

On Jan. 30, a commemoration ceremony was held in Brasilia, Brazil. In what is now an annual tradition the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff addressed the crowd. The tradition was started by former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who began speaking at the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in Brazil, when International Holocaust Remembrance Day was established by the United Nations.

The event posthumously honored two Brazilian diplomats who saved Jews during the Shoah. Souza Dantas, a Brazilian ambassador to France, and Aracy Guimarães Rosa, an officer at the Brazilian Consulate in Hamburg, both gave visas to Jews to escape death in Europe and flee to Brazil. Their relatives were present at the ceremony.

On Jan. 31, B’nai B’rith Uruguay took part in a special ceremony held at the Permanent Parliament Commission of Uruguay to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day. The audience included government ministers, legislators, the ambassadors from Israel, the United States and Germany, and Jewish community leadership.

Several legislators spoke on behalf of their parties, emphasizing tolerance, respect for others’ religions and traditions and the importance of education so such a catastrophe is never repeated.

In Chile, a remembrance ceremony sponsored by B’nai B’rith and conducted by B’nai B’rith Chile Executive Director Mario Sadovnik, was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Santiago, with ministers, parliament members, ambassadors, civilian, religious and military authorities, survivors and their families in attendance. 

President of B’nai B’rith Chile Eduardo Weinstein discussed the main threats to Israel, Jews of the world and Chile. Weinstein spoke about the Anti-Discrimination Act that was enacted last year in Chile, but expressed his disappointment with the fact that anti-Semitism was not explicitly included in the definition of discrimination. He also called for legislation that would establish hate speech as a crime as well as the inclusion of the Holocaust in the official Ministry of Education curriculum.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Alfredo Moreno also addressed the government’s commitment to assisting minorities and the rejection of all types of discrimination.

In Mexico, B’nai B’rith Honorary President Moishe Smith, B’nai B’rith Mexico leader Dan Tartakowski and B’nai B’rith Director of Latin America Affairs Eduardo Kohn all participated in a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremonies held at the Mexican Congress and the U.N. Hall. After the ceremonies, the leaders met with B’nai B’rith members in their newly renovated facilities to discuss the work of the organization in Latin America and plans to have the Argentine prosecutor in the AMIA bombing case, Albert Nisman, visit Mexico.

Additionally, the congresses of Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Panama and Peru commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day, also sponsored by the countries’ respective branches of B’nai B’rith. At each commemoration, members of the Jewish community participated in the ceremonies.

On Feb. 3, B’nai B’rith Venezuela cosponsored a concert to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The Jewish community in Cuba hosted a Holocaust Remembrance Day event that B’nai B’rith cosponsored. In Guatemala, B’nai B’rith also cosponsored a Holocaust Remembrance Day event at Israel Square in Guatemala City.

Since 2006, B’nai B’rith Latin America has conducted and sponsored Holocaust remembrance programs to teach society outside the Jewish community about the Holocaust. Due in part to B’nai B’rith’s efforts such programs have gained national and regional prominence.