(Washington, D.C., Jan. 17, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:  
 
We are deeply disturbed by the vandalism at a Jewish cemetery in the town of Shoumen, Bulgaria. The perpetrators toppled and broke gravestones and damaged the cemetery’s fences.
 
This attack is part of a disturbing trend of desecration of Jewish cemeteries across Europe. In February, vandals painted swastikas on headstones in the French village of Quatzenheim. Vandals damaged 59 gravestones in Námestovo, Slovakia, in December. German attackers knocked over 40 Jewish gravestones, spray-painting some of them, in December.
 
A survey released by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) found that 85 percent of Europe’s Jews believe anti-Semitism is the biggest social or political problem in their society and 30 percent had been subjected to anti-Semitic harassment. More must be done to fight anti-Semitism in Europe. It is vital that European states ensure that European Jews feel safe.
 
We trust and expect that the perpetrators of this appalling act will promptly be arrested and tried for their crimes. In addition, we call on all European Union member states to implement the action plan to combat anti-Semitism developed by B’nai B’rith International, the European Jewish Congress and the American Jewish Committee’s Transatlantic Institute.
 
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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(Washington, D.C., Dec. 23, 2019)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:

In a shocking act of anti-Semitism, anonymous vandals damaged 59 gravestones last week at a Jewish cemetery in Námestovo, Slovakia. The graves were knocked down and smashed. Although the extensive damage must have been the work of multiple people over a long period of time, no witnesses have come forward. In a letter to the Slovak ambassador to the United States, Ivan Korčok, B'nai B'rith called on Slovak authorities to investigate and find those responsible for the crime.

In our letter, we emphasized that “these vicious acts of vandalism come at a time of a global spike in anti-Semitic acts worldwide. Jewish communities depend on the active cooperation and support of national and local governments, together with law enforcement agencies, to protect the community against such incidents, and to vigorously pursue the perpetrators." 
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The embassy responded this week with the news that Slovak police have begun investigating. “You rightly underlined the need for national and local governments as well as law enforcement agencies to cooperate with the Jewish communities to protect them against such incidents, and to vigorously pursue the perpetrators. I cannot agree more," the embassy wrote in its response. "We surely have to join forces and step up efforts – in criminal justice and especially in education."

“With regard to the barbaric act in Jewish Cemetery in Námestovo, I would like to inform you that the investigator of the Slovak Police Department have already launched the process of criminal prosecution for criminal offense of defamation of the last resting place with the upper limit of the penalty rate of 5 years in prison. I strongly believe that the authorities will be able to find offenders of this shameful act soon and punish them according to the law.”

We trust and expect that the perpetrators of this horrific act will promptly be arrested and tried for their crimes. In a time when European Jews feel increasingly unsafe due to rising anti-Semitism, it is imperative that we confront and stamp out anti-Semitic hate wherever it is found. 
 
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., Dec. 16, 2019)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
It is with deep sadness and anger that we condemn the attack on Nessah synagogue in Beverly Hills on Shabbat. Police are classifying the shocking attack as a hate crime.
 
In the early hours of Saturday morning, a vandal broke into the synagogue, overturned furniture and damaged religious objects.
 
The synagogue was founded by Persian Jews who fled the 1979 revolution in Iran. It is unthinkable that they should have to face religious persecution in the United States.
 
Whether in Brooklyn or Beverly Hills, local officials and law enforcement must protect citizens and institutions. Being able to worship or walk on the street without fear or intimidation should be a given.
 
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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(Washington, D.C., Dec. 13, 2019)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
B’nai B’rith supports the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s decision to condemn the Aalst carnival parade’s anti-Semitism and remove the event from the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Although the parade’s organizers and the mayor of Aalst attempted to dodge criticism for the event’s anti-Semitism by preemptively renouncing its spot on the list, we support UNESCO’s choice to hold the organizers accountable by debating and voting on the parade’s delisting nonetheless.
 
The Aalst carnival has a history of trafficking in anti-Semitic and racist tropes. In preparation for the 2020 parade, organizers plan to distribute ribbons to all participants featuring Orthodox Jews with hooked noses and gold teeth. In March of this year, we condemned the 2019 parade’s “Shabbat Year” float, which depicted Orthodox Jews amidst bags of money; the float’s creators claimed the display was meant to protest “rising prices.” In the 2013 parade, one float featured a caricature of the Holocaust with Nazi rail cars and Zyklon B, the gas that was used to kill Jews at concentration camps. 
 
No event has ever been delisted before, and no clear procedure existed for delisting before today. The delay in creating a delisting mechanism allowed the Aalst carnival to remain on the list years after its endemic anti-Semitism was exposed. We call on UNESCO to streamline the formal delisting process to prevent future situations like this.  
 
