B'nai B'rith Latin American Hosts Spanish-Language Virtual Program on U.N. Durban Conference7/29/2021
September Summit Will Mark 20th Anniversary of Racism Conference Tarred by Anti-Semitism (Washington, D.C., July 29, 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 Latin America yesterday held an online program in Spanish addressed by Marina Rosenberg, Israel’s ambassador to Chile. The world body plans to mark the 20th anniversary of the Durban conference with a summit on Sept. 22.
B’nai B’rith—which brought the largest multinational Jewish delegation to Durban, led by the organization’s then-President (and current Honorary President) Richard D. Heideman, and has been in the forefront of 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, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Germany have indicated that they will not take part. In her presentation to Spanish-speakers across the Western Hemisphere, Rosenberg noted that while the U.N. celebrates the Durban fiasco, Israel celebrates its deepening ties with both important regional neighbors and key democracies abroad. Yesterday’s virtual program was opened by B’nai B’rith International U.N. Affairs Chair Millie Magid, who recounted the organization’s long history of leadership on the issue of Durban and Israel’s record as a singularly humane and diverse democracy. She declared, “Zionism most certainly is not racism, but anti-Zionism absolutely is anti-Semitism.” The 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action singled out Israel alone for implied characterization as racist. The 2009 Durban Review Conference in Geneva—at which B’nai B’rith also mobilized the largest Jewish contingent—was addressed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a Holocaust-denier who openly and frequently promoted Israel’s destruction. Offering first-hand testimony from Durban on yesterday’s program were Ram Tapia, a former executive vice president of B’nai B’rith Chile who was a member of the B’nai B’rith delegation at Durban, and Eduardo Kohn, B’nai B’rith International Latin American affairs director and B’nai B’rith Latin America executive vice president, who was also a member of the delegation in 2001. In his remarks, Tapia described the successful efforts by B'nai B'rith prior to Durban to have anti-Semitism referenced in the Durban Declaration—but also the shocking reality of violent hatred faced by Jewish delegates at Durban. He decried the complicity of the U.N. in allowing the conference to be derailed by enemies of Israel. B’nai B’rith 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 toxic legacy of Durban. In addition to yesterday’s program, a B’nai B’rith event for the French-speaking world was held earlier this month featuring Yehuda Lancry, a former Israeli ambassador to France who was his country’s permanent representative to the U.N. at the time of Durban. More major programming will be held as the actual anniversary approaches in late August and September. The July 28 program may be watched here. For additional resources, 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. Project Jointly Initiated by B’nai B’rith World Center Director Alan Schneider (Castelo de Vide, Portugal, July 29, 2021)--Mayor Antonio Pita of the town of Castelo de Vide in eastern Portugal announced on July 23 that the city will sponsor an initiative to mark the paths taken by Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 and the Portuguese Inquisition in 1496. The announcement was made during a meeting of interested parties convened by the Castelo de Vide municipality and chaired by Pita, who also serves as vice president of the Jewish Cities Network in Portugal.
