(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.

Winter Issue Also Spotlights the Effort to Restore the Run-Down Jewish Cemeteries in Europe

(Washington, D.C., Dec. 7, 2020)—“Oyneg Shabes” — or “Sabbath delight” — is usually associated with a joyful social gathering. But, from 1940 to 1943, the phrase also served as the name for a brave group of Polish Jews who clandestinely gathered materials to chronicle the life of Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland, in the hopes that it would reflect their true history. In the winter issue of B’nai B’rith Magazine, Beryl Lieff Benderly tells the story of this daring group and how its wish – to preserve the record of the persecution of the Jews of Warsaw–  was fulfilled, in her cover story, “Secret Shabes: How the “Sabbath Delight” Hid an Astonishing Archive.”

Also in this issue: Scattered across Eastern Europe are Jewish cemeteries that, for decades, were ravaged and forgotten. Read about the individuals and organizations working tirelessly to locate and restore these cemeteries in the feature story, “Unfinished Business: Restoring Eastern Europe’s Desecrated Jewish Cemeteries.”

Before and after World War II, American diplomats visited Poland following reports of targeted attacks on Polish Jews, only to dismiss or explain away the violence. Hugh Gibson in 1919 and Arthur Bliss Lane in 1946 both saw their primary role to be supporting Poland and ignored the suffering of Polish Jews. In his feature, Kenneth D. Ackerman exemplifies the challenge of recognizing what is legitimate public discourse and what is just a convenient excuse for anti-Semitism.

In his President’s Column, Charles O. Kaufman shares his vivid memories from his first visit to Israel in 1980 and reflects on how Israel has grown and developed from the 1948 declaration of independence, to his first visit to today.
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B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin marks the upcoming 125th anniversary of the seminal pamphlet Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State), written by Theodor Herzl, through an exploration of B’nai B’rith’s long history of contributions and dedication to a strong, united Jewish State.

Read those stories and so much more in the winter 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.

(Washington, D.C., Nov. 16, 2020)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:  

We have sent a letter to CNN expressing our dismay and concern over comments made recently by Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour regarding Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass (also known as the 1938 November Pogroms). Amanpour marked the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht by likening the acts of the Nazis to those of President Trump.  

In our condemnation letter to CNN Executive Vice President of News Standards & Practices Richard Davis, we wrote:  “Kristallnacht marked the beginning of the Holocaust which has, for far too long now, been trivialized by leading pundits, journalists, media outlets, political figures and others in their reckless analogies to political opponents and others. The genocide of more than six million Jews is not to be exploited to make a political point. Whatever criticisms one might have of their opponents, comparisons to Nazi Germany are grievously offensive.”

And we noted: “What’s more, shockingly, Amanpour does not even mention that the victims of Kristallnacht were Jews.”

Read the full letter here.

In response to our letter and criticism from other organizations, Amanpour read a statement to conclude her program on November 16. While this statement addresses her poor judgment, it fails to fully take into account the pain her comparison evokes.

Christiane Amanpour on CNN International, Monday, November 16, 2020:
 
“And finally tonight, a comment on my program at the end of last week. I observed the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht, as I often do – it is the event that began the horrors of the Holocaust. I also noted President Trump's attacks on history, facts, knowledge, and truth. I should not have juxtaposed the two thoughts. Hitler and his evils stand alone, of course, in history. I regret any pain my statement may have caused. My point was to say how democracy can potentially slip away, and how we must always zealously guard our democratic values.”

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., July 29, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
We welcome the release of a State Department report on compliance by countries around the world with their commitments under the Terezin Declaration to provide restitution or compensation for property confiscated during the Holocaust or under communism. Forty-seven countries committed to these actions by signing on to the declaration at the June 2009 Prague Holocaust Era Assets Conference. B’nai B’rith International, as a founding member of the World Jewish Restitution Organization, was present at the conference.
 
“As we mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust and more than 10 years after the adoption of the Terezin Declaration, the legacy of the Nazis’ mass looting and subsequent Communist-era nationalizations of such property, remains largely unaddressed in too many places,” said Secretary of State Michael Pompeo in a statement. “The Report details the critical work that remains to be done to provide a belated measure of justice to Holocaust survivors and their families, and to Jewish communities destroyed by the Holocaust.”
 
The report was released pursuant to the Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today (JUST) Act, which was passed with bipartisan congressional support and became law in May 2018. In addition to cataloguing restitution efforts, the report details countries’ efforts to remember the Holocaust, improve Holocaust education and open archives. We applaud Congress and the State Department for making Holocaust restitution a priority of U.S. foreign policy.  U.S. leadership is essential to the effort to secure justice for Holocaust survivors and their heirs.
 
