(Washington, D.C., July 26, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:   
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We strongly condemn the passage of a law by the Polish Senate that makes it nearly impossible for citizens and heirs to reclaim property and real estate that was stolen from Jews during the Holocaust and Poland’s Communist regime.  

The law, which places a statute of limitations on claims for restitution of property, is immoral and a further injustice for Holocaust survivors and their families who have waited years to reclaim property that was stolen from them. Poland was home to 3.3 million Jews in 1939, at the outbreak of World War II.

Currently, Poland is also the only EU country that has no law on restitution or compensation for property stolen during the Holocaust.  

As the new bill returns to the Sejm—the Polish parliament’s lower house—we urge that it reverses the previous vote and rejects this immoral, unjust bill.  

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.

Alan Jope
Chief Executive Officer
Unilever

Dear Mr. Jope:

On behalf of B’nai B’rith International’s more than 100,000 members and supporters in over 40 countries around the world, we write to express our deep dismay at the decision by Ben and Jerry’s to cease activities in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem.  Ben and Jerry’s is participating in a discriminatory boycott aimed at weakening Israel’s security and isolating the Jewish state within the international community.

We understand that Ben and Jerry’s operates under an independent board, but Unilever remains the parent company of a brand that is now taking part in a global movement that is anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist.  BDS’ own founders have indicated that their goal is the elimination of the Jewish state.  The sole focus of their ire is not any of the world’s worst human rights abusers, but rather the Middle East’s only democracy.  Their denial of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state in the region not only threatens Israel’s security, but hinders the peace process.

B’nai B’rith calls on Unilever to reverse Ben and Jerry’s decision and resume the brand's business activities in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem. Unilever should not allow such a vicious act of hatred and discrimination to take place under its name.

Respectfully,

Charles O. Kaufman                                                Daniel S. Mariaschin
President                                                                     Executive Vice President and CEO

(Washington, D.C., July 16, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International hosted a two-part virtual series—Hezbollah: Sowing Global Terror—in advance of the anniversaries of two deadly attacks on Jews.

The bombing of the AMIA building in Buenos Aires that killed 85 and wounded more than 300 took place July 18, 1994. Terrorists detonated a car bomb, killing and maiming those who worked at the AMIA (the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association) building and destroying the structure that housed so many Jewish Agencies in Buenos Aires. It was the deadliest terror attack ever in Argentina.

In 2012 on the same date, a suicide bomber blew up a passenger bus carrying Israeli tourists from Tel Aviv at the Burgas Airport in Bulgaria. The explosion killed the Bulgarian bus driver and five Israelis and injured 32 other Israelis.

Even though there is ample evidence that Hezbollah—a terrorist group that's a proxy of Iran—is behind both attacks, there is reluctance to tackle the terrorist organization head-on to this day.

In Part 1 of our series, “Commemorating AMIA,” we spoke with Luis Czyzewski, the father of a victim, about his search for justice. The interview, in Spanish with simultaneous English translation, was conducted by Adriana Camisar, B’nai B’rith’s Special Advisor on Latin American and U.N. Affairs from Argentina, with a special introduction by CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin. Czyzewski, whose 21-year-old daughter, Paola, was killed in the attack, has spent the last 27 years fighting for justice for his daughter and all of the victims of the attack. That unforgettable, tragic day was the first time Paola ever entered the AMIA building. She was visiting during a break from her law studies to assist her parents, who both worked at AMIA.

Czyzewski noted that there is no method, formula or book that says how to move forward after such a horrific loss. That the families of the victims have a burden they will carry throughout their lives. He said the many investigations into the bombing have revealed much about the attack, but that what we don’t have are convictions.

Camisar and Mariaschin commended Czyzewski for his courageous fight for justice.

In Part 2, “Shared Threads: AMIA, Burgas and Other Global Terror Attacks,” Mariaschin interviewed two experts about Iran’s proxy terror arm, Hezbollah, and its malign global reach. Guest Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of its Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. Our 2nd guest was Gustavo Perednik, whose long resume includes writing two books dealing with the work of his friend, the late AMIA case prosecutor Alberto Nisman, “To Kill Without a Trace” and “To Die for Argentina.”

Perednik said that Nisman would have approved of combining AMIA and Burgas for commemoration, because he would have appreciated the connecting of the dots between multiple attacks and how the linked events expose Iran’s influence in terrorist attacks across the world—and by extension its guilt. Levitt said the Burgas attack didn’t happen in a vacuum and also observed that Hezbollah sees terror against innocent civilians as a legitimate path to achieving its objectives.
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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., July 11, 2021)—B’nai B’rith President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:

As co-sponsors of today’s NO FEAR: A Rally in Solidarity with the Jewish People, in Washington, D.C., we are proud to stand with all those who declare that it’s time to push back the rising tide of anti-Semitism, in the United States and around the world.

Anti-Semitism is everyone’s problem.

We echo the sentiments of today’s speakers. Meghan McCain noted, "We cannot be quiet and we cannot be silent and first and foremost, above all else, we cannot be scared."

The fight against anti-Semitism needs a wide, diverse coalition. Former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman told the crowd, "The fight against anti-Semitism is a bipartisan issue." And Hussein Aboubakr, Egyptian American activist, said, “anti-Semitism is anti-Semitism, whether from a Muslim, a Christian, an atheist or even a Jew."

Joshua Washington, executive director of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel was adamant that a firm commitment to fighting anti-Semitism is vital. "If there’s one message I want to leave you with it’s do not concede. Do not concede a single inch of your humanity. Do not concede a single inch of your heritage."

Sienna Girgenti, B’nai B’rith’s program director for Strategic Engagement, along with Trey Meehan, chair of B’nai B’rith Connect-D.C., who represented us at the rally today.

B’nai B’rith’s None Shall Be Afraid initiative provides resources for identifying and combating the world’s oldest hatred. Learn more here: https://www.bnaibrith.org/none-shall-be-afraid.html.

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.