(Washington, D.C., July 16, 2021)--B’nai B’rith International hosted a two-part virtual series—Hezbollah: Sowing Global Terror—in advance of the anniversaries of two deadly attacks on Jews.

The bombing of the AMIA building in Buenos Aires that killed 85 and wounded more than 300 took place July 18, 1994. Terrorists detonated a car bomb, killing and maiming those who worked at the AMIA (the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association) building and destroying the structure that housed so many Jewish Agencies in Buenos Aires. It was the deadliest terror attack ever in Argentina.

In 2012 on the same date, a suicide bomber blew up a passenger bus carrying Israeli tourists from Tel Aviv at the Burgas Airport in Bulgaria. The explosion killed the Bulgarian bus driver and five Israelis and injured 32 other Israelis.

Even though there is ample evidence that Hezbollah—a terrorist group that's a proxy of Iran—is behind both attacks, there is reluctance to tackle the terrorist organization head-on to this day.

In Part 1 of our series, “Commemorating AMIA,” we spoke with Luis Czyzewski, the father of a victim, about his search for justice. The interview, in Spanish with simultaneous English translation, was conducted by Adriana Camisar, B’nai B’rith’s Special Advisor on Latin American and U.N. Affairs from Argentina, with a special introduction by CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin. Czyzewski, whose 21-year-old daughter, Paola, was killed in the attack, has spent the last 27 years fighting for justice for his daughter and all of the victims of the attack. That unforgettable, tragic day was the first time Paola ever entered the AMIA building. She was visiting during a break from her law studies to assist her parents, who both worked at AMIA.

Czyzewski noted that there is no method, formula or book that says how to move forward after such a horrific loss. That the families of the victims have a burden they will carry throughout their lives. He said the many investigations into the bombing have revealed much about the attack, but that what we don’t have are convictions.

Camisar and Mariaschin commended Czyzewski for his courageous fight for justice.

In Part 2, “Shared Threads: AMIA, Burgas and Other Global Terror Attacks,” Mariaschin interviewed two experts about Iran’s proxy terror arm, Hezbollah, and its malign global reach. Guest Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of its Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. Our 2nd guest was Gustavo Perednik, whose long resume includes writing two books dealing with the work of his friend, the late AMIA case prosecutor Alberto Nisman, “To Kill Without a Trace” and “To Die for Argentina.”

Perednik said that Nisman would have approved of combining AMIA and Burgas for commemoration, because he would have appreciated the connecting of the dots between multiple attacks and how the linked events expose Iran’s influence in terrorist attacks across the world—and by extension its guilt. Levitt said the Burgas attack didn’t happen in a vacuum and also observed that Hezbollah sees terror against innocent civilians as a legitimate path to achieving its objectives.
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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 bnaibrith.org.

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

B'nai B'rith condemns the United Nations Security Council's failure to extend a critical 13-year-old arms embargo on Iran. 

The U.N. arms embargo is set to expire Oct. 18, which would once again allow the rogue regime to purchase missiles and other weapons from, and provide them to, other malign actors. 

We call upon the Council to act immediately to reimpose the embargo on Iran – the world’s leading state-sponsor of terrorism – to prevent the further destabilization of the Middle East by Tehran and its proxies, particularly Hezbollah.

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 bnaibrith.org.

(Washington, D.C., Sept. 21, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
B'nai B'rith is pleased with the Trump administration's imposition of sanctions on Iran, which would punish any company or person that violates a conventional arms embargo on Iran.
 
This action comes a month after the United Nations Security Council’s shameful failure to extend its own arms sanctions on Iran.
 
The proposed U.S. action would work toward stopping Tehran – a rogue regime that continually threatens peace for the entirety of the Middle East and beyond – from becoming an even greater global security threat.

​(Washington, D.C., Aug. 14, 2020)--B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
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B’nai B’rith International condemns the United Nations Security Council’s failure to pass a common-sense resolution proposed by the United States that would extend a crucial arms embargo on Iran.

The vote was: two yes votes; two no votes; 11 abstentions.

In its failure to renew these sanctions, the U.N. Security Council has enabled a rogue regime that threatens the entirety of the Middle East – and others far beyond – to become an even more dangerous threat to global peace and security.

The resolution would have kept in place the arms embargo imposed on Iran, which under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was set to expire in October.

