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September Summit Will Mark 20th Anniversary of Racism Conference Tarred by Anti-Semitism (Washington, D.C., July 8, 2021)--As part of its global efforts to heighten awareness of the 2001 World Conference against Racism—a United Nations event in Durban, South Africa, that was hijacked by anti-Israel and anti-Semitic bigots—B’nai B’rith International held on July 7 an online program in French addressed by Yehuda Lancry, Israel’s permanent representative to the U.N. at the time of the Durban conference. The world body plans to mark the 20th anniversary of Durban with a summit on Sept. 22.
B’nai B’rith—which brought the largest multinational Jewish delegation to Durban and has led Jewish communal engagement with the U.N. since 1945—is urging countries to decline to participate in the commemoration. Already, the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, Australia, Austria, Canada, Hungary and the Netherlands have indicated that they will not take part. In a wide-ranging presentation to French-speakers on multiple continents, Lancry, a former Israeli ambassador to France, described how non-governmental organizations worked to weaponize Durban against Israel, and the context in which South Africa served as a setting for animosity toward the Jewish state and its supporters. He noted that the discriminatory BDS movement—promoting boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel—took shape at Durban. Yesterday’s virtual program—held in cooperation with B’nai B’rith Europe (BBE) and B’nai B’rith France (BBF)—was opened by BBF President Philippe Meyer and by Stéphane Teicher, the Paris-based B’nai B’rith senior vice president and main representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Also offering testimony were David Lévy Bentolila, a former BBE president who was a member of the B’nai B’rith delegation to Durban in 2001, and Haim Musicant, a BBF vice president who attended the Durban Review Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2009. B’nai B’rith also mobilized the largest Jewish contingent on that occasion. In his remarks, Lévy Bentolila recounted the toxic atmosphere confronting Jewish delegates to Durban in 2001, including virulently anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist posters, fliers and t-shirts; hostile protests; and a decision by civil-society representatives to accuse Israel of “apartheid,” “ethnic cleansing” and even “genocide.” As a result, members of the Jewish caucus, chaired by B’nai B’rith International then-President (and current Honorary President) Richard Heideman, ultimately withdrew from the conference. Musicant added that the 2009 follow-up meetings in Geneva were dominated by anti-Israel regimes including that of Libya, with preparatory meetings held on Jewish holidays and an inflammatory in-person address by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, notorious for his Holocaust-denial and calls for Israel to be wiped “off the map.” Nonetheless, Musicant noted the strong, coordinated Jewish response—which helped result in an array of key democracies boycotting the proceedings. As the U.N. has continued to reaffirm and promote the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action—which deplorably singled out Israel, the Middle East’s only pluralistic democracy, for implied characterization as racist—B’nai B’rith has pledged to continue speaking out in support of genuine efforts against bigotry, including anti-Semitism and its most prevalent strain today, anti-Zionism. The organization held a high-level counter-conference on Durban’s 10th anniversary in New York in 2011 and is taking action in advance of the 20th anniversary summit this September. Through published op-eds, interventions at the U.N. Human Rights Council, letters to world leaders, meetings with ambassadors globally and virtual programming in multiple languages, B’nai B’rith is committed to confronting the tarnished legacy of Durban. More major programming will be held as the actual anniversary approaches in late August and September. The July 7 program may be watched at https://youtu.be/PCXcfhCrGGo. For additional resources, please visit https://www.bnaibrith.org/durban-at-20. 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 bnaibrith.org. Professor Yedidia Z. Stern, president of the Jewish People Policy Institute, delivered the keynote address, entitled "The Israeli Identity Crisis," at the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage for 2021. The ceremony took place on Thursday, July 1 at the Konrad Adenauer Conference Center, Mishkenot Sha'ananim in Jerusalem. In a video recording, President of the State Reuven Rivlin congratulated the winners of the important award and emphasized his special connection to B'nai B'rith thanks to his father, Professor Yosef Yoel Rivlin, who served as president of B'nai B'rith Israel. Nachman Shai, Israel’s recently appointed minister of Diaspora affairs, delivered a speech via Zoom—one of his first speeches in his new position. He stated that The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs has three main tasks in strengthening the connection between Israel and the Diaspora: increasing solidarity, mutual commitment and a pluralistic approach to all streams of Judaism. Shai stressed that no stream has a monopoly on authentic Judaism. Alan Schneider, director of the B'nai B'rith World Center in Jerusalem, stated that 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. Referencing findings in a recently released Pew Research Center survey of Jewish Americans, Schneider pointed to evidence of a growing distancing of American Jews from Israel--the major challenge to Israel-Diaspora relations in the future. Winners of the Award for 2021 are: Nurit Canetti, anchorwoman, editor-in-chief and producer of Galey Zahal—IDF Army Public Radio (broadcast media category) and Dan Lavie, Diaspora Affairs correspondent of Yisrael Hayom (print media category). In addition, Greer Fay Cashman, who has appeared in the Jerusalem Post for more than 45 years, received a Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the author of the popular “Grapevine” column and the newspaper’s correspondent at the Office of the President of Israel. A special citation for Fostering Israel-Diaspora Relations through the Arts was presented to famous singer, songwriter and author Danny Sanderson. The citation was established in 2014 and has been presented to Nurit Hirsh, David D’Or, Idan Raichel, David Broza, Yehoram Gaon and the Shalva Band. 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 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 and is the most prestigious prize in this category. News of the ceremony was carried in major news outlets and it can be watched in its entirety here. The distinguished members of the award jury are: Ya'akov Ahimeir, past editor and anchor, Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation and Lifetime Achievement Award winner for 2016; Professor Yehudith Auerbach, School of Communication, Bar Ilan University; Professor Sergio DellaPergola, The Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University; Sallai Meridor, former Israeli ambassador to the United States and former chairman of the Zionist Executive and Jewish Agency for Israel; Professor Gabriela Shalev, Higher Academic Council, Ono Academic College and former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations; journalist Yair Sheleg; Asher Weill, publisher and editor of “Ariel” The Israel Review of Arts and Letters (1981-2003). (Washington, D.C., July 6, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
We are outraged by a tweet from political activist Rafael Shimunov questioning the IDF’s rescue efforts in Surfside, Florida. He wrote on Twitter, “Their expertise is crushing buildings with people in them, not rescuing them.” We are equally disgusted by anti-Israel activist Linda Sarsour’s amplification of this message. This horrific statement comes as families are mourning the loss of loved ones and hoping for miracles in the tragic building collapse that still has 113 missing in the rubble. The IDF has worked tirelessly, as Lt. Col. Oz Gino told Hamodia, “on the pile as if everybody is alive.” The tweet is not only deeply insensitive but anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic. A people that, sadly, has had to deal with bombs from Palestinian terrorists is now told it has the temerity to help people in Florida based on their own tragic experience. 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 bnaibrith.org. B’nai B’rith Uruguay made a donation of 850 blankets to the Ministry of Social Development on June 29 to help those in need during a very cold winter in Uruguay. The donation was received by Minister of Social Development Martin Lema and Under Secretary Andrea Brugman. The minister thanked B’nai B’rith for its ongoing support of those in need over its 85 years of social work in Uruguay. B’nai B’rith was represented by Acting President Bernardo Ejgemberg, Co-Chairs Andrés Yusupoff and Branca Gerwer, President of the Community Action Committee Tania Breitfeld and Director of Latin American Affairs Eduardo Kohn. The Ministry also thanked B’nai B’rith on Twitter, and the donation was widely covered in written and broadcast media. |
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