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

B’nai B’rith International condemns United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay for her comments questioning the legality of Israel’s ongoing campaign against Hamas. On July 11, Pillay expressed her doubts that Israel is operating in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

Pillay’s claims are exactly opposite of what is occurring on the ground. Since Hamas renewed its campaign against Israel, it has launched more than one thousand rockets at the Jewish state. Israel—like any nation defending its sovereignty—is acting purely in self-defense and is targeting terrorist installations.

This is not the first time that Pillay has issued biased statements relating to Israel. Instead of speaking out against Hamas’ grotesque use of civilians as shields, or its insistence that Israel be wiped off the Earth, Pillay’s comments only further reinforce the United Nations’ obsessive focus on criticizing the only democracy in the Middle East. 

B’nai B’rith International condemns in the harshest possible terms the outrageous anti-Semitic attacks on Jews in Paris and elsewhere in France this weekend.  

A mob descended on a Paris synagogue wearing the colors of Hamas and shouted “Death to Jews,” according to local witnesses. Hundreds of Jews were trapped inside as the rioters threw bricks at the building. Worshippers were only able to leave when police arrived.

Demonstrators in other parts of the city also attacked Jewish-owned stores. At one location, rioters displayed a model of the type of rocket Hamas terrorists are using to fire missiles into Israel.

“Anti-Semitic protesters are exploiting the current situation in the Middle East to wreak havoc in Paris,” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said. “These developments are deeply unsettling.”

“These latest attacks on the French Jewish community remind us that our vigilance in protecting the global Jewish community cannot wane.”  B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said.

B’nai B’rith International stands with the French Jewish community and we call on the French government to pursue the perpetrators of this attack. The government must ensure the safety and security of all French citizens.

B’nai B’rith International congratulates Julian Castro on his confirmation to become secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

As the largest national Jewish sponsor of federally subsidized housing for the elderly in the United States, we have worked closely with HUD officials for four decades. Through a cooperative partnership with HUD, B’nai B’rith makes rental apartments available for senior citizens with limited incomes.  

We wish Castro well as he steps into his new role. B’nai B’rith looks forward to working with him on such issues as the severe shortage of affordable housing for low-income seniors.

B’nai B’rith International is launching its Israel Emergency Fund in response to the rocket attacks made by Hamas during the past few weeks and the justified Israel Defense Forces’ counterattack. 

Its goal is to raise funds to assist Israeli residents who are dealing with a barrage of rockets from Hamas. Funds could also be used to help with the personal needs of Israel Defense Forces soldiers. The B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem will help distribute the funds collected by determining unmet needs.

Since Hamas recharged the conflict in recent days, the terror group has fired 300 rockets at Israel.

“There can be no question of the gravity of the ongoing situation between Israel and Hamas,” B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs said. “Hamas is terrorizing Israeli civilians, forcing thousands to seek shelter. That is no way to live. Israel has every right to defend itself against these acts of terror.”

The Israel Emergency Fund has been opened in the past to assist with previous Gaza situations, most recently in 2012, and to help in the wake of the devastating Mt. Carmel fires. In other cases, funds were used to buy computers, electronic equipment and inflatable playgrounds to help improve the lives of those confined in bomb shelters, and to purchase upgraded communications equipment for fire fighters. Some of the past funds also helped B’nai B’rith purchase Hebrew-language best sellers for Israel Defense Forces combat soldiers through the “Sifrut for Soldiers” program.

“Hamas has once again proven its utter fixation on attacking Israel and Israelis. No other country would stand for such actions and nor should Israel,” B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said.

To donate, please click here.

Donations can be received by mail at: B’nai B’rith Israel Emergency Fund, B’nai B’rith International, 1120 20th St. NW, Suite 300 North, Washington, D.C. 20036.

B’nai B’rith International expresses its strong support for the people of Israel as they face a relentless barrage of rocket fire from Hamas terrorists hiding in their stronghold in Gaza.
    
The Israel Defense Forces’ “Operation Protective Edge,” is a response to the missile fire from Hamas. Hundreds of rockets have been launched toward Israel in the last few weeks; just on Tuesday, 140 rockets were fired from Gaza.