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., May 14, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:  
 
We commend the Senate for passing the Never Again Holocaust Education Act, which would provide for the creation of a federal fund through the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to train teachers and provide educational resources for Holocaust education. The bill passed the Senate on Wednesday through a voice vote. The House had passed the measure in January.
 
It has been 75 years since the end of the Holocaust. There are not many survivors left to tell their stories.  Holocaust education has never been more vital to ensuring that ‘Never Again’ is not just an empty slogan.  
 
We thank the members of Congress who introduced the bill, on both sides of the aisle and in both houses of Congress: Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.).
 
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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B’nai B’rith Helped Coordinate Events in Various Countries
 
(Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International, in partnership with local Jewish communities, helped coordinate events across Latin America in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
 
Events were held in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
 
In Argentina, a commemoration event at the Foreign Ministry featured keynote speaker Foreign Minister Felipe Sola, who had also attended a global Holocaust remembrance ceremony with world leaders, including President Alberto Fernandez, at Yad Vashem. Solá underlined the importance of having attended the meeting in Israel, the fact that Argentina is the only full Latin American member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), and that his government is fully committed to combating discrimination and anti-Semitism.
 
In Chile, the event was held in the Foreign Ministry and the keynote speaker was Foreign Minister Teodoro Ribera. The Chilean Foreign Minister recognized two Chilean Righteous Among the Nations: Maria Edwards McClure and Samuel del Campo, who "saved innocents from slaughter with bravery."
 
In São Paulo, Brazil, hundreds of attendees crowded one of the largest synagogues to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day. Jewish organizations, including B´nai B´rith, organized the gathering, and the keynote speaker was São Paulo Gov. João Doria.
 
In Uruguay, Congress paid tribute to the victims of the Holocaust in a special session and representatives of all political parties delivered a message. It was relevant news that on the same day, the Uruguayan government announced that Uruguay had adopted the IHRA working definition of anti-Semitism.
 
Former President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and former Iberoamerican Secretary General Enrique Iglesias delivered a very touching speech on national radio and TV on the night of Jan 27th. He will chair a commission of experts that will develop several educational activities during 2020 all over Uruguay, teaching the history of the Shoah and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
 
The National Assembly of Ecuador held a special session to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The Israeli Embassy in Peru is developing a week of events together with the Jewish community.
 
Irene Shashar, a Holocaust survivor and the wife of former B’nai B’rith-Peru President Dani Schydlowski, delivered her moving testimony about her experiences, at the United Nations in New York Shahar noted:  "I defeated Hitler; I survived."
 
The Nation Assembly in Panama held a special session, which was attended by B’nai B’rith-Panama President David Djemal and the Jewish community.
 
There is a week of events in Guatemala organized by Jewish and evangelical organizations, and the Jewish community of Venezuela held a special event with the French ambassador as keynote speaker.
 
The Mexican Jewish community held several events, including in both the Congressional House, and the Senate.
 
The Costa Rican Jewish community will commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day in February.
 
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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Focus on Lesser-Known Story of Rescue of Jews by Philippines
 
(Washington, D.C., Jan. 27, 2020)--B’nai B’rith International held events at the United Nations in New York and Israel today to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Both focused on the vital role of the Philippines in saving Jews from Nazi death camps.
 
In New York, B’nai B’rith International and the Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations, in cooperation with the U.S.-Philippines Society, held a joint Holocaust commemoration event. Ambassador Kira Christianne D. Azucena, representing the Philippine Permanent Mission to the U.N., delivered a welcome address, followed by opening remarks from B’nai B’rith International Chair for U.N. Affairs Millie Magid, who noted: “as memory fades, so do lessons, which is something our world cannot afford.”
 
During his keynote address Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., said that the program today commemorated the “simple decision to do the decent thing” and later noted of Philippine society, “What we will not have done to us, we will not stand by when done to others.”
 
 A trailer for the documentary “An Open Door: Holocaust Haven in the Philippines” was also screened. Noel “Sonny” Izon, the film’s director, introduced the trailer and told the audience he was “hopeful that this story encourages future generations to have the courage to care and the compassion to keep the story alive.”
 
B’nai B’rith CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin moderated a panel discussion with Bonnie Harris, a lecturer at the San Diego State University Department of History; Ralph Preiss, a Holocaust survivor whose family was taken in by the Philippines; and Hank Hendrickson, the executive director of the U.S.-Philippines Society.  
 
Many of the event’s speakers focused on the legacy of the Philippines’ “Open Door Policy” to Jews fleeing the Holocaust, which allowed almost 1,300 Jewish refugees to settle in the Philippines. Harris noted that the legacy that the Philippine people have left for the world is that “compassion can overcome complacency.” Preiss expressed his gratitude for the “vision and legacy” of Philippine President Manuel Quezon, who implemented the policy.
 
