Highlights: Jewish history in Portugal and Talk on Portuguese Diplomat Who Helped Rescue Jews Fleeing Holocaust
 
(Washington, D.C., June 25, 2019)--The International Council of B’nai B’rith (ICBB) met in Lisbon, Portugal, from June 23rd to June 25th. In addition to council meetings, the itinerary included numerous fascinating insights into Portuguese and Jewish history.
 
After the opening plenary featuring Gabriel Steinhardt, the president of the Jewish Community of Lisbon, participants learned about the heroic legacy of Portuguese diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes. Sousa Mendes issued visas to refugees, including thousands of Jews, fleeing Nazi terror during World War II. His actions were taken at great personal risk and in defiance of the wartime Portuguese government. Mariana Abrantes de Sousa, treasurer of the Sousa Mendes Foundation, and Monica Barzilay, a descendant of a Sousa Mendes visa recipient and representative to the B’nai B’rith International Board of Governors, spoke.
 
Attendees viewed a clip from the documentary “Turned Away” about the voyage of the S.S. St. Louis, a ship carrying Jewish refugees from WWII-era Germany that attempted to reach Cuba but was turned away. The ship then attempted to unload passengers in the United States and Canada but permission from both countries was denied. Although some of the refugees were ultimately able to find refuge in European countries, it is estimated that more than a quarter of the refugees ultimately perished in Nazi death camps.
 
Day two of the program included a special session on “Sephardi Jews Between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean” held at the University of Lisbon and a plenary session featuring Catarina Vaz Pinto, culture councillor on the Lisbon City Council. Raphael Gamzou, ambassador of Israel to Portugal, spoke at a luncheon, part of the ongoing and long-standing B’nai B’rith Diplomatic Encounter Series. The day concluded with a screening of “Sefarad,” a 2019 film inspired by real events in the city of Oporto during the mid-20th century, and a tour of Shaaré Tikva Synagogue in Lisbon. “Sefarad” focuses on Arthur Carlos de Barros Basto, a captain in the Portuguese army who converted to Judaism after uncovering his own Jewish ancestry. Barros Basto helped found a synagogue in Oporto and worked to create a thriving Jewish community there but was ultimately expelled from the army for conduct unbecoming a military officer.
 
The final day of the ICBB conference featured an all-day Jewish heritage tour of the region of Alentejo, in south central and southern Portugal. The tour covered Castelo de Vide, a town next to the Spanish border that served as a destination for Jewish refugees from the Spanish Expulsion in 1492, and Marvao, a walled town with a rich Jewish history. 
 
The gathering was held under the auspices of the ICBB, but all levels of leadership, from the Executive Board of Directors to the Board of Governors, participated and held meetings.    
 
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
​

Israel Prize Winner Yehoram Gaon to be Honored for Fostering Israel-Diaspora Relations Through the Arts

(Jerusalem, June 25, 2019)--Deborah E. Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University, Atlanta, will deliver the keynote address at the 27th Annual B'nai B'rith World Center Award for Journalism on "Old Wine in New Bottles: Antisemitism in the Contemporary World." The event noting outstanding journalism in Israel will take place at 7:30 p.m. July 3rd at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. You can stream the ceremony live here.

Lipstadt writes on the Holocaust and contemporary Jewish life. In her best-known book, “History on Trial” (2005), Lipstadt chronicled the London courtroom battle that erupted when English author David Irving, a Holocaust denier, filed a libel suit against her in the United Kingdom for having called him a Holocaust denier. After a 10-week trial, Irving lost his case, and the proceedings exposed the true depth of his association with neo-Nazi groups. “History on Trial” became the basis for the critically acclaimed 2016 feature film “Denial,” starring Rachel Weisz. 

Her recent book, “Antisemitism: Here and Now” (2019), addresses the ever-present danger of anti-Semitic hatred and violence.  It has already been translated into German and Hebrew and was an Amazon best-seller. 

