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:

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

B’nai B’rith lauds the overwhelmingly bipartisan Senate vote in favor of mandating Congressional oversight of the nuclear agreement the United States and its partners are negotiating with Iran.

The United States Congress has an important and legitimate role in reviewing any measure involving lifting sanctions against Tehran.

The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act provides a necessary structure for Congressional involvement. Given the high stakes of the nuclear talks, the global impact of their outcome and the many uncertainties that lie ahead as a final deal is negotiated, it is critical that Congress plays an active role.

Though a final negotiating deadline is set for next month, the framework agreement reached between Tehran and the P5+1 negotiating partners (the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Germany and Russia) in April has many troubling aspects.

B’nai B’rith has long been skeptical of the framework agreement’s ability to increase Iran’s nuclear breakout time from three months to a year, given the regime’s unwavering determination to continue enrichment and its history of evading inspections. Tehran has a decades-long record of obfuscation regarding its nuclear activities. There is no reason to believe now that it will stick to the parameters of an agreement.

We are encouraged by the Senate’s decisive action and urge the House of Representatives to promptly follow suit.  

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

The horrific murders of 147 people in Kenya, most of them Christian college students, are a frightening reminder of the dangers of Islamic extremism.

On April 2, the Somalia-based Islamic militant group al-Shabab infiltrated Garissa University College to begin a murderous rampage. Over the course of the 15-hour siege, they targeted Christians.

Global terror fueled by religious intolerance is a growing plague. In parts of Africa and across the Middle East, assaults on free societies in the name of religion are growing. As we work to combat intolerance, we must all endeavor to remember the names, lives and families behind the raw numbers reported after such a tragedy.

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

In the wake of the announced framework of a deal between the United States, its five negotiating partners, and Tehran on the Iranian nuclear program, B’nai B’rith International believes there are still many questions surrounding the outcome—questions involving the viability of the deal and whether the notoriously sinister and secretive Iranian government will honor the terms in good faith.

B’nai B’rith is skeptical of the agreement’s ability to increase Iran’s nuclear breakout time from three months to a year, given the regime’s unwavering determination to continue enrichment and its history of evading inspections. The current deal, negotiated by the P5+1 (United States, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom), follows more than 20 years of deception by the regime in Tehran. If it was truly negotiated in good faith, then why did Iran run out the clock as the deadline approached?  

We thank Secretary of State John Kerry and his team for their hard work over many, many months. But we still remain concerned.

Iran’s credibility has already been severely strained by its track record of saying one thing and acting on the complete opposite. Iran has always opposed international “interference” in the Syrian civil war, all the while supporting the Syrian government with troops and supplies. In the current conflict in Yemen, Tehran has taken the same stance, while simultaneously backing one side. These are just a few of many examples of Iran’s deceitful and aggressive behavior, a list which also includes Iran’s many ventures as the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.

The framework deal calls for a reduction of Iran’s installed centrifuges by two-thirds of its current capacity, but Iran’s actions during negotiations seemingly offer a clear blueprint for how it would act once a deal is in place. Even under the preliminary agreement, the regime has continued to enrich and stockpile uranium, build centrifuges, defy the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other inspection requests from the international community, pursue plans to build intercontinental ballistic missiles and hide the military dimensions of its nuclear program. Will Tehran truly allow for the transparency of its nuclear sites with comprehensive inspections by the IAEA? We also question whether the Iranians will actually convert their clandestine enrichment center at Fordow into a center for nuclear physics and technology research, or whether they will downgrade their heavy-water reactor in Arak.

While Iranian double-speak is a legitimate concern, what’s even more disturbing is the regime’s straightforward talk when it comes to Israel. Just a few days ago a commander in the Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, said that erasing Israel off the map” is “nonnegotiable”—a horribly frightening statement as negotiations were in the penultimate stage.

The incendiary remarks, obviously, don’t stop there. Several months ago, Iranian General Mohammad Ali Jafari said: “The range of (our) missiles covers all of Israel today. That means the fall of the Zionist regime, which will certainly come soon.” Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei even stated that same month: “Whether a nuclear agreement is achieved or not, Israel will be more insecure each day.”

With a June 30 deadline set for a final deal, B’nai B’rith will be monitoring the specifics of the deal that are released in the coming months. B’nai B’rith urges Congress to carefully and stringently review the agreement during that time as well. A nuclear-ready Iran has consequences that would resonate far beyond Israel and the United States. Given the uncertainties of the deal and the enormity of the stakes, we hope that both parties in Congress will make their voices heard, as both the administration and Congress must play an active role in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

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

Well before last week’s attack on a kosher market in Paris that left four Jews dead, 37 countries sent a letter to the president of the United Nations General Assembly expressing concern over “the global outbreak of anti-Semitism” and calling for a session on combating violence and hatred directed toward Jews.

The attack that occurred last week only solidifies the need to have an urgent conversation about anti-Semitism in the world today.

The appeal from countries including the United States, Israel, Canada, Australia and all members of the European Union prompted the U.N. General Assembly to schedule a first-time meeting on anti-Semitism on Jan. 22.

B’nai B’rith International commends this effort by participating countries to take a focused approach to tackling the scourge of global anti-Semitism. 

Bringing this issue to the U.N. General Assembly is one notable step in fighting this pernicious form of hatred and B’nai B’rith will look for it to be built upon with concrete, consistent action by governments, international agencies and civil society. 

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

B’nai B’rith International welcomes President Obama’s attention to specific issues, domestic and international, that we view as priorities.

The president noted his commitment to pursuing diplomatic means to halt Iran’s nuclear weapons development program. We must make it starkly clear to Tehran that the expanded deadline for talks must not merely serve as an opportunity for Iran to continue to build its nuclear program and deceive the world about its weapons-making progress. 

B’nai B’rith has consistently called for maintaining pressure on Iran and keeping all options open. We are pleased the president acknowledged that Iran's nuclear program has implications for the security of both the United States and Israel. But we remain concerned that removing sanctions as an option leaves an open door for Iran’s delaying tactics. 

All options must remain on the table. Keeping up pressure on Iran reinforces a strong U.S. negotiating position.

B’nai B’rith commends the president’s vow to fight terrorism. In light of the recent terror attacks in Paris that left 17 people dead, we support an intensive and unflagging battle to defeat terrorism worldwide.

B’nai B’rith commends the president for noting the American culture of respect for “human dignity” and we were pleased when he went on to say of this respect: “It’s why we speak out against the deplorable anti-Semitism that has resurfaced in certain parts of the world.”

The president acknowledged the long-standing stumbling block that is immigration reform. He noted: “it’s possible to shape a law that upholds our tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.” B’nai B’rith has long supported comprehensive immigration reform. America is a country of immigrants. As such, we must embrace a reform plan.  The White House and Congress must work together. Real cooperation between the two branches is what will lead to a lasting reform.

Social Security is a top priority for B’nai B’rith and we regret more detail on social security challenges were not included in this speech.

In this, the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, we were pleased that the president talked about the most basic of American freedoms. Some of the guarantees contained in that legislation have eroded over time; we need voting rights reform this year to restore full access to the ballot box.

We were pleased to see Alan Gross as an honored guest sitting with the first lady. Gross was freed in December after unjustly spending five years in a Cuban prison.

Of course the State of the Union address merely provides a peek at the president’s top priorities. But it does offer useful insight into where the president, and in turn, Congress, may focus. B’nai B’rith will study details of the president’s plans and will continue to advocate for our top priorities.