(Washington, D.C., Dec. 23, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement: 

The B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem and the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers during the Holocaust inducted seven new recipients of their joint Jewish Rescuers Citation at a meeting on Dec. 17, bringing the number of recognized rescuers to 341 since the inception of the citation in 2011. Only one of the recipients—Professor Simon Raymond Schwarzfuchs (age 93), who was active in the Jewish underground in France in rescuing Jews and fighting the Nazis—is still alive, in Jerusalem. 

The other, posthumous, inductees: 

Shalom (Simcha) Zorin (1902–1974) was a Jewish Soviet partisan commander in Minsk. 
While hiding in the forest, he established a partisan unit that gave refuge to Jewish families fleeing the ghettos. Some 500 Jews survived the war thanks to Zorin. 

​Peretz (1927-2013) and Zalman (1929-1996) Hochman were bothers who were 10 and 12 when their native Warsaw was invaded by the Germans in 1939. They escaped the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943 to the Aryan side where they survived the war as members of a band of Jewish children who posed as non-Jews, interacting with the Nazi occupiers and peddling cigarettes in Three Crosses Square near Gestapo headquarters. In the course of their ordeal and despite their young age, they endangered their lives to help two other Jews survive. 

Dr. Alina Brewda-Bialostocka (1905-1988) served as a gynecologist and obstetrician in the Warsaw Ghetto, in the Majdanek concentration camp and in Auschwitz where she became known as the “angel of Block 10.” She took advantage of her position to save many Jewish women from death, risking her own life. 

David Dadu Rosenkranz (1905-1965) was a lawyer and leader in the war-time Jewish community in Romania. Along with Fred Saraga and Itschak Artzi (who were recognized in the past with the Jewish Rescuers Citation), Rosenkranz lead three dangerous missions in 1943 and 1944 to Transnistria, an area of German-occupied Ukraine given by Hitler to his ally, Romanian General Ion Antonescu, where hundreds of thousands of local and deported Jews lived in appalling conditions. Rosenkranz brought physical aid and succeeded in repatriating some 3,000 Jews to Romania, including nearly 500 orphans. 

Rachel Ida Lifchitz (1917-2003) was a social worker in Paris who worked until World War II in the Rothschild family’s philanthropic enterprises for Jewish children. During the German occupation of France, Lifchitz worked for the Nazi-appointed central Jewish organization U.G.I.F. while clandestinely rescuing Jewish children and hiding them with non-Jewish families in association with WIZO, the Women’s International Zionist Organization. 
The Jewish Rescuers Citation was established to help correct the generally held misconception that Jews failed to come to the aid of fellow Jews during the Holocaust. To date 341 heroes who risked their lives in attempts to rescue fellow Jews in Germany, Austria and across Nazi-allied or occupied Europe have been honored with the citation. 

Until the Jewish Rescuer Citation, there had been virtually no attention paid to the phenomena of Jewish rescue. Even with 341 honorees, we still are working to bring more attention to these heroes. 

Many who could have tried to flee preferred to stay and rescue others; some paid for it with their lives. With great heroism, Jews in every country in occupied Europe employed subterfuge, forgery, smuggling, concealment and other methods to ensure that Jews survived the Holocaust, or assisted them in escaping to a safe heaven, and in doing so foiled the Nazi goal of total genocide against the Jews. 

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.

Winners for 2020 are: Branu Tegene and Danny Kushmaro of Channel 12 News and former Haaretz correspondent Dina Kraft. Tegene, a correspondent, and  news anchor Kushmaro received the award in the broadcast media category for a five-part series entitled "Mefotzalim" (Split Up: The Story of the Ethiopian Jewish Community) that follows the lives of Jewish Ethiopians left behind after the community's mass immigration to Israel, members of their family in Israel and their reunion in Ethiopia. Kraft received the award for print media in memory of Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky for articles on Jewish communities in the United States and Great Britain.

A special citation for Fostering Israel-Diaspora Relations through the Arts was presented to Shalva Band, which rose to fame after entering the finals on the Israeli TV show, "Rising Star." The program determines the act that will represent Israel in the Eurovision song competition, held in Israel in 2019. The band’s inspiring guest performance at the Eurovision semi-finals brought the band international acclaim and invitations to perform around the world and in Jewish communities. The citation was established in 2014. Former winners are singers and songwriters Nurit Hirsh, David D’Or, Idan Raichel, David Broza and Yehoram Gaon.

