(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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​Fall issue also focuses on Torah-Themed Quilts and the revival of the Ladino language  
 
(Washington, D.C., Sept. 17, 2019)-- Israeli Olympic hopeful Beatie Deutsch, also known as “Speedy Beatie,” isn’t your typical runner – and not only because she has five children. Deutsch, 29, is also the first ultra-Orthodox woman to become a competitive marathon runner. In the fall issue of B’nai B’rith Magazine,  “‘Speedy Beatie,’ Ultra-Orthodox Runner, is Off to the Races,” readers will learn about this extraordinary woman’s extraordinary achievements.
 
And from one type of racetrack to another, we also focus on an Israeli racecar driver. When 27-year-old Alon Day was growing up, motorsports were illegal in Israel. Day defied the odds to participate in racecar competitions around the world. In 2017, he became the first-ever Israeli to participate in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
 
Ladino, the language of the Sephardic Diaspora, is undergoing an academic and cultural revival. Modern Ladino enthusiasts are promoting the language with Ladino-language newspapers, digital versions of musical recordings and even a newly established International Ladino Day in New York City.
 
Anita Rabinoff-Goldman spent a year studying every Torah portion and accompanying commentaries to create a 54-piece contemporary quilt collection, “Seeing Torah.” You can view some of the intricate quilt illustrations in our cover story, “Seeing Torah: A Visual Exploration.”
 
In his President’s Column, Charles O. Kaufman details some of the mitzvot that members and supporters of B’nai B’rith perform around the world every day. At the International Council conference in Portugal, attendees learned about locals who performed righteous deeds, including Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a Portuguese diplomat responsible for saving the lives of thousands of Jews fleeing the Holocaust.
 
B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin devotes this issue’s column to the modern fight against anti-Semitism in all its forms. Mariaschin showcases B’nai B’rith’s successful call for the appointment of a U.S. State Department envoy for monitoring and combatting anti-Semitism and its participation in the “Summit on Combatting Anti-Semitism” convened by the Justice Department.
 
In our About Seniors column, we focus on the bricks, mortar, volunteers and professionals – a combination vital to ensuring safe and affordable housing.
 
Read those stories and so much more in the fall issue of B’nai B’rith Magazine, available 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
 

B’nai B’rith International Director of Latin American Affairs Eduardo Kohn spoke at the World Zionist Organization’s (WZO) Latin American Conference on Anti-Semitism in Santiago, Chile. The conference was held from Sept. 6 to Sept. 8.
 
Kohn delivered a presentation on “Anti-Semitism in Latin America and the Contexts Around It.” Some 150 Jewish professional and lay leaders from around the region also participated, including leaders affiliated with the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
 
The conference was convened by WZO Vice President Yaakov Hagoel, who arrived from Israel to host the event.

Protecting Global Jewish Communities Against Anti-Semitism Is A Top Priority
 
(Washington, D.C., Sept. 4, 2019)--The U.S. prioritizes fighting global anti-Semitism through the bipartisan-created State Department post of the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism. On the latest episode of the B’nai B’rith podcast, CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin talks with Elan Carr, who ascended to the post in February, about the vital need for this position.  
 
What’s truly unique about the role is that it has a proactive side, the “to combat” part of the description.  
 
Carr emphasizes that he sees his first priority as ensuring the day-to-day safety of Jews around the world. “If a community cannot feel safe; if you can’t leave the house and know that you’re going to come back in one piece, or send your kids to school and know that they’re safe, there is no quality of life. It is intolerable to live in such a place,” says Carr. “So what we’re looking at is to make sure Jewish assets are protected. In countries, especially where Jews are being attacked on the streets, and there are no shortages of examples of that, protecting Jewish assets and making sure that Jews are safe and protected is number one.”
 
Carr views part of his job as promoting the view that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. “Part of this whole fight is to carry the message [that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism] to every capital and to every campus…to make sure that everyone understands what anti-Semitism is and what the stakes are, and what the enormous costs can be if we don’t fight it,” says Carr.  
 
Prior to his appointment as the special envoy, Carr served in the United States military and in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office as a deputy district attorney.
 
Click here for Episode 55 of the B’nai B’rith Podcast.
 
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., August 19, 2019)--When progressive Zionists found themselves shut out of many conversations on the left, Amanda Berman took action. She’s the founder and executive director of the Zioness Movement, which calls itself “progressive, Zionist, and proud,” standing as Jews, for social justice and fighting oppression.  
 
Berman joined B’nai B’rith CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin on the B’nai B’rith Podcast to talk about the coalition she has built for Zionists who hold progressive values and ideals to have a seat at a united table fighting for the rights of oppressed minority groups.
 
“The American Jewish community is overwhelmingly committed to the political left, to the advancement of social justice and to progress for all of the different issues that we care about - and we are also Zionists,” says Berman.
 
As a civil rights attorney, she has fought anti-Semitism through the courts, challenging businesses and universities in the face of anti-Semitic policies.
 
Berman and Mariaschin discuss the work of Zioness at a time when the political environment is becoming increasingly hostile to the Jewish state. According to Berman, “There is a weaponization of anti-Semitism and of support for Israel that is becoming a major political force in terms of this litmus test…where progressive credibility is often connected to one’s willingness to bash Israel.”
 
