(Washington, D.C., Feb. 28, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:   
 
We commend the Austrian parliament for unanimously passing a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, including the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The resolution is a strong symbolic statement against all forms of anti-Semitism, including anti-Zionism.
 
The resolution was introduced by the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s center-right People’s Party, but we are encouraged by support for the resolution from other political parties, including those in the opposition. Support for Israel should be a nonpartisan political issue in every country.
 
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., Feb. 27, 2020)--On the latest episode of the B’nai B’rith podcast, CEO Daniel. S. Mariaschin talks with Dara Jeffries, representative of the Jewish community of Oporto, Portugal. The community recently created a film entitled “Sefarad,” a sweeping history of Oporto’s Jews.
 
The movie is “personal in the sense that it tells the story from the perspective of Oporto, as opposed to all of Portugal or all of Iberia, because that’s where we’re from and that’s what we knew,” Jeffries said. “And we think that Oporto’s a very unique place. In Oporto, we’ve done a lot of work with the local Catholic community and the Muslim community as well...It’s always had a very unique dynamic with other religions and is [a] very ecumenical community.”
 
Oporto’s history of religious tolerance has not always made it safe for Jews. “Sefarad” opens in 1492 with an exodus of Jewish refugees fleeing Castile, from where they have just been expelled, for Portugal. Their stay is short-lived; soon after their arrival, the Portuguese king expels them, and cross-wielding mobs drive Jews out of the country. The narrative then skips to 1923, when the Jewish community of Oporto has been rebuilt under the leadership of military officer Barros Basto. Basto famously revived Oporto’s Jewish community, building the largest synagogue in the Iberian Peninsula in 1938. He was eventually expelled from the military for conduct unbecoming an officer, though many believe he was unjustly accused.
 
“[Barros Basto] had a vision that he would go and find all these descendants of the hidden Jews and that they would want to come back and become part of mainstream Judaism, but that didn’t happen for a lot of reasons, some of which are told in the movie,” Jeffries said. “But he built this enormous synagogue because he thought that that is what would happen, that he would be able to fill it. So it’s a very large space.”
 
Click here for Episode 64 of the B’nai B’rith Podcast.
 
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., Feb. 25, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:   
 
We commend Bulgarian authorities for preventing a torch-carrying march attended by neo-Nazi groups from taking place last weekend. The annual demonstration is named after anti-Semite and Nazi ally General Hristo Lukov, whose Union of Bulgarian National Legions movement supported the deportation of more than 11,000 Jews from Macedonia to the death camp Treblinka.
 
Bulgaria’s Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the far-right demonstrators had to limit their rally to laying wreaths at Lukov’s home, rather than marching. The court decision, as well as the cooperation of senior Bulgarian government officials, is a victory for the Bulgarian Jewish community.
 
A survey released by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) last year found that 85 percent of Europe’s Jews believe anti-Semitism is the biggest social or political problem in their society and 30 percent had been subjected to anti-Semitic harassment.  It is vital that European governments ensure the safety and security of their Jewish communities.
 
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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(Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 24, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:   
 
This year’s Aalst Carnival generated more abundant and offensive anti-Semitic displays. B’nai B’rith demands that all political authorities overhaul this celebration. While organizers claim no group is spared mockery, insults and humiliation, it would seem that the worst of this horrifying, hateful behavior falls squarely on stereotypical tropes against Jews.
 
B’nai B’rith is aware that the carnival is rooted in the Middle Ages, when Jews evidently were a primary target for such hatred. But the Middle Ages are long gone. The lessons from this dark time should be taught, but not as comedy. In modern times, this village celebration is a global event with 21st century technology. The “rabbi kits,” hook-nosed masks, sidelocks and massive black hats are not only disrespectful, they are not entertaining because they are offensive.
 
Mocking religious Jews identifies them as targets for ridicule, abuse and hate. Surely there are ways to celebrate the ignorance of the Middle Ages other than portraying Jews as vermin. B’nai B’rith is deeply concerned about the messages this carnival sends to current and future generations.
 
Flemish authorities have failed to act, instead further instigating vitriol. Aalst Mayor Christoph D’Haese and Jan Jambon, minister-president of the Flanders region, maintain their support of the parade. They reject any notion that these displays are anti-Semitic. UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) understood the offensive characterizations of Jews by de-listing the event in December 2019. Jambon understandably backs this display of hate as he has been criticized for giving a speech at a celebration of former Flemish Nazi collaborators, not to mention his ties to people affiliated to neo-Nazi organizations.
 
B’nai B’rith commends vocal opposition to the event, notably from UNESCO, the European Commission, members of the European Parliament and countless civic organizations. Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès has said the carnival “damage[s] our values and the reputation of our country.” Regional political party DéFI has equated the event of amounting to “incitement to hatred” given its hateful imagery and slogans.
 
A recent Fundamental Rights Agency Survey reports 87 percent of Belgian Jews perceive anti-Semitism as a serious problem nationally; 67 percent avoid wearing Jewish symbols out of fear of being attacked.
 
