(Washington, D.C., Sept. 21, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
B'nai B'rith is pleased with the Trump administration's imposition of sanctions on Iran, which would punish any company or person that violates a conventional arms embargo on Iran. This action comes a month after the United Nations Security Council’s shameful failure to extend its own arms sanctions on Iran. The proposed U.S. action would work toward stopping Tehran – a rogue regime that continually threatens peace for the entirety of the Middle East and beyond – from becoming an even greater global security threat. (Washington, D.C., Sept. 18, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
We are deeply saddened by the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first Jewish woman and only the second woman to serve on the nation’s highest court. The announcement of her death as the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, began, seems especially poignant. She was a giant of the Supreme Court, a champion to many women and others as a strong, progressive voice on the court with a trailblazing judicial presence. She was courageous in her many battles against cancer. Ginsburg spoke at a B'nai B'rith International convention about "Jewish Justices on the Supreme Court." Her unique and esteemed, groundbreaking career was often informed and influenced by her Judaism. JTA notes: “She was also frank about the importance of Jewish tradition in influencing her life and career, hanging the Hebrew injunction to pursue justice on the walls of her Supreme Court chambers.” With a strong sense of fairness, a respect for knowledge and education and an incredible work ethic, Ginsburg was an inspiration to us. May her memory be a blessing. ![]() (Washington, D.C., Sept. 16, 2020)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement: B’nai B’rith is opening its Disaster Relief Fund to aid those impacted by the catastrophic wildfires in the West and those who are feeling the wrath of Hurricane Sally across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle. At least 30 people have died from the wildfires, which are raging in California, Oregon and Washington State, and many more are missing. Though Hurricane Sally’s impact cannot yet be stated, it’s known that it has brought major flooding across the Gulf Coast, which has already been battered by hurricanes this season. The B’nai B’rith Disaster Relief Fund will match the first $5,000 of donations. We will work with local groups in affected areas to determine possible projects that need our support. B’nai B’rith began its disaster relief program of helping communities in distress in 1865, with a fundraising drive to aid victims of a cholera outbreak in pre-state Israel. Since then, B’nai B’rith has helped countless people across the globe who have faced adversity after natural and man-made disasters. Please click here to make a contribution to the fund. Donors can also call (800) 573-9057 to make a credit card contribution over the phone and send payable checks to the following address: B’nai B’rith International Disaster Relief Fund 1120 20th St. NW, Suite 300 N Washington, DC, 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.
Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump all participated in the signing of the Accords.
B'nai B'rith President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin were present on the South Lawn for the historic signing. “What we witnessed was something beyond anyone’s imagination just a few years ago,” Kaufman said. “The historic signing of the Abraham Accords and treaties was less about hope and promise and more about reality and what is happening in real time. It is more about creating real opportunities, advancements, innovations, not some platform for mere dreams and aspirations. Finally, promises and failures of the past gave way to a far better option — trusting, respecting parties developing a specific plan for prosperity, security and peace. Today was an unforgettable day of accomplishment.” “Today marked a tremendous turning point in the history of Israel and the Jewish people, and in the Middle East,” Mariaschin said. “The signing of the Abraham Accords, and the agreements between Israel and the UAE, and Israel and Bahrain demonstrate that peace can be achieved when there is the good will to achieve it. We congratulate President Trump for hosting this historic signing, and the leaders of Israel, the UAE and Bahrain for taking these important steps together.” 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., Sept. 14, 2020)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
Today B’nai B’rith International along with major Jewish organizations working with the EU institutions, launched a unified position on tackling anti-Semitism online, in response to the Digital Services Act consultation by the European Commission. Joining us as partner organizations are the American Jewish Committee Transatlantic Institute, B’nai B’rith Europe, CEJI - A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe, the European Jewish Congress, the European Union of Jewish Students and the World Jewish Congress. As the European Union looks to redefine its approach to digital governance under the motto A Europe fit for the Digital Age, maintaining a safe online space, free of hate and incitement must be a key priority – one that both our Washington, D.C. headquarters and our office of EU Affairs have been strong advocates for. The unified position offers 10 recommendations for the future legislation to effectively tackle anti-Semitic content online and demand higher accountability from online platforms and service providers. Among the demands formulated are the push for platforms to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism as part of community standards, data collection and analysis to better understand the spread of anti-Semitism online, platform transparency with regard to algorithms, support for civil society actors to be effective parts of the conversation and a call to disincentivize profit stemming from harmful content. A 2018 Fundamental Rights Agency survey on Experiences and Perceptions of anti-Semitism among Jews in the EU found that 89% of respondents consider anti-Semitism expressed online as a problem and 80% of those experiencing anti-Semitic abuse have encountered it online. These worrying statistics have only been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created an environment ripe with disinformation and conspiracies. A revised EU digital framework must tackle head-on the role and responsibility of online platforms and must guarantee users’ safety. See the full text of the common position here: deleteantisemitism.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 bnaibrith.org. (Washington, D.C., Sept. 14, 2020)--We are pleased to announce that AJIRI, the American Jewish International Relations Institute, is now under the B’nai B’rith umbrella. The boards of both organizations voted unanimously to advance and formalize the close working relationship between the two groups.
"AJIRI has for a number of years worked closely with B'nai B’rith International. It has been a pleasure for us to note how our close working relationship produced highly useful results for the benefit of U.S. foreign policy objectives and of Israel. Now that our relationship has become even closer, we look forward to witnessing many highly beneficial results," noted AJIRI Chairman of the Board of Directors Ambassador Richard Schifter. AJIRI-BBI, as the new institute will initially be known, will continue to advance the groundbreaking work both organizations have undertaken separately in the realm of fair treatment for Israel on the world stage. “Ambassador Schifter and AJIRI are a welcome addition to the B'nai B'rith family,” B’nai B’rith President Charles O. Kaufman said. “Simply, we are deeply honored to be linked with the ambassador and his distinguished board. Our overlapping missions and excellent chemistry will strengthen our already strong policy efforts in advocating for a safer and more secure Israel in the world and within the United Nations. The Jewish new year is already off to a great start." B’nai B’rith CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin added: “The campaign to address bias in U.N. voting on Israel-related issues will be tremendously strengthened by AJIRI’s joining forces with B’nai B’rith. We look forward to working closely with Ambassador Schifter in calling out the double standards which are unfairly applied to Israel at the U.N. at the General Assembly in New York, and at its agencies around the world.” 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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