“What people would absorb hundreds of rockets in a matter of days and not be expected to defend themselves and strike at the source?” asked B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs.  “No nation should have to endure and constantly defend itself against terrorist attacks.“

B’nai B’rith urges global leaders to condemn Hamas. Further, the international community must demand the Palestinian Authority—now in partnership with Hamas in a new government—denounce Hamas and break all ties with the terror group.

Millions of Israelis have gone into bomb shelters and safe rooms to protect themselves from these attacks.  

“Hamas is a terrorist group which publicly and proudly calls for the destruction of Israel. Some in the international community have become apologists and accommodationists for Hamas. This renewed terror campaign once again demonstrates that Hamas’ efforts and desire to destroy Israel continues,” B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said.
 
B’nai B’rith stands in solidarity with the State of Israel and its people.

B’nai B’rith International condemns in the strongest possible terms the wanton murder of a Palestinian teen, reportedly by Israeli extremists. We commend Israeli police for acting swiftly to arrest those charged with participating in this vigilante act.

Sixteen-year-old Muhammad Abu Khdeir was kidnapped and later found beaten and burned, possibly in retaliation for the kidnapping and murders of three Israeli teens.  The Israeli government has charged Hamas with carrying out the murders of Naftali Fraenkel, 16, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19, who were abducted as they returned home from school on June 12. Their bodies were found on June 30.

There is no justification for this outrageous, despicable disregard for human life from any quarter. If found guilty, the six suspects should face the maximum prison time the Israeli judicial system allows.

The winning book in this year’s Diverse Minds Youth Writing Challenge in the New York City metropolitan region is “What is Family?” by Ariel Wang from the High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies in Manhattan. Diverse Minds is a contest where high school students write and illustrate children’s books about tolerance and diversity. Wang was announced the winner at an award ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange on June 30.

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 NYSE Euronext Foundation and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, the contest aims to enlighten, inspire and educate America's young people and their families in an effort to eradicate prejudices and strengthen ties among today’s youth.  

In Wang’s story Prince Humphrey the Hedgehog has two mothers, the Queen and the Queen. When a friend questions the validity of having two moms as his family, he embarks on a journey across the kingdom to learn the true meaning of family. Along the way he meets a single mouse father, two snake kings and a turtle couple who adopted a lizard. After seeing all the different types of families in the kingdom, Humphrey confirmed what he knew all along: There are many different ways to be a family, and the true meaning of family is to love and to take care of one another.

At the ceremony, the finalists and winners were congratulated by officials from the NYSE Euronext Foundation and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, as well as B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin and B’nai B’rith Director of Corporate Partnerships Melanie Marconi.

“The central mission of this program is to encourage discussions about tolerance in the hope that discriminatory acts that have occurred in the past will not happen in future generations,” Mariaschin said, addressing the finalists and ceremony attendees. “We believe that a key factor to a more tolerant society is access to education—and so it is only appropriate that the prizes for this contest are college scholarships.”

By placing first, Wang—a soon-to-be freshman at Syracuse University—secures a $5,000 college scholarship and her book has been professionally published. It will be distributed to local schools, libraries and community organizations, as well as to the annual TODAY Show Holiday Toy and Gift Drive. She will also have her book published in an e-book format, available soon for free download in the iBooks Store.

Second place winners Yeonkyung Julie Hwang from Bayside High School and Sunyoung Park from Thomas A. Edison Career & Technical Education High School—both schools located in Queens—wrote and illustrated “Oddly the Ostrich” and will a share a $2,000 college scholarship. Third place winners Jonathan Chung and Maria Mo from Townsend Harris High School in Flushing, wrote and illustrated “The Recipe for Friendship” and will share a $1,000 college scholarship. In addition, Wang’s teacher who oversaw the creation of the winning book received a $500 stipend to use for classroom or organizational materials. The High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies received a $500 grant. 