Winners of the 2019 Award for Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage, in memory of Wolf and Hilda Matsdorf, are Antonia Yamin, chief Europe correspondent for KAN - Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (for broadcast media), and Zvika Klein, Jewish World correspondent for Makor Rishon and NRG360 (for print media). A certificate of merit in memory of Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky will be conferred on Attila Somfalvi, lead anchor of ynet news.

A special citation for Fostering Israel-Diaspora Relations through the Arts will be presented to singer, actor and Israel Prize laureate Yehoram Gaon.

Yamin will receive the award for a series of reports on Jewish life in Great Britain and Austria and on anti-Semitism in Germany. Klein will receive the award for his series Distant Relatives that explored Israel and Jewish American relations. Somfalvi will receive a certificate of merit for a series of reports and commentaries on the relationship between Israel and American Jewry.

Gaon, 2004 Israel Prize winner for Hebrew song, is an iconic Israeli singer, actor, producer, TV and radio host and public figure. Throughout a career that has spanned six decades, Gaon has been responsible for countless hit songs, plays and movies that have become woven into the common culture of Israel and Diaspora Jewry. The son of an educator and historian, Gaon has taken profound interest in promoting Jewish historical themes and in engaging with Jewish audiences around the world. Gaon’s civic career also shows a profound dedication to Sephardic and Ladino heritage. 

Keynote speaker Lipstadt founded the Institute for Jewish Studies at Emory University, serving as its first director from 1998-2008, and directs the Holocaust Denial on Trial website, which contains transcripts and other materials from the Irving trial as well as scholarly materials that offer answers to frequent claims made by deniers. Lipstadt was a historical consultant to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and helped design the section of the museum focused on the American response to the Holocaust. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs has awarded her its highest honor, the Albert D. Chernin Award, given to “an American Jew whose work best exemplifies the social justice imperatives of Judaism, Jewish history and the protection of the Bill of Rights.” 

The distinguished members of the award jury are: Professor Yehudith Auerback, School of Communications, Bar Ilan University; Professor Sergio DellaPergola, the Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University; Sallai Meridor, international chairman, Jerusalem Foundation, former Israeli ambassador to the United States, former chairman of the Zionist Executive and Jewish Agency; Professor Gabriela Shalev, Higher Academic Council, Ono Academic College and former ambassador of Israel to the United Nations; Yair Sheleg, columnist; Asher Weill, publisher and editor of ARIEL-The Israel Review of Arts and Letters from 1981-2003.

Since its establishment in 1992, the B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism has recognized excellence in reporting on contemporary Diaspora Jewish communities and on the state of Israel-Diaspora relations in the Israeli print, broadcast and online media. The award is widely recognized as the most prestigious prize in the Israeli media industry for Diaspora reportage and was established to help strengthen the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora. The award highlights the important contributions the media can make toward strengthening the relationship between Israel and world Jewry by encouraging quality reporting on Diaspora communities and Israel-Diaspora relations.
​
The B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage is named for the late Wolf Matsdorf and his wife Hilda. Wolf Matsdorf was an editor of the World Center-Jerusalem’s journal “Leadership Briefing” and a journalist in Israel and Australia. Hilda Matsdorf was a pioneer in social work in both Australia and Israel. The award is made possible through donations from the Matsdorf family and B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem board member Daniel Schydlowsky.
 
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

Summer 2019 issue also focuses on the legacy of visa forger Joseph Rubinsky, whose exploits allowed Jewish refugees to escape the Holocaust, and the newly uncovered history of the Kitchener Camp, which rescued thousands of Jewish men from Certain Death in Germany
 
(Washington, D.C., June 24, 2019)--Prompted by a surge in anti-Semitic incidents and hate crimes, almost 50,000 French Jews have made aliyah to Israel in the last five years. However, although French immigrants to Israel are commonly assumed to be well-educated and easily able to assimilate, they face new challenges once they reach the Jewish state. In Au Revoir, France. Bienvenue, Israel: French Immigrants Making Aliyah, we see what awaits arrivals from France in Israel.
 