In her address Minister of Aliya and Integration Pnina Tameno Shete stressed how important it is that the story of the Jewish people and the Jewish communities around the world will be told and will have a presence in Israeli society. She said “The vision as I see it is to know that there is a covenant between us as a Jewish people, and this is not dependent on where we live and where we are. As it says ‘All of Israel are responsible for one another.’” The minister added “For the Jewish story to be complete it must be told more in the press, in the school system and beyond. We have the obligation and the responsibility to place this at the front of the stage, exactly like this award by B’nai B’rith—an organization that does holy work in strengthening the connection between the Jewish of Israel and the Diaspora.” The minister told that “This Saturday night—in line with the series ‘Split Up’ for which journalists Dany Kushmaro and Brano Tegene won the award—I will fly to Ethiopia and begin the implementation of one of the national tasks that I have set for myself—the immigration of those waiting in Ethiopia. In about a week I will return to Israel with two planeloads of Olim—this is the realization of the Zionist dream in its purest sense.”

CEO of B'nai B'rith International Daniel S. Mariaschin, and the Chairman of the B'nai B'rith World Center Dr. Haim Katz, delivered videotaped greetings on the importance of the Journalism Award, presented for the 28th year, in strengthening the connection between Israel and Diaspora Jewry. Alan Schneider, director of the B'nai B'rith World Center initiated and moderated the event.

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.

The distinguished members of the award jury are: Ya'akov Ahimeir, past editor and anchor, Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation and Lifetime Achievement Award winner for 2016; Professor Yehudith Auerbach, School of Communication, Bar Ilan University; Professor Sergio DellaPergola, The Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University; Sallai Meridor, former Israeli ambassador to the United States and former chairman of the Zionist Executive and Jewish Agency for Israel; Professor Gabriela Shalev, Higher Academic Council, Ono Academic College and former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations; journalist Yair Sheleg; Asher Weill, publisher and editor of “Ariel” The Israel Review of Arts and Letters (1981-2003).

The awards are presented in memory of the late Wolf Matsdorf, editor of the World Center-Jerusalem’s journal “Leadership Briefing” and a journalist in Israel and Australia, and his wife, Hilda, a pioneer in social work in both Australia and Israel, and in memory of Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky. The award is made possible through donations from the Matsdorf family and B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem board member Daniel Schydlowsky.

For further information contact:
Golan Yossifon, Media advisor, 052-5625135
Alan Schneider, Director, B'nai B'rith World Center, 052-5536441, aschneider@bnaibrith.org


You can find media coverage of the award below:
• https://telavivinet.blogspot.com/2020/11/2020_19.html
• https://www.jpost.com/opinion/grapevine-november-20-2020-happy-birthday-mr-president-elect-649650
• https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/11/19/shalva-band-honored-with-top-media-award/
• http://tourneto.com/he-20201119-shalva-bnei-brith-award/?lang=he
•http://www.diplomacy.co.il/frontpage/4454-a-special-citation-of-b-nai-b-rith-for-fostering-israel-diaspora-relations-through-the-arts-will-be-presented-to-shalva-band-at-b-nai-brith-world-center-jerusalem-award
• http://tarbut-art.blogspot.com/2020/11/blog-post_18.html
• https://www.jpost.com/opinion/grapevine-november-18-2020-not-quite-as-bad-as-we-thought-649403
• https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/shalva-band-to-be-honored-with-citation-for-firming-diaspora-relations-649786
• http://www.ice.co.il/media/news/article/795093
•https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/shalva-band-gets-bnai-brith-citation-for-fostering-israel-diaspora-relations/2020/11/22/
• https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israel-and-the-diaspora-we-must-find-our-way-back-to-each-other/
• https://www.mako.co.il/news-israel/2020_q4/Article-967de686e4ef571027.htm

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.

Branu Tegene and Danny Kushmaro (Channel 12 News) and Dina Kraft (Haaretz) Recognized

(Jerusalem, May 6, 2020)--B’nai B’rith International has announced the winners of the 2020 B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage: Branu Tegene and Danny Kushmaro of Channel 12 News and Haaretz correspondent Dina Kraft.

Tegene, a correspondent for Channel 12 news, and  news anchor Kushmaro will receive the award in the broadcast media category in memory of Wolf and Hilda Matsdorf for a 5-part series entitled "Mefotzalim" (Split Up: The Story of the Ethiopian Jewish Community) that follows the lives of Jewish Ethiopians left behind after the community's mass immigration to Israel, members of their family in Israel and their reunion in Ethiopia (link here). Kraft will receive the award for print media in memory of Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky for articles on Jewish communities in the United States and Great Britain (The Pittsburgh Playbook; How a Community Began to Heal ; The Status of Anti-Semitism in Contemporary America and Britain.) 

