​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
 

Summer 2019 issue also focuses on the legacy of visa forger Joseph Rubinsky, whose exploits allowed Jewish refugees to escape the Holocaust, and the newly uncovered history of the Kitchener Camp, which rescued thousands of Jewish men from Certain Death in Germany
 
(Washington, D.C., June 24, 2019)--Prompted by a surge in anti-Semitic incidents and hate crimes, almost 50,000 French Jews have made aliyah to Israel in the last five years. However, although French immigrants to Israel are commonly assumed to be well-educated and easily able to assimilate, they face new challenges once they reach the Jewish state. In Au Revoir, France. Bienvenue, Israel: French Immigrants Making Aliyah, we see what awaits arrivals from France in Israel.
 
Joseph Rubinsky saved thousands of Jews from a grim fate in Europe by providing them with false visas to escape. His fake visas did not come cheaply; he charged desperate refugees high fees for his services, and repeatedly ran into trouble with the law. Was Rubinsky a hero or a villain?
 
For more than 80 years, the Kitchener Camp, which allowed thousands of German Jewish men to find refuge in England, was almost unknown. Today, descendants of those saved, known as “Kitchener Kids,” are trying to change that by unearthing historical records and publicizing them.  
 
Also in this issue, the incredible tales of derring-do of the Jews accompanying Admiral Richard Byrd on his expeditions to the Poles.
 
B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin devotes this issue’s column, Friends in Deed, to real friends of the Jewish people – those allies who choose to make a difference for the Jewish people, even if that choice is difficult or unpopular.  
 
In his President’s Column, Charles O. Kaufman also writes about friends of the Jewish people – this time, nations that ally with or otherwise support the State of Israel. He details how, even within the hostile environments that Israel must deal with at international bodies like the United Nations there are signs of hope.  
 
Read those stories and so much more in the summer 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
​

Summer 2015 Issue Also Examines Integrated Jewish-Arab Schools in Israel

The roots of American-Jewish theater spring from Yiddish immigrant culture. Recent headlines, however, have focused on controversies in the Washington, D.C. scene.

But there is much more to the story. Today, the art form is thriving and evolving into new forms. Increasingly, efforts like the Jewish Plays Project competition search for emerging artists and plays seek to engage the Jewish community. Writer Barbara Blank explores the past, present and future of American-Jewish theater.

State-supported Hand in Hand operates five Israeli schools with 1,100 Jewish and Arab students learning together.  Writer Michele Chabin examines the challenges the schools face as they continue their mission of creating a more inclusive society.
B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs explains the organization’s ongoing role at the United Nations to counter the U.N.’s blatant bias against Israel.

Through the use of personal stories, B’nai B’rith Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin reminds us to honor Holocaust survivors and to keep alive the memories of those we’ve lost.

Joined by a similar love for country, Christian and Jewish Zionists in Israel seem to find a common bond. While some Christians in Israel seek to convert Jews, most see their mission as one of religious purpose and cultural understanding. Writer Hillel Kuttler tells the stories of these Christian Zionists living in Israel, shining a light on their incredible journeys. 

B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith welcomes a new Spanish law that would allow descendants of Sephardic Jews to apply for citizenship.  

This is an important gesture acknowledging not only the expulsion of Jews from 15th Century Spain, but also the importance of Jewish heritage to the country’s history. 

In recent years, the Spanish foreign ministry has established Casa Sefarad to promote Sephardic Jewish culture worldwide. The organization describes itself as “a bridge between Spain and the Jewish world,” and has run important cross-cultural programs.

Citizenship will not be awarded automatically. Applicants will have to certify their Sephardic ancestry during the online application process, and will have to pass language and history proficiency tests. The law will allow applicants to retain their current country of citizenship.

We are pleased that Spain’s Jewish community will be involved in the process of vetting applications, as their participation can be helpful in optimizing the law’s implementation.
 

Click here to read B’nai B’rith’s analysis of this topic from May:
http://www.bnaibrith.org/expert-analysis/five-centuries-later-spain-making-amends-with-jewish-community


Click here to read “The Jews of Spain” from the winter 2014 issue of B’nai B’rith Magazine: http://www.bnaibrith.org/magazine-articles/the-jews-of-spain-once-many-now-few-and-under-the-radar

The Simon Rockower Jewish Journalism Awards, presented annually by the American Jewish Press Association, recognize the best in Jewish journalism. This year, B’nai B’rith Magazine was honored to win two awards. 

To view and read the award-winning entries, please click the links below:

Winter 2014 Issue Also Highlights the Jews of Spain and the Kosher Food Boom

In the face of seemingly endless conflict, Israeli hospitals continue to provide Syrian and Palestinian patients with high-quality, low-cost medical care. Writer Michele Chabin speaks with many of the medical professionals and patients. She reports that the patients, many of them children, receive high-quality, affordable care.

The Israeli institutions do this as an expression of “tikkun olam”—the Jewish commitment to repair the world. Medical personnel treat many patients with life-threatening conditions, transcending politics and national boundaries.

Elsewhere in the issue, writer Miranda Spivack explores why Spain has been largely immune to the anti-Semitic incidents and anti-Israel protests that spread across Europe this year. There is even talk of granting citizenship to Sephardic Jews who can prove ancestral links to Spain, thereby recognizing and making amends for its historic persecution dating back to the Inquisition and expulsion order of 1492.

The kosher food business in the United States—valued at more than $12.5 billion annually—is booming, according to writer Uriel Heilman, who reports that most of the customers for kosher food today are non-Jews looking for healthier, higher quality products.

B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs devotes his column to Chanukah’s rich history and reviews the many accomplishments of B’nai B’rith this calendar year.

In his regular column, B’nai B’rith Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin discusses B’nai B’rith’s recent Policy Forum in Panama and the organization’s fight against anti-Semitism in Latin America.

Rachel Goldberg, B’nai B’rith’s director of aging policy, in her “About Seniors” section advises readers on how to prepare financially for retirement and discusses the growing issue of a retirement deficit.

All this and more can be found in the current issue of B’nai B’rith Magazine.

And for exclusive digital content, visit the magazine website: www.bnaibrith.org/magazines