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., Dec. 16, 2019)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
It is with deep sadness and anger that we condemn the attack on Nessah synagogue in Beverly Hills on Shabbat. Police are classifying the shocking attack as a hate crime.
 
In the early hours of Saturday morning, a vandal broke into the synagogue, overturned furniture and damaged religious objects.
 
The synagogue was founded by Persian Jews who fled the 1979 revolution in Iran. It is unthinkable that they should have to face religious persecution in the United States.
 
Whether in Brooklyn or Beverly Hills, local officials and law enforcement must protect citizens and institutions. Being able to worship or walk on the street without fear or intimidation should be a given.
 
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., Dec. 9, 2019)--B’nai B’rith CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin will participate in a panel entitled “U.S. Influence in the Mediterranean: Why It Still Matters” on Dec. 10 at the Hudson Institute in cooperation with the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and B’nai B’rith International.
 
The panel will focus on U.S. influence in the Mediterranean even as other actors - including Iran, Turkey and Russia - vie for influence and for strategic control of the region’s energy resources, increasing tensions and threatening to upset the area’s delicate power balance. Panelists will discuss how the U.S. can promote stability and American interests in this challenging atmosphere and will draw on the Hudson Institute’s report “The Eastern Mediterranean in the New Era of Major Power Competition.”
 
The event is open to the press. Members of the media can register 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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​B’nai B’rith International has issued the following statement:
 
B’nai B’rith International commends the House of Representatives for approving a 10-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA). The bill was passed by a majority of 419-1 on Nov. 15. These sanctions target Iran’s support of terrorism and its nuclear activities. Tehran is the largest state-sponsor of terror and is known for inciting violence and hate around the world, including calling for the destruction of Israel. 
 
We strongly urge the Senate to pass the same legislation.
 
We are also pleased that the House passed another measure that would apply new sanctions on any person or country that enables Syria’s war crimes.
 

B’nai B’rith International’s Name Appears In Iran’s Anti-Semitic Cartoon Contest

B’nai B’rith reiterates its outrage over the disgusting annual Holocaust cartoon contest in Iran. The entries, which mock the Holocaust, celebrate anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and pure hate.
 
B’nai B’rith International’s name appears in one cartoon which depicts a cash register with the total amount of money shown equaling six million—a reference to the number of Jews murdered by the Nazi regime during the Holocaust. “B’nai B’rith” is written on the key to the cash register, inferring that Jews are responsible for the Shoah, or that Jews manipulate the Holocaust for financial ends.
 
As we noted last month, the competition started May 14 and continued for the next two weeks. At least 50 countries participated and more than 150 entries were displayed.
 
These cartoons show the depths and detail to which the Iranian regime will go to spout its anti-Semitism and its distortions of the Holocaust, which include denying the Shoah ever happened. Unfortunately, this type of incitement to hatred from Tehran is all too common, as it continuously concocts lies about the Jewish state and the Jewish people.

​B’nai B’rith International strongly condemns Iran’s annual international cartoon contest satirizing the Holocaust. The competition started May 14 and will continue for the next two weeks, with 150 entries already on display from at least 50 countries. According to reporters at the scene, the contest secretary compared the horrors of the Nazi regime with Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
 
“This anti-Semitic contest is threatening Jews and Israel by perpetuating racist stereotypes that only encourage incitement against the Jewish state and Jews around the world,” B’nai B’rith International President Gary P. Saltzman said.
 
Iran has zero credibility as a legitimate partner on the international stage. Additional recent evidence of Iran’s duplicity came in October when Tehran breached its nuclear agreement with the P5+1 powers, by test-firing a missile capable of mounting a nuclear warhead, as well as its daily calls for the elimination of Israel.
 
Iran’s behavior as an unbridled hater of Israel is rarely challenged in the international community. 
 
“It’s simple—Tehran demonizes and supports the delegitimization of the State of Israel, as evidenced by this despicable and anti-Semitic ‘contest.’ Tehran’s willfully defying the P5+1 nuclear agreement further serves as a useful reminder of the regime’s true motives,” B’nai B’rith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said. “And, the Iranian government continues to be a known supporter and purveyor of terrorism.”
 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated Iran is “preparing another Holocaust” by allowing this contest to carry on. The global community should speak with one voice to condemn this outrageous display of anti-Semitism.