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(Washington, D.C., Sept. 30, 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 deeply dismayed at today’s rulings by the Constitutional Court of Belgium to not strike down two laws that ban religious slaughter in the Belgian regions of Flanders and Wallonia. The decision to curb this fundamental religious practice is a painful blow to the freedom of religion and belief of the Jewish—as well as Muslim—communities of Belgium. The country is home to one of Europe's largest Jewish communities, which will now face exceedingly difficult hurdles to access kosher meat. Today's decision follows a ruling in December 2020 of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) which held that EU member states have the right to require stunning prior to the religious slaughter of animals, a requirement which would make kosher slaughter impossible. Belgium joins a shameful growing list of countries putting in place barriers to religious practice. The ECJ precedent of last year leaves room for other governments to follow suit. With this new decision, the need for European legislators to put in place EU-wide legislation to protect religious communities becomes all the more urgent. B’nai B’rith has a strong and long-lasting presence in Europe and will continue to support Jewish communities across the continent in any way possible. 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. 27, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
We applaud Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s speech before the United Nations General Assembly addressing Iran’s malign activities and nuclear aspirations. Bennett pointed out Iran’s violations of International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, its practice of enriching Uranium to 60%—one step short of weapons-grade—and evidence of secret nuclear sites. “Iran’s nuclear program has hit a watershed moment, and so has our tolerance ...” Bennett said. “We will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.” Bennett also spoke on the military threat posed by Iran and its terror proxies. “They all want to destroy my country, and they’re all backed by Iran. They get their funding from Iran, they get their training from Iran, and they get their weapons from Iran,” Bennett said. B’nai B’rith International has been outspoken on Iran’s malign activities threatening Israel and peace and stability in the region, as well as the need for the United States and its allies to apply pressure to Tehran to abandon its nuclear program. We concur with Bennett that “Words do not stop centrifuges from spinning” and that action must be taken. 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. 24, 2021)--B’nai B’rith leaders, led by President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin, have concluded meetings with dozens of world leaders on the sidelines of the opening of the United Nations General Assembly session.
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, B’nai B’rith has continued its longtime leadership of Jewish communal engagement at the U.N., arranging direct discussions with heads of state and government, foreign ministers and other senior officials from countries including Greece, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Russia, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Austria, Colombia, Italy, Spain and Romania, among an array of others. In the consultations, organized by B’nai B’rith’s Office of United Nations Affairs, among the issues discussed were Iran’s destabilizing policies, Arab-Israeli ties, U.N. treatment of Israel, transatlantic relations and global anti-Semitism. Countries were urged to decline participation in the U.N.’s commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the notorious Durban conference on racism—held on Sept. 22—or commended for doing so. B’nai B’rith has been exceptionally active at the U.N. since the body’s very founding in 1945, holding official status at multiple U.N. arms since soon after then. 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. Salutes 35 Countries Declining Participation In U.N. Commemoration (Washington, D.C., Sept. 24, 2021)--B’nai B’rith condemns the resolution adopted on the occasion of the “high-level meeting” of the United Nations General Assembly commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA). The DDPA, which was the official outcome document of the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa—notorious for its scenes of shocking anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hate—singled out only Palestinians for mention as supposed victims of “racism,” by Israel.
The resolution predictably claimed that the DDPA offered “a comprehensive United Nations framework and solid foundation for combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,” and reaffirmed commitment to its “full and effective implementation.” After a year of advocacy by B’nai B’rith and others, we salute at least 35 countries that declined to participate in the Durban commemoration. They are Albania, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Moldova, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uruguay. Additionally, Spain’s foreign minister informed B’nai B’rith that he too instructed his diplomats not to attend. Most of the countries announced their non-participation in advance, citing Durban’s anti-Jewish bigotry. This public disassociation by a substantial moral minority at the U.N. represents a meaningful victory against efforts to hijack the world body and the critical fight against racism—specifically racism against people of African descent—for the purposes of delegitimizing Israel by obscenely equating only it and Jews’ national liberation movement, Zionism, with racism. Over recent weeks, B’nai B’rith has organized televised programming in partnership with the Jewish Broadcasting Service (JBS) on Durban, anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism featuring luminaries including onetime Soviet prisoner of conscience Natan Sharansky, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, former United States national security advisor John Bolton, former Maldivian foreign minister Ahmed Shaheed, Canadian human rights icon Irwin Cotler, British Baroness Ruth Deech and French public intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy. The series—with a special message by B’nai B’rith President Charles O. Kaufman, and moderation by our CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin and Director of U.N. and Intercommunal Affairs David Michaels--culminated in an hourlong interview Sept. 22, at the conclusion of the U.N. Durban commemoration, with B’nai B’rith Honorary President Richard D. Heideman, who led the Jewish delegation at Durban, and his wife, International March of the Living President Phyllis G. Heideman. B’nai B’rith mobilized the largest Jewish delegation at the 2001 conference and at the 2009 Durban Review Conference. 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. 13, 2021)--B’nai B’rith President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
As the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords approaches this week, B’nai B’rith International once again applauds the historic agreement normalizing relations between Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, Sudan and Morocco. Over the course of a year, there have been significant accomplishments made among the signatories. The UAE formally opened its embassy in Israel in July of this year and the two nations have appointed official ambassadors. In March, Bahrain appointed its first ambassador to Israel and, in early September, Israel nominated its first ambassador to Bahrain. In addition, there have been a number of economic agreements signed and decisions reached between the countries on issues such as cyber security, fighting anti-Semitism and Holocaust education. These are substantive steps that will help bring about the peace and security in the region that we all hope for. Since we attended the historic Sept. 15, 2020, signing at the White House, when Israel, the UAE and Bahrain endorsed the accords, we have been encouraged that the momentum from that day has carried forward. Sudan and Morocco joined soon thereafter. B’nai B’rith again congratulates the leaders of Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, Sudan and Morocco for taking these momentous steps together and looks forward to further progress made in relations among the signatories that will continue to foster peace, security and stability in the region. We hope that the Abraham Accords will expand to include new, like-minded countries in the coming year. 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. 10, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
We commend the government of Slovakia for its statement apologizing for its World War II-era anti-Jewish laws that stripped Jews of numerous rights, adopted 80 years ago. The laws, also known as the “Jewish Code,” denied Jews their economic, social, political and cultural rights. Slovakia, which became a Nazi puppet state during World War II, deported Jewish citizens to Nazi death camps. 68,000-71,000 Slovak Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. Slovakia’s declaration is an important step toward making amends for crimes of its wartime government and honoring the memory of Slovak Jews who suffered greatly under the laws. 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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