Joseph Rubinsky saved thousands of Jews from a grim fate in Europe by providing them with false visas to escape. His fake visas did not come cheaply; he charged desperate refugees high fees for his services, and repeatedly ran into trouble with the law. Was Rubinsky a hero or a villain?
 
For more than 80 years, the Kitchener Camp, which allowed thousands of German Jewish men to find refuge in England, was almost unknown. Today, descendants of those saved, known as “Kitchener Kids,” are trying to change that by unearthing historical records and publicizing them.  
 
Also in this issue, the incredible tales of derring-do of the Jews accompanying Admiral Richard Byrd on his expeditions to the Poles.
 
B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin devotes this issue’s column, Friends in Deed, to real friends of the Jewish people – those allies who choose to make a difference for the Jewish people, even if that choice is difficult or unpopular.  
 
In his President’s Column, Charles O. Kaufman also writes about friends of the Jewish people – this time, nations that ally with or otherwise support the State of Israel. He details how, even within the hostile environments that Israel must deal with at international bodies like the United Nations there are signs of hope.  
 
Read those stories and so much more in the summer issue of B’nai B’rith Magazine, available 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
​

Recognition to be presented at annual B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism ceremony. Winners: Antonia Yamin (KAN - Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation), and Zvika Klein (Makor Rishon and NRG360); Certificate of Merit: Attila Somfalvi (ynet news)

Emory University Professor Deborah E. Lipstadt to deliver keynote address

(Jerusalem, June 20, 2019)--The B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem announced today that singer, actor and Israel Prize laureate for Hebrew Song for 2004 Yehoram Gaon will be the next recipient of its Special Citation for Fostering Israel-Diaspora Relations through the Arts. The certificate will be presented during the 27th annual B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism ceremony on Wednesday, July 3rd at 7:30 p.m.at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, 6 Sh. A. Nahon Street, Jerusalem. The citation was established in 2014. Former winners are Nurit Hersh, David D’Or, Idan Raichel and David Broza.     

Gaon, 2004 Israel Prize winner for Hebrew song, is an iconic Israeli singer, actor, producer, TV and radio host and public figure. Throughout a career that has spanned six decades, Gaon has been responsible for countless hit songs, plays and movies that have become woven into the common culture of Israel and Diaspora Jewry. The son of an educator and historian, Gaon has taken profound interest in promoting Jewish historical themes and in engaging with Jewish audiences around the world. Gaon’s civic career also shows a profound dedication to Sephardic and Ladino heritage.  B’nai B’rith World Center Chairman Haim Katz said that the citation is a fitting recognition in advance of Gaon’s 80th birthday.

The winners of the 2019 B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage in memory of Wolf and Hilda Matsdorf, are Antonia Yamin, chief Europe correspondent for KAN - Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (for broadcast media), and Zvika Klein, Jewish World correspondent for Makor Rishon and NRG360 (for print media). A certificate of merit in memory of Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky will be conferred on Attila Somfalvi, lead anchor of ynet news.

Deborah E. Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University, Atlanta, will deliver the keynote address on "Old Wine in New Bottles: Antisemitism in the Contemporary World."  

Since its establishment in 1992, the B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism has recognized excellence in reporting on contemporary Diaspora Jewish communities and on the state of Israel-Diaspora relations in the Israeli print, broadcast and online media. The award is widely recognized as the most prestigious prize in the Israeli media industry for Diaspora reportage and was established to help strengthen the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora. The award highlights the important contributions the media can make toward strengthening the relationship between Israel and world Jewry by encouraging quality reporting on Diaspora communities and Israel-Diaspora relations.

The B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage is named for the late Wolf Matsdorf and his wife, Hilda. Wolf Matsdorf was an editor of the World Center-Jerusalem’s journal “Leadership Briefing” and a journalist in Israel and Australia. Hilda Matsdorf was a pioneer in social work in both Australia and Israel. The award is made possible through donations from the Matsdorf family and B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem board member Daniel Schydlowsky.
​
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

                                               Daniel S. Mariaschin Part of Panel at Global Coalition for Israel Forum

(Washington, D.C., June 19, 2019)--B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin participated on a plenary panel entitled “BDS and Anti-Semitism: When Delegitimizing Israel Puts World Jewry at Risk” at the Global Coalition for Israel Forum (GC4I), a conference organized by the Israeli Ministry for Strategic Affairs.
 