B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Chairman Haim Katz and Director Alan Schneider noted that "Even in the trying times when Israel and Jewish communities around the world are focused on facing the medical, social and economic fallout of the coronavirus epidemic, efforts must continue to maintain and strengthen the relationship between Israel and Diaspora communities around the world. The B'nai B'rith World Center-Jerusalem remains dedicated to that mission through the Award for Journalism and other significant programs that have been adapted to fit our new reality".
​
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.

The distinguished members of the award jury are: Ya'akov Ahimeir, past editor and anchor, Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation and Lifetime Achievement Award winner for 2016; Professor Yehudith Auerbach, School of Communication, Bar Ilan University; Professor Sergio DellaPergola, The Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University; Sallai Meridor, former Israeli ambassador to the United States and former chairman of the Zionist Executive and Jewish Agency for Israel; Professor Gabriela Shalev, Higher Academic Council, Ono Academic College and former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations; journalist Yair Sheleg; Asher Weill, publisher and editor of “Ariel” The Israel Review of Arts and Letters (1981-2003).
 
The Awards are presented in memory of the late Wolf Matsdorf, editor of the World Center-Jerusalem’s journal “Leadership Briefing” and a journalist in Israel and Australia, and his wife Hilda, a pioneer in social work in both Australia and Israel, and in memory of Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky. 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.

 (Tel Aviv, Jan. 14, 2020)--The Philippine Embassy in Israel, in partnership with the B'nai B'rith World Center-Jerusalem, will be holding "Safe Haven: Jewish Refugees in the Philippines," a commemorative event to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, on Jan. 27 at the Balai Quezon. Ambassador of the Philippines to Israel Neal Imperial will deliver opening remarks.
​
The event, which focuses on Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon's landmark "Open Doors Policy" offering safe haven in the Philippines to Jewish people fleeing the Holocaust in Europe, will feature a panel discussion with Imperial and Professor Robert Rockaway of Tel Aviv University, as well as screenings of excerpts from ABS-CBN iWANT documentary “The Last Manilaners” and Star Cinema's feature film on Quezon's decision to accept Jewish refugees, “Quezon's Game.”
 
Max Weissler and Margot Pins Kestenbaum, the two "Manilaners" still living in Israel, will attend the event as special guests.
 
From 1937 to 1941, Quezon extended visas to Jewish refugees who sought to escape the growing terror of the Holocaust in Europe. This policy, which came to be known as the "Open Doors Policy," led to the entry of close to 1,300 Jewish refugees to the Philippines, where they settled in Manila - leading them to refer to themselves, fondly, as "Manilaners.”  This little-known part of the shared history between Filipinos and the Jewish people was first brought to light in Frank Ephraim's book “Escape to Manila” and has since become the foundation of bilateral relations between the Philippines and the State of Israel.
 
Balai Quezon, the Philippine Embassy's cultural center, was inaugurated in 2019 to build awareness of Quezon's policy and its impact on Philippine-Israel relations.
 
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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(Jerusalem, Nov. 25, 2019)--The Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jews who Rescued Fellow Jews during the Holocaust and B'nai B'rith World Center – Jerusalem will present tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 26, the Jewish Rescuers Citation posthumously to Rabbi Nathan Cassuto, chief rabbi of Florence and head of the Jewish underground in Florence during the Holocaust, and Matilda Cassin, a member of the underground. In a unique example of Jewish-Christian cooperation, the group, which included Jews and Christian clergy, endangered their lives to arrange hideouts for hundreds of Jews in Catholic institutions and homes while the Nazis and Fascists sought to capture and deport them to concentration camps.  
 
The citation will be presented to Asher Vardi, son of Matilda Cassin, and David Cassuto, son of Rabbi Nathan Cassuto.
 
The event will take place at 6 p.m. under the sponsorship of Hevra't Yehud'e Italia Beisrael at the Italian Synagogue, 25 Hillel St., Jerusalem. The date marks 76 years to the day after Cassuto, Don Leto Casini  and other members of their rescue group were arrested by the SS at the Azione Cattolica headquarters in Florence. Cassuto was deported to Auschwitz, where he died. Cassin gave herself up to the police in order to free her family that had been arrested, remaining in custody until January 1944, when she was released, escaping later to Switzerland.
 
Speakers at the event include Sergio DellaPergola, president, Hevra't Yehud'e Italia Beisrael; Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, O.F.M, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem; H.E. Gianluigi Benedetti, Italian ambassador to Israel; Haim Roet, chairman of the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jews who Rescued Fellow Jews During the Holocaust; and Alan Schneider, director, B'nai B'rith World Center-Jerusalem and secretary of the Jewish Rescuer Sub-Committee, who will present the citation.
 