While the UNESCO decision is welcome, the concern over the festival’s content remains. Exposing the public, and especially young people, to Nazi-era anti-Semitic tropes is not humorous, but immoral. 
 
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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(Washington, D.C., Dec. 11, 2019)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
B’nai B’rith applauds President Donald Trump’s anticipated executive order extending federal civil right protections to the Jewish people. The order will help fight anti-Semitism on college campuses by making it possible for colleges and universities to lose federal funding if they discriminate against Jews. In recent years, the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement has proliferated across college campuses. Colleges have been called on to divest from Israeli entities, Israeli goods are boycotted and Jewish students have reported feeling threatened.
 
Classifying Jews as an ethnic group, rather than purely as a religion, makes anti-Semitic discrimination a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Schools that discriminate against the racial, ethnic and national groups covered by Title VI are not allowed to receive federal funding.
 
The Education Department will define anti-Semitism using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition, which has been adopted by governments and institutions around the world.
 
The anticipated executive order is based on bipartisan legislation supported by both Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
 
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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(Washington, D.C., Nov. 4, 2019)--B’nai B’rith International’s 2019 Leadership Forum, which featured prominent speakers from the diplomacy, public policy and media realms and a special reception for participants at the residence of the Japanese ambassador, concluded today after three days of programming for leadership from around the world.    
 
In his State of the Organization address, President Charles O. Kaufman spoke about the ways B’nai B’rith is active around the world in combating anti-Semitism and fighting for Israel on the world stage, as well as our work with senior housing and aiding communities after natural disasters. Kaufman also presented the President’s Award to 30 individuals who have gone beyond the call of duty to advance B’nai B’rith’s mission.
 
“B’nai B’rith has a long and distinguished history of leadership in taking strong stands on behalf of our people around the world. And we made our collective, global voice heard once again,” Kaufman said. “However, understanding that the pen can be mightier than the sword, I decided that a direct way to confront emerging hate was through correspondence. I took to the keyboard in protest letters regarding situations at Jewish museums in Berlin, Munich and Warsaw. I continue to follow these issues closely. Our actions were followed in the Jerusalem Post and The Economist, among other places.”
 
B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin delivered a stirring address on Sunday morning about the global challenges of anti-Semitism. “Whether it occurs in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or Warsaw, Poland, or Crown Heights, Brooklyn, anti-Semitism must be confronted aggressively,” Mariaschin said. “The responsibility to do so falls squarely on all of us, together with our allies and all people of conscience. Just as the very existence of the Jewish people and the Jewish state is a product of hope and determination, we must continue to apply these qualities to the challenge at hand. The security of our community depends on it.”
 
Ambassador Gonzalo Koncke, chief of staff for Organization of American States Secretary General Louis Almagro (who delivered a video greeting to the Leadership Forum) and Eduardo Kohn, B’nai B’rith International’s director for Latin American affairs, participated in a discussion about the security outlook of the Western hemisphere.  
 
Koncke emphasized the OAS’s commitment to fighting anti-Semitism through the promotion of human rights and democracy. He acknowledged that the OAS has a lot of work to do, including advocating for all countries in the region to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.
 
Three security experts participated in a panel entitled “Global Security Threats at Home and Abroad.” Patrick Daly, principal deputy director/chief operating officer, Secure Community Network; Calvin A. Shivers, deputy assistant director of the Criminal Investigative Division, FBI; and Frances Townsend, executive vice president of worldwide government, legal and business affairs, MacAndrews & Forbes, Inc., president, Counter Extremism Project, and former homeland security advisor to President George W. Bush participated.
 
The three focused on fighting domestic and international terrorist threats in the age of the Internet and social media, noting that seemingly every week, a new platform is unveiled, and radical groups strike a balance between public posts intended to motivate and inspire and private direct messages between peers. Because terrorist manifestos are proliferated quickly online to the Internet’s echo chamber, the attack cycle is much shorter now and those who commit terrorist acts are able to telegraph their intent within hours of the action. Shivers provided insight into how the FBI investigates anti-Semitic threats in the United States: “We have to ensure that, where we have a single [anti-Semitic] act, we look through all the intelligence we have to make sure it’s not...a larger conspiracy.” On the international front, Townsend said:  “The single largest state sponsor of terrorism remains Iran. We have never seen a more aggressive Iran in our lifetime.” Daly explained that there has been a shift to an equal number of domestic and international terrorist investigations, although we had been blessed with geographic boundaries as a security buffer from international terrorist threats for so long.
 
Director of the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Alan Schneider broke down the complicated Israeli elections during a luncheon presentation.  
 
Richard Green, executive director of the Clarion Project, screened his film “Kids: Chasing Paradise.” This chilling film examines the recruitment and radicalization of terrorists around the world, many of whom are vulnerable young children. Green answered questions from the audience after the movie.
 
