(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.

(Washington, D.C., June 8, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:  
 
Outraged by the brutal killing of George Floyd at the hands of police, the B’nai B’rith Board of Directors has voted in favor of a resolution that condemns police violence directed at Black Americans and addresses racial tension and human and civil rights in the United States.

In the resolution we make clear our support for peaceful protests, and note B’nai B’rith “cherishes the right to assembly, one of the cornerstones of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and respects the legal right of protesters to honor the memory of Mr. Floyd and to call out the injustices by Minneapolis police.”
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The resolution also notes the “necessity of having committed police personnel to protect communities and other individual, human and civil rights.”

In the resolution we call “on the United States Congress to pass legislation aimed at reviewing and reforming aspects of police work that involve standards and procedures for the apprehension of and use of force against a suspect”

And we resolve that B’nai B’rith “will use its extensive contacts in the civil rights community and the intercommunal and interreligious fields to strengthen relations between Jews, Blacks, and other minorities and increase mutual understanding about issues of shared concern.”
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Click here to read the full resolution. 
 
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