Click here for Episode 54 of the B’nai B’rith Podcast.
 
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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Israel Prize Winner Yehoram Gaon to be Honored for Fostering Israel-Diaspora Relations Through the Arts

(Jerusalem, June 25, 2019)--Deborah E. Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University, Atlanta, will deliver the keynote address at the 27th Annual B'nai B'rith World Center Award for Journalism on "Old Wine in New Bottles: Antisemitism in the Contemporary World." The event noting outstanding journalism in Israel will take place at 7:30 p.m. July 3rd at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. You can stream the ceremony live here.

Lipstadt writes on the Holocaust and contemporary Jewish life. In her best-known book, “History on Trial” (2005), Lipstadt chronicled the London courtroom battle that erupted when English author David Irving, a Holocaust denier, filed a libel suit against her in the United Kingdom for having called him a Holocaust denier. After a 10-week trial, Irving lost his case, and the proceedings exposed the true depth of his association with neo-Nazi groups. “History on Trial” became the basis for the critically acclaimed 2016 feature film “Denial,” starring Rachel Weisz. 

Her recent book, “Antisemitism: Here and Now” (2019), addresses the ever-present danger of anti-Semitic hatred and violence.  It has already been translated into German and Hebrew and was an Amazon best-seller. 

Winners of the 2019 Award for Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage, in memory of Wolf and Hilda Matsdorf, are Antonia Yamin, chief Europe correspondent for KAN - Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (for broadcast media), and Zvika Klein, Jewish World correspondent for Makor Rishon and NRG360 (for print media). A certificate of merit in memory of Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky will be conferred on Attila Somfalvi, lead anchor of ynet news.

A special citation for Fostering Israel-Diaspora Relations through the Arts will be presented to singer, actor and Israel Prize laureate Yehoram Gaon.

Yamin will receive the award for a series of reports on Jewish life in Great Britain and Austria and on anti-Semitism in Germany. Klein will receive the award for his series Distant Relatives that explored Israel and Jewish American relations. Somfalvi will receive a certificate of merit for a series of reports and commentaries on the relationship between Israel and American Jewry.

Gaon, 2004 Israel Prize winner for Hebrew song, is an iconic Israeli singer, actor, producer, TV and radio host and public figure. Throughout a career that has spanned six decades, Gaon has been responsible for countless hit songs, plays and movies that have become woven into the common culture of Israel and Diaspora Jewry. The son of an educator and historian, Gaon has taken profound interest in promoting Jewish historical themes and in engaging with Jewish audiences around the world. Gaon’s civic career also shows a profound dedication to Sephardic and Ladino heritage. 

Keynote speaker Lipstadt founded the Institute for Jewish Studies at Emory University, serving as its first director from 1998-2008, and directs the Holocaust Denial on Trial website, which contains transcripts and other materials from the Irving trial as well as scholarly materials that offer answers to frequent claims made by deniers. Lipstadt was a historical consultant to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and helped design the section of the museum focused on the American response to the Holocaust. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs has awarded her its highest honor, the Albert D. Chernin Award, given to “an American Jew whose work best exemplifies the social justice imperatives of Judaism, Jewish history and the protection of the Bill of Rights.” 

The distinguished members of the award jury are: Professor Yehudith Auerback, School of Communications, Bar Ilan University; Professor Sergio DellaPergola, the Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University; Sallai Meridor, international chairman, Jerusalem Foundation, former Israeli ambassador to the United States, former chairman of the Zionist Executive and Jewish Agency; Professor Gabriela Shalev, Higher Academic Council, Ono Academic College and former ambassador of Israel to the United Nations; Yair Sheleg, columnist; Asher Weill, publisher and editor of ARIEL-The Israel Review of Arts and Letters from 1981-2003.

Since its establishment in 1992, the B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism has recognized excellence in reporting on contemporary Diaspora Jewish communities and on the state of Israel-Diaspora relations in the Israeli print, broadcast and online media. The award is widely recognized as the most prestigious prize in the Israeli media industry for Diaspora reportage and was established to help strengthen the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora. The award highlights the important contributions the media can make toward strengthening the relationship between Israel and world Jewry by encouraging quality reporting on Diaspora communities and Israel-Diaspora relations.
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The B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage is named for the late Wolf Matsdorf and his wife Hilda. Wolf Matsdorf was an editor of the World Center-Jerusalem’s journal “Leadership Briefing” and a journalist in Israel and Australia. Hilda Matsdorf was a pioneer in social work in both Australia and Israel. The award is made possible through donations from the Matsdorf family and B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem board member Daniel Schydlowsky.
 
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

B’nai B’rith International welcomes the announcement by the European Commission that it will name a coordinator for combating anti-Semitism. The new official will report to Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans, who will serve as special envoy for countering anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
 
B’nai B’rith and other civil society groups had urged the European Union to appoint an official to oversee the effort to fight anti-Semitism.
 
The continued growth of anti-Semitism across Europe requires an EU-wide approach to dealing with the problem. The appointment of a special envoy and coordinator on anti-Semitism is an important step in this direction.
 
We pledge to work closely with EU officials to ensure that the work of the Commission and the European Parliament yields positive results in tackling anti-Semitism.