The multi-year project will be coordinated by Walter Wasercier, vice president of Cámara de Comercio Hispano–Israelí (Hispanic-Israeli Chamber of Commerce) and former director of El Al in Spain and Portugal, and was initiated jointly with Alan Schneider, director of the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem, who both addressed the meeting. The project enjoys the support of Israel’s outgoing Ambassador to Portugal Raphael Gamzou, who attended the meeting. Other participants included Assumpcio Hosta Rebes, secretary general of the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ); Marta Puig Qixal, managing director of Caminos de Sefarad; and officials of the local and regional governments, among them Caceres and Tui in Spain and Braganza and Porto Alegre in Portugal. Traces of Castelo de Vide’s Jewish history are carefully maintained by the municipality, including a synagogue and Jewish quarter (Juderia), and the town will shortly inaugurate the first museum in the world dedicated to the memory of the Inquisition that led to the expulsion of Jews from the Iberian Peninsula and to untold suffering of Jews who continued to cling to their religious beliefs and practices underground (“Conversos”). The meeting also provided an opportunity for an exchange of experiences between the Jewish Cities Networks in Spain and Portugal. As envisioned by the initiators, the project—entitled “El Kamino De Sefarad al muevo mundo” (The Sefarad Route to the New World)—will eventually cover thousands of kilometers from areas of major Jewish population in Spain in the Middle Ages, over the border into Portugal, concluding in Lisbon and Porto, where Jews were forcibly converted or departed for other destinations in North Africa, Holland, the Land of Israel and the New World. The initiative was inspired by the Kamino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route. Schneider envisioned that many Israeli and Jewish organizations would become party to the effort and that the marked routes will be an attraction for Jewish visitors, among others. Puig said that besides the economic development that all the participants hope the project will bring, it also will make an important institutional contribution by better transmitting Jewish history in the Iberian Peninsula. In his remarks, Schneider noted that B’nai B’rith has a long history of commemorating the Inquisition. Among other things, its lodge in Jerusalem established the first sustained library in Israel in 1892, naming it for Rabbi Don Isaac Abravanel, the leader of the Jewish community in Spain at the time of the Inquisition, who led his followers into exile. The library formed the foundation of Israel’s National Library. In 2019, the B'nai B'rith Leadership Mission to Portugal, led by B'nai B'rith Internationl President Charles O. Kaufman, toured Castelo de Vide. For further information, contact Susana Machado, Municipality of Castelo de Vide, susana.machado@cm-castelo-vide.pt, +351-964-614-678 (Portugal); Walter Wasercier, walterw@telefonica.net, +34-629-249-054 (Spain); or Alan Schneider, aschneider@bnaibrith.org, +972-52-5536441 (Israel) 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 26, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
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. B'nai B'rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin sent the following letter to Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever, regarding Ben & Jerry's boycott of Israel: 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 22, 2021)--B’nai B’rith President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
B’nai B’rith International, along with the American Zionist Movement (AZM) and the International March of the Living (MOTL), has co-sponsored a visit this week to Israel by a delegation of ambassadors to the United Nations and the United States, led by Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. and U.N. The week-long visit is particularly notable coming in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic—to which Israel’s robust response has served as a model globally—and soon after the latest barrage of attacks on citizens of the Jewish state by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. It also follows the election of both a new president and prime minister in Israel, testifying to the endurance of the Middle East’s only democracy. The delegation includes ambassadors from Argentina, Australia, Bhutan, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Hungary, Kenya, Tonga and Ukraine. During their stay in Israel, the group has met Israeli leaders, inspected cross-border attack tunnels dug by Hamas and the Iran-sponsored Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah, received briefings from the Israel Defense Forces, visited foremost religious sites and been exposed to the breadth of Israeli technological innovation. On Tisha B’Av—the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, marking the destruction of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem and the exile of Jews from their homeland—the diplomats also toured Yad Vashem and the national memorial to Israel’s tens of thousands of fallen service members. AZM immediate past president and B’nai B’rith honorary president Richard D. Heideman and MOTL president Phyllis G. Heideman—who are members of the International Board of Trustees of the B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem—accompanied the group, as did Alan Schneider, director of the B’nai B’rith World Center, and David Michaels, B’nai B’rith director of U.N. and intercommunal affairs. 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. Initiative aims to bring young Jews closer to Israel (Washington, D.C., July 21, 2021)--The Jewish Museum of Oporto, in Portugal, opened a permanent exhibit dedicated to the Entebbe hostage rescue on July 19. The exhibit features videos and other materials that tell the story of that momentous rescue of Israeli hostages from Uganda in 1976.