For further information, please contact Alan Schneider at 972-52-5536441 or aschneider@bnaibrith.org.
 
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
​

(Jerusalem, Nov. 21, 2019)--B’nai B’rith International and Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) hosted in the Jewish state a group of eight foreign ambassadors and representatives serving their countries at the U.N. Human Rights Council and other U.N. bodies in Geneva.
 
Israeli Ambassador in Geneva Aviva Raz Shechter; Alan Schneider, director of the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem; and B’nai B’rith International Director of U.N. and Intercommunal Affairs David Michaels devised the intensive program and accompanied the diplomats, who represented the Czech Republic, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Slovakia, Togo, Burkina Faso and Cameroon, for the week-long visit.
 
The week began with a gala dinner attended by B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Chairman Haim Katz, U.N. Affairs Chair Millie Magid and her husband, Larry Magid, and ambassadors posted in Israel. The program included meetings with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, MFA Deputy Director General Alon Bar, former Vice President of the Supreme Court Elyakim Rubinstein, Head of the Israel Innovation Authority Ami Appelbaum, Knesset members Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh and Avi Hauser and Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs President Ambassador Dore Gold, among others, including victims of terror attacks and providers of humanitarian services. They visited the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza and Gaza-border communities, Israel’s borders with Syria and Lebanon, Jerusalem’s Old City, Yad Vashem, the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation and the Druze village of Isfiya.
 
The purpose of the visit was to further expose the senior diplomats to the complex geopolitical circumstances of the State of Israel in the region and to its diverse and dynamic society. The U.N. Human Rights Council has long constituted one of the most hostile multilateral forums toward the State of Israel. President Rivlin – who met privately with the group in the midst of intensive coalition maneuverings – emphasized his own roots in Jerusalem.
 
 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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​(Jerusalem, November 13, 2019)-- The Israel-Hellenic Forum convened yesterday for the first time in Jerusalem. The meeting was moderated by Alan Schneider, director of the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem, and George N. Tzogopoulos, senior research fellow, Centre International de Formation Européenne (CIFE); research associate, Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA); and lecturer, Democritus University of Thrace, who co-founded the forum. The meeting continues today and tomorrow, concluding with a visit to Yad Vashem.
 
B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin gave remarks at the opening session.
 
“It is our firm belief that the challenges facing Israel, Greece and Cyprus make it incumbent upon those who seek to promote a peaceful, inclusive and tolerant eastern Mediterranean to promote this notion to civil society, in academia and to the public at large,” said Schneider.
 
More than 30 prominent journalists and academics from Greece and Cyprus are taking part in the historic meeting. Among the senior participants: Ioannis Kasoulidis, former foreign minister of Cyprus; Cypriot MP Eleni Stavrou; Hon. Thessalia S. Shambos, ambassador of Cyprus to Israel; Ms. Stavorula Deli, charge d’affaires, Embassy of Greece in Israel; and Prof. Aristides Hatzis of the University of Athens.
 
Sessions include the strategic importance of the Mediterranean democratic bloc; the regional economy; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; national security policy under Israel’s new government; the relationship between Israel and the United States; innovation, tourism and humanitarian aid; the emerging new paradigm in Israel’s relationships with Arab states; and Greek-Jewish relations.
 
Established by the B’nai B’rith World Center – Jerusalem, the Israel-Hellenic Forum is envisioned as a setting for discussion and action by Israeli, Greek, Cypriot and related academics, intellectuals and other public figures who have shown support in the public sphere for the burgeoning relationship solidified in recent years between these three countries – reflected in the regular tripartite meetings between their leaders and the flourishing state-to-state relations. The forum was created in close consultation with B’nai B’rith in Greece and with Israeli experts.
 
The meeting and further actions – including the creation of an online publication – will be developed in cooperation with the participants, with the aim of also addressing lingering prejudices and other obstacles to greater acceptance among the peoples of these three democracies in the eastern Mediterranean.
 
B’nai B’rith has long been dedicated to advancing Hellenic-Jewish relations and has maintained a local chapter in Greece for more than 100 years. In just the last six years, we have held a number of conferences and missions focusing on the trilateral Israel-Greece-Cyprus relationship, including several with our Hellenic-American partners the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations.  
  
For further details, please contact:
 
Golan Yossifon, press contact, B'nai B'rith – 052-5625135
 
Alan Schneider, director of B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem - 052-5536441 or aschneider@bnaibrith.org
 
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