Mariaschin concluded the event commending all of the participants and expressing gratitude to Quezon “for this marvelous act” of rescue.  He also stated the overall goal of B’nai B’rith’s programs to help “preserve the memory of the Holocaust and highlight ongoing threats and discrimination.”
 
At a companion event today in Israel, the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem teamed up with the Philippine Embassy to hold an event entitled “Safe Haven: Jewish Refugees in the Philippines” spotlighting the “Open Door Policy.” The Jewish refugees who settled in Manila referred to themselves as “Manilaners.” B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Director Alan Schneider spoke about the history of the “Open Door Policy.”
 
“The ‘Open Door’ policy was pursued by President Quezon out of a deep sense of outrage at the violence and dispossession visited upon German Jews from the moment the Nazis came to power – until it was stopped by the outbreak of WWII,” Schneider said. “He did so with determination and in the face of voices in the U.S. administration and in his own government that objected to the large-scale immigration Quezon envisioned. For this we honor him today.”
 
A Manilaner who still lives in Israel, Max Weissler, attended the event. Ambassador Neal Imperial delivered opening remarks: “Each person that managed to reach Manila was a life saved, a life allowed to reach its full potential, a life continued through the next generations. Quezon offered a new home and hope to 1,300 refugees, who went on to marry and have children and grandchildren. That is the true weight and worth of Quezon, Paul McNutt’s and the Jewish network in Manila’s legacy.” The ambassador quoted Quezon’s speech before the Jewish refugees at the inauguration of Marikina Hall, the Jewish shelter he had built on 7.5 acres of land he personally donated: “It is my hope, and indeed my expectation, that the people of the Philippines will have in the future every reason to be glad that when the time of need came, their country was willing to extend a hand of welcome.”
 
The event featured a panel discussion with Imperial and Professor Robert Rockaway of Tel Aviv University, as well as screenings of excerpts from two films about the refugee policy, “The Last Manilaners” and “Quezon’s Game.”

To watch the archived video from our event at the United Nations New York City headquarters, visit this link.
 
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., May 6, 2019)-- The B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem honored the legacy of Jewish Holocaust-era rescuers in Belgium at two major events held on May 2nd - Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah). The events were dedicated to rescue efforts undertaken by members of the Jewish Defense Committee in Belgium (CDJ, for its initials in French).
 
 The phenomenon of Jewish rescue and the instructive stories of thousands of Jews who labored to save their endangered brethren throughout Europe have yet to receive appropriate public recognition. 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 other Jews in escaping to safe havens, and in doing so foiled the Nazi goal of total genocide against the Jews. The organizers of the ceremony view it as especially important to expose Jewish youth to these narratives as a model for Jewish solidarity and courage.
 
The first event was a unique joint Holocaust commemoration ceremony held for the 17th consecutive year together with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael/Jewish National Fund - the only event dedicated annually to commemorating the heroism of Jews who rescued fellow Jews during the Holocaust. Held at B’nai B’rith Martyr’s Forest “Scroll of Fire” Plaza”, over 1,000 Jerusalem-area school pupils and pre-army preparatory academy students attended the ceremony together with Jewish rescuers, survivors and Border Patrol cadets.
Speakers at the ceremony were Mr. Danny Atar, world chairman, Jewish National Fund; Dr. Haim V. Katz, chairman of the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem; Brigadier General Yehuda Yehoshua, commander of the Border Guard Combat Training Center; H.E. Olivier Belle, ambassador of Belgium to Israel; and Michel Werber, son of CDJ founding members Abusz and Shifra Werber.
 
During the ceremony, a “Jewish Rescuers Citation” was conferred on 11 leading members of the CDJ - David Ferdman, Hertz Jospa, Hava Jospa, Abraham Manaster, Chaim Pinkus Perelman, Fela Perelman, David Trocki-Muscnicki, Paulina Avstritski, Josef Sterngold, Abusz Werber and Shifra Werber - and four other rescuers who were active in Poland - Shraga Dgani, Miriam-Mania Zeidman, Yaacov Segalchik and Bela Yaari-Hazan. A joint project of the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem and the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers during the Holocaust, nearly 270 heroes have been honored with the citation since its establishment in 2011 for rescue activities in Germany, France, Hungary, Greece, Slovakia, Yugoslavia, Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Italy, Holland and Belgium.