In remarks prepared for delivery, Mariaschin emphasized that the aim of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is to seek the delegitimization of Israel, not to achieve justice for Palestinians. He also warned of the mainstreaming of BDS in different arenas, including within social justice movements such as the Women’s March. Mariaschin’s remarks advocated for several strategies to combat BDS domestically and internationally, including promoting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism (which includes anti-Zionism), passing domestic anti-BDS legislation such as the Combating BDS Act and highlighting links between pro-BDS entities and terrorist groups.
 
The GC4I conference brings Jewish professionals and lay leaders from around the world together and focuses primarily on strategies to fight BDS. This year, it is taking place through June 20th in Jerusalem.
 
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 18, 2019)--Eduardo Kohn, B’nai B’rith International director of Latin American affairs, joined CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin for a discussion on B’nai B’rith’s podcast in advance of the 49th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), where Kohn will represent B’nai B’rith along with Program Director for Strategic Engagement Sienna Girgenti.
 
Kohn and Mariaschin discuss B’nai B’rith’s work and history with the OAS; it was the first Jewish organization to be recognized as a civil society organization by the body and has used its influence to push for human rights and anti-discrimination measures such as the Inter-American Convention Against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance. This year marks the 25th anniversary of an Iran-linked terrorist attack on the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA), and Kohn goes into detail about how the Jewish community is still fighting for justice.
 
Although the AMIA bombing was more than two decades ago, Kohn is clear that discrimination against Jews in Latin America is not a relic of the past: “Anti-Semitism is a real clear and present danger in Latin America, not only historically, because the AMIA bombing happened 25 years ago,” he cautions. While he is confident that the current Argentine government takes justice in the AMIA case seriously, he believes that this is the first government to do so since the attack. The threat posed to Latin American Jewry by Iran and Hezbollah is far from over, especially because far-left governments in countries like Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia maintain links with the rogue state and terrorist group.
 
To listen to the podcast, click 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
​

(Washington, D.C., June 11, 2019)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:  
 
We applaud the Organization of American States’ (OAS) decision to adopt language defining anti-Semitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). The IHRA’s working definition covers anti-Semitism in many forms, including discrimination against and persecution of Jews, Holocaust denial and anti-Zionism.
 
We want to especially note OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro for his strong stance against anti-Jewish terror. In his speech announcing the adoption of the IHRA definition, Almagro called out the continued presence of Hezbollah and Iranian proxies in Latin America, particularly Cuba and Venezuela. He also mentioned the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people and wounded more than 300. Though no individuals or groups have ever been brought to justice in the worst terror attack in Latin America, Iran and its proxies are widely believed to be behind the deadly attack. After the announcement of the adoption of the IHRA language, Almagro denounced an anti-Semitic attack against a rabbi in Argentina. The rabbi’s attackers yelled anti-Semitic slurs before assaulting him.
 
A universally accepted definition of anti-Semitism is vital so that all levels of society can recognize the problem and take steps to combat it.
 
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 7, 2019)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:  
 
We are angered that the organizers of the D.C. Dyke March, which is billed as a more progressive alternative to the Pride Parade, have chosen to ban the Star of David and Israeli flags from their protest. Outrageously, although the organizers justified their decision by claiming “nationalist symbols” were banned, Palestinian flags will still be allowed.
 
This move comes after the Chicago Dyke March, a sister protest, ejected several marchers carrying Jewish pride symbols in 2017.
 
With a few hours to go until the march steps off today, there is still time to reverse this anti-Semitic decision. We call on the march’s organizers to apologize to the Jewish community and allow Jewish protesters to participate without forcing them to choose between their LGBTQ and Jewish identities. At a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise, it is unacceptable for a supposedly progressive protest to further marginalize its Jewish participants.
 
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
​