Day two of the conference concluded with a reception at the residence of the Japanese ambassador, hosted by Ambassador Shinsuke J. Sugiyama and his wife. Kaufman gifted a tzedakah box to Sugiyama, who spoke movingly about the Holocaust: “This is not about your history. This is about human history. We shall never let it happen again.”
 
The Claims Conference (Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany), which represents Holocaust survivors and their descendants in negotiating for restitution and compensation, received an award for its vital six decades of work from B’nai B’rith on the conference’s final day. With the award, B’nai B’rith extended its great appreciation for the tireless efforts of the Claims Conference on behalf of Holocaust survivors worldwide.  
 
Mariaschin moderated a panel analyzing the 2020 American elections with CNN Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash and NPR Washington Desk Correspondent Mara Liasson. They discussed topics including immigration, voter turnout, the divide between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party and Israel being used as a wedge partisan issue.
 
The 2019 Leadership Forum concluded with a diplomatic luncheon featuring Ambassador of Cyprus to the United States Marios Lysiotis, Ambassador of Greece to the United States Haris Lalacos and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Israel Benjamin Krasna. The diplomats emphasized the historic and continuing ties between Greece and Cyprus and the Jewish people.
 
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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(Washington, D.C., Oct. 23, 2019)--The annual Aalst carnival parade in Belgium, which has a history of anti-Semitic displays, has once again plunged into anti-Semitism. Organizers of the parade are planning to give out ribbons to all participants featuring gross caricatures of Orthodox Jews with hooked red noses and gold teeth.
 
We are disgusted that the parade continues to be on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity; in March of this year, a delegation of B’nai B’rith leaders led by B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin raised the issue of anti-Semitism in the parade with the director-general of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay. UNESCO is expected to decide in December whether to keep the parade on the list. We urge UNESCO in the strongest terms to remove the Aalst Carnival from the list. Furthermore, the city of Aalst must unequivocally apologize for the ribbons and its history of endorsing anti-Semitism.
 
This is by no means the first time the parade has trafficked in blatant anti-Semitism. In March, we condemned the parade for a float entitled “Shabbat Year” that depicted Orthodox Jews amidst bags of money. According to the float’s creators, it was meant to protest “rising prices.” Six years ago, the same carnival event featured a caricature of the Holocaust, with Nazi rail cars. Every time the parade has featured anti-Semitism, there is a loud and vociferous criticism from Jewish groups; every time, the town ignores Jewish voices.
 
Such blatant and unrepentant anti-Semitism should not be rewarded with the endorsement of UNESCO.
 
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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 (Washington, D.C., Oct. 10, 2019)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:  
 
We condemn the vile anti-Semitic attack that took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, outside a synagogue and inside a kebab shop in Halle, Germany.
 
The shooter uploaded a graphic video to the Internet blaming Jews for immigration and feminism and showing off the weapons in his car before driving to the synagogue and shooting. He murdered two people and wounded an additional two. Only the synagogue’s security measures, which included locking the doors of the building, prevented a massacre inside the synagogue. German law enforcement eventually pursued the shooter and has him in custody. Josef Schuster, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and others expressed concern that the synagogue itself was not guarded by police and that police took more than 10 minutes to arrive at the synagogue.
 
This terrorist attack should be met with a renewed resolve of solidarity within the Jewish community and beyond. We also call on Twitch, the platform the shooter used to upload his video of the massacre, to more closely monitor the content that it allows to be live-streamed. More than 2,000 viewers watched the video of the shooting before it was taken down. Social media platforms must be held responsible for the hate they allow on their platforms.
 
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.or

(Washington, D.C., Oct. 4, 2019)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:   
 
We are deeply angered by two separate reports of anti-Semitic bullying in Australian schools. In the first instance, a 12-year-old Jewish student in a suburb of Melbourne was forced to kiss his Muslim classmate’s shoes (it is not clear whether the classmate’s religion was related to the episode.) A 5-year-old Jewish student was called a “Jewish cockroach,” among other anti-Semitic attacks, in the second instance, which took place in Melbourne. The 5-year-old was also bullied for being circumcised.
 
Schools should be a safe environment for children of every religion. Both Jewish students have left their schools, and the mother of the 12-year-old has publicly shared her disappointment at the school’s failure to address the incident properly. We call on both schools to swiftly punish the bullying perpetrators. In addition, both schools should undertake Holocaust education and tolerance and diversity education programs to teach their students about the dangers of bias and bigotry.

B'nai B'rith International President Charles O. Kaufman wrote a letter to the principal of Cheltenham Secondary College, where the 12-year-old was bullied. To read the letter, click here. 
 
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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