Over the last eight years, B’nai B’rith has published 24 original children’s books and awarded more than $200,000 in college scholarships and grants. Thousands of these published books have also been donated to public schools, libraries and community organizations 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, reviewed the submissions and selected the winners. Judges this year include: Mariaschin, the Diversity & Inclusion Counsel of Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ; Robin Adelson, executive director of the Children’s Book Council; Toby Graff, senior vice president of public affairs at USA Network; Hannie Chia, coordinator of youth programs at the Whitney Museum of American Art; Naomi Kleinberg, editorial director at Random House and an author of multiple Sesame Street books; Larry J. Krule, president of the Jewish Book Council; Sunny Larson, managing director of the Fund for Public Schools; Andrea Louie, executive director of the Asian American Arts Alliance; Rhonda Love, vice president of programming for B’nai B’rith International; Stephen Mooser, president of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators; Natasha Poor, manager of education and outreach programs at the Museum of Tolerance New York; Philip Courtney, CEO of the Urban Arts Partnership; Aimee Horowitz, superintendent of Brooklyn and Staten Island, N.Y., high schools; Diane Matyas, vice president of exhibitions and programs at the Staten Island Museum; and former Diverse Minds winners Ashley Deng (2013) and Kristina Rodulfo (2008). 

The winning book in this year’s Diverse Minds Youth Writing Challenge in the New York City metropolitan region is “What is Family?” by Ariel Wang from the High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies in Manhattan. Diverse Minds is a contest where high school students write and illustrate children’s books about tolerance and diversity. Wang was announced the winner at an award ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange on June 30.

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 NYSE Euronext Foundation and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, the contest aims to enlighten, inspire and educate America's young people and their families in an effort to eradicate prejudices and strengthen ties among today’s youth.  

In Wang’s story Prince Humphrey the Hedgehog has two mothers, the Queen and the Queen. When a friend questions the validity of having two moms as his family, he embarks on a journey across the kingdom to learn the true meaning of family. Along the way he meets a single mouse father, two snake kings and a turtle couple who adopted a lizard. After seeing all the different types of families in the kingdom, Humphrey confirmed what he knew all along: There are many different ways to be a family, and the true meaning of family is to love and to take care of one another.

At the ceremony, the finalists and winners were congratulated by officials from the NYSE Euronext Foundation and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, as well as B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin and B’nai B’rith Director of Corporate Partnerships Melanie Marconi.

“The central mission of this program is to encourage discussions about tolerance in the hope that discriminatory acts that have occurred in the past will not happen in future generations,” Mariaschin said, addressing the finalists and ceremony attendees. “We believe that a key factor to a more tolerant society is access to education—and so it is only appropriate that the prizes for this contest are college scholarships.”

By placing first, Wang—a soon-to-be freshman at Syracuse University—secures a $5,000 college scholarship and her book has been professionally published. It will be distributed to local schools, libraries and community organizations, as well as to the annual TODAY Show Holiday Toy and Gift Drive. She will also have her book published in an e-book format, available soon for free download in the iBooks Store.

Second place winners Yeonkyung Julie Hwang from Bayside High School and Sunyoung Park from Thomas A. Edison Career & Technical Education High School—both schools located in Queens—wrote and illustrated “Oddly the Ostrich” and will a share a $2,000 college scholarship. Third place winners Jonathan Chung and Maria Mo from Townsend Harris High School in Flushing, wrote and illustrated “The Recipe for Friendship” and will share a $1,000 college scholarship. In addition, Wang’s teacher who oversaw the creation of the winning book received a $500 stipend to use for classroom or organizational materials. The High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies received a $500 grant. 

Over the last eight years, B’nai B’rith has published 24 original children’s books and awarded more than $200,000 in college scholarships and grants. Thousands of these published books have also been donated to public schools, libraries and community organizations 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, reviewed the submissions and selected the winners. Judges this year include: Mariaschin, the Diversity & Inclusion Counsel of Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ; Robin Adelson, executive director of the Children’s Book Council; Toby Graff, senior vice president of public affairs at USA Network; Hannie Chia, coordinator of youth programs at the Whitney Museum of American Art; Naomi Kleinberg, editorial director at Random House and an author of multiple Sesame Street books; Larry J. Krule, president of the Jewish Book Council; Sunny Larson, managing director of the Fund for Public Schools; Andrea Louie, executive director of the Asian American Arts Alliance; Rhonda Love, vice president of programming for B’nai B’rith International; Stephen Mooser, president of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators; Natasha Poor, manager of education and outreach programs at the Museum of Tolerance New York; Philip Courtney, CEO of the Urban Arts Partnership; Aimee Horowitz, superintendent of Brooklyn and Staten Island, N.Y., high schools; Diane Matyas, vice president of exhibitions and programs at the Staten Island Museum; and former Diverse Minds winners Ashley Deng (2013) and Kristina Rodulfo (2008).