While checks on the festival are a necessary first step to overhauling this festival, the long-term solution requires a concerted effort to deconstruct the root biases that prompted the festival displays in the first place.
 
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., Feb. 12, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
We are deeply appalled by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) shameful release of a blacklist of companies with business interests in Israeli territory captured during the defensive Six-Day War of 1967, which includes portions of Jerusalem. The thoroughly discredited U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) had mandated OHCHR to create the database. The list was released today with no notice to the companies affected.
 
OHCHR does not have the competency to compile such a list, nor does it have the jurisdiction. It, and the UNHRC, are mandated to deal with actions by states, not businesses. When it comes to Israel, however, a special standard is always applied at the U.N. There are plenty of other situations where territories are disputed, however, the only blacklist that exists targets Israel and it is likely that no other country will be targeted with a similar list.
 
The list, which targets some of the largest and most important corporations in Israel, including the largest banks and telecommunications companies, is clearly meant to serve as a clearinghouse of information for anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns targeting Israel. One hundred and twelve companies are affected; the vast majority – 94 – are based in Israel, but there are others headquartered in the United States, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Thailand and Luxembourg.
 
The U.N.’s single-minded obsession with Israel is completely unjustified. Instead of helping facilitate peace between Israel and the Palestinians, the world body continues to provoke tensions. Peace can only come from direct engagement between the two sides, not from discriminatory dicta issued by third parties. It is time for those who see the hypocrisy in these kinds of actions to stand up and speak out. 

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., Feb. 11, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:  
 
We call on music, film and media festival South by Southwest (SXSW) to remove an interview with former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters from its schedule of events. Currently, Waters is scheduled to give a sit-down interview with documentary filmmaker Michael Moore. The musician is listed as one of the festival’s keynote speakers.
 
Waters is an avowed anti-Semite with a long history of demonizing Jews and Israel, which he refers to as a “racist apartheid regime” and a “theocracy.” He is a prominent advocate of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and blames “the Jewish lobby” for objecting to his views. His shows have featured an inflatable pig marked with a Star of David, which he refused to apologize for.
 
By cloaking his anti-Semitic beliefs in anti-Israel invective, Waters apparently believes he has carte blanche to spew anti-Jewish tropes. It is unconscionable that Waters be given any platform to air his anti-Semitic views, much less the chance to be a keynote speaker at a major music festival. SXSW should remove him from its lineup immediately.
 
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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B’nai B’rith Had Expressed Disappointment in MLB ads Promoting Waters
 
(Washington, D.C., Feb. 7, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:  
 
In response to a letter from B’nai B’rith expressing concern that musician Roger Waters was given an advertising platform on Major League Baseball (MLB)-affiliated media channels, MLB reached out to B’nai B’rith to assure us that ads promoting Waters have run their course and there are no plans to schedule any more ads on the MLB platforms.
 
MLB also noted that it had no anti-Semitic intentions by running these ads.
 
Waters is an avowed anti-Semite with a long history of demonizing Jews and Israel.
 
In our original letter, we stated that “Roger Waters has performed while displaying a large inflatable pig prominently marked with a Star of David.  He participates in the discriminatory, anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and castigates other musicians for performing in Israel.  He has blamed “the Jewish Lobby” for intimidating anti-Israel critics like him.  And he has falsely labeled the Jewish state a “racist apartheid regime” and claimed Israel is guilty of “ethnic cleansing.”
 
Read B’nai B’rith’s letter to MLB 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
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(Washington, D.C., Feb. 5, 2020)--Marking 75 years since the Holocaust and 25 years following the Rwandan genocide – in which some three-quarters of the country’s Tutsi were massacred in three months – B’nai B’rith International recently hosted a major conference in Kigali, Rwanda. 
 
The international event, which featured eminent officials, scholars and activists, addressed not only mass atrocities but their persistent causes under the title “Incitement and Dehumanization as Precursors to Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity.” Co-convened by Israel's recently inaugurated embassy in Kigali and the Aegis Trust, which oversees the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the meeting served to build on progress in recent years between African societies and Israel as well as the Jewish people.
 
The conference happened at the same time as a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to neighboring Uganda. On the eve of the conference, B’nai B’rith met privately with Ugandan Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda. During his visit, Netanyahu announced steps toward diplomatic normalization with a previously long-hostile African nation, Sudan.
 
B’nai B’rith also met with senior Zambian officials, beginning with Foreign Minister Joseph Malanji and Minister for Presidential Affairs Freedom Chomba Sikazwe.
 