Israel’s ambassador to Portugal, Raphael Gamzou, said, “This room, dedicated to Operation Yonatan, teaches us that distance, logistics or any other challenge would never be an excuse for Israel not to do the most in order to save the lives of its citizens.” Gabriela Cantergi, president of B'nai B'rith Portugal, said the room that has just opened is "dedicated to young Jews who have no memories of the many counter-terrorist actions that the IDF and Mossad have faced in the past and certainly are prepared to face in the future as well." She added that the idea of building a room dedicated to the Entebbe operation came from an event that brought together young Jewish leaders of various nationalities in Oporto in June. "The young people's main concern was whether Israel could stop a new Holocaust in any country in the world, to which the Israeli ambassador, and the president and CEO of B'nai B'rith International, present at the event, clearly replied that it could," Cantergi said. B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin were guests of the Oporto community and B’nai B’rith Portugal at last month’s young adults forum. “The daring, heroic Entebbe raid is not only the greatest hostage rescue in Israel’s history, it represents Judaism’s commitment to the value of preserving life," Kaufman said. "As the Talmud teaches, ‘Whoever saves a single life is considered to have saved the entire world.’ The rescue of 103 hostages by the Sayeret Matkal commandos took less time than it took to fly from Israel to the Ugandan airport. Just a decade after the herculean Six Day War, Operation Thunderbolt in Entebbe ushered in a new high watermark of recognition and admiration for the Jewish State throughout the world." Mariaschin said, “The hostage rescue in Entebbe exemplifies Israel’s strength and resolve. Dedicating an exhibit to that historic moment enables all visitors to the museum to know that Israel protects its people, wherever they may be." In the official video on the Entebbe operation room and its integration in the Jewish museum – which you can watch here – Jewish children of the Oporto community are seen thanking Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, who was killed in action during the rescue operation. In the video, the narrator notes: “Thanks to Yonatan and the IDF, the world learned that the abduction or death of Jews would carry a very high price.” Besides the Entebbe operation room, the Jewish Museum of Oporto shows millennia of Jewish people's history—the Golden Age in Sefarad, the expulsion from Spain and Portugal, the Portuguese Inquisition, the arrival in Oporto of an Ashkenazi community in the 19th and 20th centuries, the failed rescue attempt of the Bnei Anousim in the 1930s and the current flourishing of the Oporto Jewish community that is essentially composed of Sephardic families who for centuries lived in Balkan, Arab or Muslim countries. The local Jewish community includes about 500 Jews originally from more than 30 countries and has a Beit Din, synagogues, mikvaot, kosher restaurants, a Jewish Museum, a Holocaust Museum of Oporto and cooperation protocols with the Israeli Embassy to Portugal, B’nai B’rith International, Keren Hayesod and the Anti-Defamation League. 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. Part 1: AMIA in Advance of 27th Anniversary of Deadly Terror Attack in Buenos Aires Part 2: Shared Threads: AMIA, Burgas and Other Global Terror Attacks (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. 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 CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin Addresses Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism7/15/2021
(Washington, D.C., July 15, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin spoke at the 7th Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism (GFCA), organized by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, Thursday morning. Mariaschin’s speech, “Placing Contemporary Anti-Semitism in Context,” addressed anti-Semitism in the past and how it manifests today.
Mariaschin first gave a short history of anti-Semitism and how we reached this point, including the lynching of Leo Frank in Georgia in 1915; discrimination against Jews in hiring, college admissions, housing and more; and the “Zionism is Racism” resolution adopted by the United Nations in 1975. He then spoke on the forms of anti-Semitism we see today, such as the attacks on Jewish institutions and, most recently, anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic rhetoric from members of the U.S. Congress. To combat this wave of anti-Semitism, Mariaschin suggested five approaches: Working with friends and allies of Israel; working at a local level with mayors, local media, educators and church leaders; working person-to-person to educate friends, family and colleagues; educating ourselves and others about Jewish history, especially the Jewish people’s many contributions to civilization; and encouraging the endorsement of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism. Mariaschin closed by emphasizing the need for cohesiveness and collaboration in the Jewish community. The GFCA is a biennial gathering that brings together public and political figures, diplomats, scholars, religious leaders, journalists and more to discuss the state of global anti-Semitism and how to respond to it. 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. 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. |
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