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(Washington, D.C., August 30, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
B’nai B’rith International is opening its Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund to support those affected by Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in southeastern Louisiana on August 29. B’nai B’rith will be allocating $5,000 to support emergency relief efforts, as well as accepting donations. We will match donations up to $15,000. The Category 4 storm, with high-speed winds and rising sea levels, caused significant flooding, and widespread power outages. As the storm continues to move inland, it threatens to bring more flooding in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. Hurricane Ida struck the Gulf Coast on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which resulted in more than 1,800 deaths and over $100 billion in damages in the region. Following Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, B'nai B'rith distributed $1.1 million in funds that supported an emergency response and rebuilding and recovery efforts. Our longstanding tradition of helping communities in distress began in 1865 in pre-state Israel when we raised funds to aid victims of a cholera outbreak. Since then, B’nai B’rith has helped countless people across the globe who have faced adversity after natural and man-made disasters. Recent donations to our Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund will be used to help victims of the August earthquake in Haiti. Earlier this year, we raised funds to help vulnerable communities around the world stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic. To help us help those in need, donate to our Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund here. Donors can also call 800-573-9057 to make a credit card contribution over the phone. Or, you can send a check payable to the B’nai B’rith Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund to: B’nai B’rith International Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund 1120 20th Street NW, Suite 300N Washington, D.C. 20036 (Washington, D.C., August 27, 2021)—B’nai B’rith President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
We welcome the White House meeting today between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. We hope this first meeting of the two leaders signals even closer future cooperation between the historically allied nations. The meeting was delayed by a day due to the deadly ISIS-K attack on U.S. troops and local civilians in Afghanistan, further pointing to the need for Washington and Jerusalem to close ranks on issues impacting the volatile Middle East, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions as well as the Palestinian ongoing refusal to participate in peace talks. 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. Sharansky, Lévy, Bolton, Stephens, Cotler Headline Televised B’nai B’rith Response to “Durban IV”8/26/2021
“Durban Revisited” – A JBS Series Marking the U.N. Racism Conference’s 20th Anniversary – Tackles Enduring Anti-Zionism and Anti-Semitism (Washington, D.C., August 26, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International—which mobilized the largest multinational Jewish delegation at the 2001 World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa—is capping a year of efforts to highlight that event’s notorious anti-Semitism with a series of exclusive televised programs in partnership with the Jewish Broadcasting Service (JBS), reaching over 75 million homes across America.
The series, “Durban Revisited,” coming in the run-up to a high-level U.N. commemoration of the racism conference’s 20th anniversary, features luminaries including onetime Soviet prisoner of conscience Natan Sharansky, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, former United States national security advisor John Bolton and French public intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy. It will run from the eve of the anniversary of the conference’s start, on August 30, through the date of the forthcoming U.N. summit, Sept. 22. On that day, JBS will air a centerpiece interview with B’nai B’rith Honorary President Richard D. Heideman, who led the Jewish caucus at Durban and ultimately a walkout from it, along with his wife, International March of the Living President Phyllis G. Heideman. The Durban conference was marred by shocking demonstrations of anti-Jewish animus only at times camouflaged as anti-Zionism. Its official outcome document singled out Israel alone—the world’s only Jewish state and the Middle East’s only democracy—for implied characterization as racist. B’nai B’rith has called on key democracies to decline participation in next month’s U.N. commemoration of Durban, and at least 11 countries have already announced that they will do so. The series on JBS, which will also be carried on B’nai B’rith’s YouTube channel, accompanied by a special message from B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman, will feature interviews by B’nai B’rith CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin with the diverse public figures, who also include Canadian champion of human rights Irwin Cotler, currently his government’s special envoy on combating anti-Semitism, and Alma Hernandez, a Hispanic Jewish member of the Arizona House of Representatives who has spearheaded legislation on Holocaust education. Additionally, B’nai B’rith U.N. and Intercommunal Affairs Director David Michaels will moderate two panel discussions on anti-Jewish and anti-Israel bigotry. Panelists include George Deek, Israeli envoy to Azerbaijan and his country’s first Christian Arab ambassador; Ahmed Shaheed, U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief and former foreign minister of the Maldives; Ruth Baroness Deech, a member of the British House of Lords; and Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, deputy mayor of Jerusalem. Also participating are Ellie Cohanim, former U.S. deputy special envoy to combat anti-Semitism; Olga Meshoe Washington, a native of South Africa who is CEO of DEISI International; Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor; and Sherri Mandell, co-founder and co-president of the Koby Mandell Foundation, whose young son was murdered by Palestinian terrorists 20 years ago. Previous B’nai B’rith programs on Durban over recent months have featured, for French-speaking audiences, Yehuda Lancry—who was Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. at the time of the conference in 2001—and Marina Rosenberg, Israeli ambassador to Chile, who addressed Spanish-speaking communities across the Western Hemisphere. Additionally, B’nai B’rith joined the Combat Antisemitism Movement and its partners in sponsoring a virtual program featuring, among others, Gilad Erdan, the ambassador of Israel to the United States and the United Nations. Through advocacy targeting world leaders, published op-eds and formal interventions at the U.N., B’nai B’rith has led the global Jewish response to efforts to demonize and delegitimize Israel by maligning it as “racist.” More broadly, with a dedicated Office of U.N. Affairs and accredited representation at U.N. agencies worldwide, B’nai B’rith has been at the forefront of Jewish engagement with the world body since 1945. For more resources, and the schedule for “Durban Revisited” on JBS, please visit www.bnaibrith.org/durban-at-20. For online streaming of “Durban Revisited,” visit www.jbstv.org/watch-live or B’nai B’rith’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BnaiBrithInternational/. 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. (Washington, D.C., August 17, 2021)--B’nai B’rith President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