The second event was an international conference entitled “Historical Perspectives on Jewish Rescue in Belgium During the Holocaust”. Held before an overflow crowd at the official residence of Ambassador Belle, speakers included B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Director Alan Schneider; Paul Jospa, son of CDJ leaders Hertz and Hava Jospa; B’nai B’rith Antwerp President Willy Kahan (who is married to the daughter of CDJ rescuer Josef Sterngold, Rachel); Olivia Mattis, granddaughter of CDJ founders Prof. Haim and Fela Perelman; and Alain Blitz, the son of a Belgian deportee to Auschwitz and an educator and author of the first Hebrew-language book on the Holocaust in Belgium. Lectures were presented by Dorien Styven, researcher and archivist at the Kazerne Dossin Museum of Deportation and Resistance in Mechelen, Belgium, on "Unlikely Allies - Diversity in the Ranks of the Jewish Defense Committee," and by Joel Kotek, professor at the Free University in Brussels and at Sciences Po University in Paris entitled, “Reception of the Holocaust and Jewish Resistance in Belgian Historiography”. Closing remarks were offered by David Inowlocki, honorary vice president, Belgian Association for Hidden Children. The conference was co-sponsored by the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jews who Rescued Fellow Jews during the Holocaust (JRJ); B’nai B’rith Joseph Wybran Lodge; OBI – Organization of Belgians in Israel (l'Asiociation des Originaries de la Belgique en Israel) and Amilies Israel Belgique Luxemburg – Tel Aviv.
 
Two Jewish Rescuers Citations – in memory of CDJ activists Leopold Flam and Israel Tabakman - were presented at the close of the conference.
 
Reports on the events were carried in the Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Swiss National Radio, Belgian National Radio, I24 news, Jwire, Israel Radio, JTA, KAN 11 Television – Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation and Maariv, among others.
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The Jewish Defense Committee in Belgium was founded in September 1942 in reaction to the start of the deportation of Jews by the Gestapo in August 1942 in Brussels and Antwerp. The goal of the CDJ was to operate clandestinely to save as many Jews as possible. The CDJ united Jews from a broad ideological spectrum (including communists, revisionists, General Zionists and members of "Left Zion Workers” and "Zionist Youth") and from different swathes of society (among them Belgian citizens and foreigners, secular and religious Jews and even some non-Jews, such as the teacher Andree Geulen) to engage in joint rescue operations. The CDJ urged Jews to disregard the orders of the local Judenrat – the AJB - and go underground instead, and also endeavored to win the support of the general public for persecuted Jews. Some of the CDJ members held positions in the AJB and secretly passed on vital information to foil the German's nefarious plans. 

The committee managed to rescue 3,000-4,000 Jewish children – half of all the Jewish children who survived the Holocaust in Belgium – and provided life-saving assistance to 10,000 adults, including hiding places and forged documents. This activity endangered the lives of the CDJ members; some of them were captured, tortured and deported to concentration camps. Some did not survive. The CDJ operated as an adjunct of the "Independence Front" – the most significant resistance organization, founded in Belgium in March 1941, that united 17 different ideological and religious groups lead by the Communist Party in response to the German invasion of the USSR. At the time of the German invasion of Belgium – May 10, 1940 – 66,000 Jews lived in the country, of whom only 10 percent were Belgian citizens; 34,801 were arrested during the Holocaust (among them 5,092 children under the age of 16); 28,902 were murdered – 44 percent of the entire Jewish population in Belgium; 24,906 were imprisoned - usually for several days – at the transfer camp Mechelen-Malines and deported from there on 28 transports to Auschwitz beginning in summer 1942. Only 1,337 survived the camps. 

The number of CDJ members reached 300. It operated an impressive administrative network to handle finance, forged papers and food coupons, clandestine press and concealment of children and adults. The department for forged papers was so successful that it also provided papers for non-Jews trying to avoid forced labor. The principal feature of CDJ – cooperation between groups across the ideological and political spectrum - was the basis of an organization unique in Western Europe. The main chapter of the committee was in Brussels. Other chapters were in Charleroi and Liege. In Antwerp, the committee was founded in 1943, when three independent groups started to collaborate. 55 percent of Belgian Jews survived thanks to the swift response of individuals who went underground independently, to the heroic operation of members of the CDJ and to the support of the local Belgian society at large, including many clergy. It should be noted that Jews also operated outside the CDJ in various resistance organizations in smuggling, intelligence, sabotage and clandestine press. The unequivocal conclusion resulting from the events in Belgium during the war is that passivity of the Jews facing the horrors of the Holocaust is a myth.     

The B'nai B'rith Martyr’s Forest is the largest joint B’nai B’rith and KKL-JNF project, which memorializes the victims of the Holocaust with 6 million trees planted in the picturesque Jerusalem mountains near Moshav Kesalon. At the pinnacle of the forest stands the “Scroll of Fire,” created by renowned sculptor Nathan Rapoport, which invokes the destruction.

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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