Distinguished figures addressing the genocide conference – held as Rwandans observed their National Heroes Day, and just days after the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz – included Rwandan Chief Justice Faustin Ntezilyayo, Rwandan Justice Minister and Attorney General Johnston Busingye, Israeli Ambassador Ron Adam, United States Ambassador Peter Vrooman, Executive Secretary Jean-Damascène Bizimana of Rwanda’s National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide, French public intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy, Palestinian Media Watch Director Itamar Marcus, former member of the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda Florida Kabasinga, former Canadian Justice Minister and Attorney General Irwin Cotler, Ibuka Rwanda President Jean-Pierre Dusingizemungu, Koby Mandell Foundation co-founder Rabbi Seth Mandell, Yahad-In Unum founder Father Patrick Desbois and British Chief Rabbi Emeritus Lord Jonathan Sacks. The conference also was attended by numerous diplomats, members of Parliament, journalists and civil society representatives.
 
The program, organized by Alan Schneider, director of the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem, and David Michaels, B’nai B’rith international director of United Nations and intercommunal affairs, analyzed relevant issues historically, contemporarily and with an eye to the future. It was held in the wake of the ongoing and increasing epidemic of anti-Semitism, both “traditional” and violent anti-Zionism, around the world. Both B'nai B'rith officials addressed the assembly on these and related issues.
 
On the sidelines of the conference, Schneider and Michaels, in an effort to further deepen active engagement with Africa, have been meeting senior-most political, religious and other leaders from multiple key African countries. The B’nai B’rith representatives’ visit coincides with the annual high-level summit of the African Union. In Kigali, the two had discussions with Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta; Chairperson of the Rwandan Senate’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Security John Bideri; Mufti of Rwanda Sheikh Salim Hitimana; and Catholic Vicar General Fr. Consolateur Innocent.
 
While in Rwanda, Israeli speakers at the genocide conference visited the country’s Genocide Memorial, a related exhibition at Parliament and the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. The Youth Village seeks to heal and empower traumatized Rwandan young people on the model of a renowned Israeli youth village created to care for orphans of the Holocaust.
 
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., Feb. 4, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:  

A focus on Iran had a rightful place in President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. Trump noted that sanctions against Iran were negatively impacting the Iranian economy. We continue to favor the approach of sustained pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions and other malign activities.

We are encouraged by the Israel-Palestinian peace plan Trump reiterated in his State of the Union address. Unveiled last week, the plan provides some crucial measures: it takes into account Israel’s vital security needs and reaffirms Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital, among other key provisions. Crucially, it also would not allow for the Palestinian “right of return,” which would end the State of Israel’s Jewish majority and, by extension, the state of Israel. We support this plan that is predicated on direct negotiations between the parties.

We were disappointed that the president did not acknowledge the alarming rise of anti-Semitism in the United States. With Jews under attack – physically as well as through relentless social media assaults – a plan to combat anti-Semitism would have fit in well with his overall themes of security and equality.

We commend the president for acknowledging Venezuela’s Juan Guaidó, who wishes to restore ties with Israel. 

We support the energy independence Trump noted in his speech. Energy independence is vital to ensure the United States does not rely on oil from countries whose interests are not aligned with our own. While we affirm the need for energy independence, we are open to opportunities for clean alternative energy.

Immigration reform remains a troubling issue in the country. We are committed to comprehensive immigration reform that respects the need for border security while offering a compassionate system of legal immigration. The president did salute a border officer who worked to protect migrant workers. In sum, we support a bipartisan solution to combine border enforcement with a path to citizenship. 

The president addressed gun rights and we continue to hope for sensible bipartisan legislation aimed at curbing gun violence.

We have a long history of advocacy on issues important to seniors, such as ensuring such social safety nets as Social Security and Medicare. We are interested to learn details about how the president will support these programs. We also support a bipartisan effort to lower prescription drug prices. We also were pleased to witness roaring support for a centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act, the provision protecting individuals with pre-existing conditions.

The president supported freedom of religion with a passing reference to prayer in school.  We urge adherence to the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause which prohibits the endorsement by school officials of one particular religion.   
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B’nai B’rith International will monitor details of some of the initiatives announced tonight as they become available.   
 
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., Feb. 4, 2020)— B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:  
 
B’nai B’rith is calling for the dismissal of Portuguese newsmagazine Sábado cartoonist Vasco Gargalo, who published anti-Semitic images in the month before International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
 
“Demonization of the State of Israel is not acceptable political or social commentary, it is in fact modern day anti-Semitism, and the images of a crucifixion on the Star of David perpetuate the world’s oldest hate,” we wrote in our letter to the publication.
 
The cartoons demonized Israel by comparing the Jewish State to Nazi Germany and invoking Nazi imagery to characterize Israelis, both of which fall under the internationally accepted International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s definition of anti-Semitism.
 
In the first cartoon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing a coffin with a Palestinian Authority flag into an oven. The German phrase “Arbeit macht frei,” which translates to “Work sets you free,” was infamously inscribed on the gates of Auschwitz. Gargalo’s second cartoon showed a Black politician being crucified on the Star of David.

We fully respect freedom of expression and free speech, but these age-old anti-Semitic tropes — blood libels — are hateful and shameful. No more!
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Read our full letter 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