B’nai B’rith International is opening its Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund to assist those affected by the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on August 14. B’nai B’rith will match donations made. The 7.2 magnitude earthquake has left more than 1,400 dead and 6,000 injured. Thousands more have lost their homes. An approaching tropical storm threatens further destruction to the country. B’nai B’rith also raised funds to assist Haiti following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2010. Our efforts then helped support recovery and rebuilding, and an emergency response team from IsraAID (The Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid), which assisted in rescue efforts and administered scholarships to Haitian students. B’nai B’rith is a founding partner of IsraAID. B’nai B’rith also worked with the Brother’s Brother Foundation and the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief to provide shoes, food and emergency relief materials. Our longstanding tradition of helping communities in distress began in 1865 in pre-state Israel when we raised funds to aid victims of a cholera outbreak. Since then, B’nai B’rith has helped countless people across the globe who have faced adversity after natural and man-made disasters. Recent donations to our Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund have helped vulnerable communities around the world stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic. To help us help those in need in Haiti, donate to our Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund here. Donors can also call 800-573-9057 to make a credit card contribution over the phone. Or, you can send a check payable to the B’nai B’rith Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund to: B’nai B’rith International Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund 1120 20th Street NW, Suite 300N Washington, D.C. 20036 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 Condemns Polish Parliament's Passage of Law Impeding Restitution of Jewish Property8/13/2021
(Washington, D.C., August 13, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
We condemn the law passed by the Polish Parliament’s lower house that makes it nearly impossible for survivors of the Holocaust and their descendants to reclaim property that was stolen from them. The law, which has already passed in the Polish Senate, is an insult to survivors and families who have spent years searching for justice. Poland, which was home to approximately 3.3 million Jews prior to World War II, remains the only EU country with no law on compensation or restitution for property stolen during the Holocaust. We thank Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), James Lankford (R-OK), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and the other senators who joined them in writing a letter to the Polish government calling for the law to be annulled. We concur with them that “There is no better way for Poland to demonstrate its clear opposition to the crimes committed by Nazi Germany and the Soviet-backed Polish government." We strongly urge Polish President Andrzej Duda not to sign the bill into law. Doing so would be an injustice to the memory of the Holocaust and to its survivors. 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. The B’nai B’rith Achim/Gate City Lodge in Atlanta, Georgia, donated over 200 stuffed animals collected from the community to DeKalb County Police Department through the B’nai B’rith Cares for Kids program.
Police officers will carry the stuffed animals in their trunks to give to children they encounter when responding to situations. Al Fowler, public education specialist of the DeKalb County Police Department, thanked B’nai B’rith for the donation, saying the department goes through the stuffed animals quickly. “The word is already out to the officers that we have animals again, and trunks are getting furry friends again,” Fowler said. Achim/Gate City Lodge President Helen Scherrer-Diamond presented the stuffed animals to the police department. This presentation was made possible with the assistance of community member Jen Powell-Elgin and lodge member Cindy Sedran. The program has been a part of the lodge’s community service agenda since 1997 under the chair of Lois and Jerry Kravitz. B'nai B'rith Cares for Kids is a community service project that has brought tens of thousands of teddy bears and stuffed animals to children who are facing difficult health and family situations. (Jerusalem, August 6, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin visited the city of Lod, Israel, with B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Director Alan Schneider for a meeting with municipal CEO Aharon Attias. The meeting focused on the unprecedented violence directed against Jews and Jewish targets by many Arab residents of the city in a show of support for Hamas during Operation Guardian of the Walls in May.
One Jew and one Arab were killed in the violence, and damage to property is estimated in the tens of millions of Shekels. Attias, who was himself injured in a stone throwing incident, said that the violence which occurred was the worst in the city since it was captured in the War of Independence. Attias described the situation prior to, during and following the violence in the city, during which three synagogues were firebombed and five more were damaged. He expressed regret that outreach by the city to build Jewish-Arab relations had unfortunately failed to quell the violence, which in some cases was neighbor against neighbor. Following the visit to Lod, the group traveled to the city of Ashdod, founded with critical assistance from former B’nai B’rith President Philip Klutznick. In the presence of Deputy Mayor Avi Amselem, the B’nai B’rith delegation presented delivery of financial assistance to five families who suffered major material damage from incoming rocket fire during Operation Guardian of the Wall and were vetted by the Ashdod Municipality Social Services Department. Speaking to representatives of the families, Kaufman and Mariaschin stressed that the B’nai B’rith gift—facilitated in part by the B’nai B’rith Frankfurt Lodge—was a show of solidarity and unity with the residents of Ashdod. “Each rocket that hit Ashdod made our hearts miss a beat,” Mariaschin said. Addressing the group, Kaufman promised that B’nai B’rith would remain engaged with the city and as one people, and took pride in the development of the city, which is today one of Israel’s largest and most beautiful. 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. |
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