(Washington, D.C., June 16, 2020)-- B’nai B’rith representatives delivered two statements to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Tuesday, calling out the hypocrisy and anti-Israel bias of standing agenda Item 7, which is devoted exclusively to demonizing Israel. No other UN agenda item is exclusively devoted to one country. 
 
B’nai B’rith representative Nurit Braun delivered a statement attacking the body’s unprecedented move of creating a blacklist of companies doing business with Israelis. View a video of her remarks or read a transcript here.
 
“Threats against doing business with Israel are not new, and boycotts against ‘Jewish-owned’ businesses go back even further,” Braun said. “To those who vote in favor of economic warfare against the Jewish state, we say: We are not intimidated and we will not be defeated. Israel will continue to thrive economically, culturally and as a humane, diverse and democratic state.”
 
B’nai B’rith representative Sonia Elkrief’s statement emphasized that, especially in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, it is unconscionable that the UNHRC continues to waste its time singling out Israel for unjust criticism instead of calling out actual human rights violators. Watch a video of her remarks or view a transcript of her statement here.
 
“As the world is dealing with true emergency conditions, all of us are forced to sit through yet another of these sessions dedicated solely to bashing the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel,” Elkrief said.  “Come natural disasters, wars and pandemics, Item 7 is always with us, at each and every regular session. This council never seems to want to miss an opportunity to obsessively attack the nation-state of the Jewish people.”
 
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., Feb. 12, 2020)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
We are deeply appalled by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) shameful release of a blacklist of companies with business interests in Israeli territory captured during the defensive Six-Day War of 1967, which includes portions of Jerusalem. The thoroughly discredited U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) had mandated OHCHR to create the database. The list was released today with no notice to the companies affected.
 
OHCHR does not have the competency to compile such a list, nor does it have the jurisdiction. It, and the UNHRC, are mandated to deal with actions by states, not businesses. When it comes to Israel, however, a special standard is always applied at the U.N. There are plenty of other situations where territories are disputed, however, the only blacklist that exists targets Israel and it is likely that no other country will be targeted with a similar list.
 
The list, which targets some of the largest and most important corporations in Israel, including the largest banks and telecommunications companies, is clearly meant to serve as a clearinghouse of information for anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns targeting Israel. One hundred and twelve companies are affected; the vast majority – 94 – are based in Israel, but there are others headquartered in the United States, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Thailand and Luxembourg.
 
The U.N.’s single-minded obsession with Israel is completely unjustified. Instead of helping facilitate peace between Israel and the Palestinians, the world body continues to provoke tensions. Peace can only come from direct engagement between the two sides, not from discriminatory dicta issued by third parties. It is time for those who see the hypocrisy in these kinds of actions to stand up and speak out. 

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

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., Dec. 13, 2019)— B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
We are outraged, but not surprised, by today’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adoption of eight resolutions that single out Israel and do not mention any other country by name.  
 
One of the resolutions renews the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), a corrupt, politicized agency with a bloated budget that promotes anti-Israel incitement. Another resolution renews the mandate of a pro-Palestinian “special committee” within the U.N. with the sole purpose of relentlessly attacking Israel. The General Assembly also passed an absurd resolution on the Golan Heights, the second of this session, which is more scrutiny than the murderous Syrian regime on the other side of the border from the Golan will receive this UNGA session. We thank all countries that voted with the United States and Israel against these heavily biased resolutions.
 
The U.N. cannot achieve progress working towards peace and security until it stops demonizing and singling out Israel more than all other countries, including egregious violators of human rights. The UNGA’s tendency to pass biased and redundant resolution after resolution blasting Israel while effectively ignoring serious concerns in other countries points to the continuing moral decay at this global institution.
 
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. 4, 2019)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
At the annual United Nations General Assembly observance of the U.N.-initiated International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the world body once again perpetuated an anti-Israel agenda by adopting a litany of biased resolutions that only reflect a Palestinian narrative. A world body fixture since 1977, the Day of Solidarity is the only U.N. celebration of solidarity with one specific group of people.

The General Assembly session featured many speeches by country representatives eager to get their turn to demonize and delegitimize Israel, the nation-state of the Jewish people and the only democracy in the Middle East, with smears and outright lies. These General Assembly sessions do nothing to advance the cause of peace; they only serve to prolong the conflict. The Palestinian leadership will not engage in meaningful negotiations nor entertain any of the compromises that will be necessary for peace as long as they believe that the international community will blindly back the Palestinian narrative and will force Israel to adopt these untenable positions.
 
As part of the session, the General Assembly passed resolutions that fund the permanent propaganda bodies housed within the U.N. system—the Division for Palestinian Rights (DPR), the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Special Information Programme on the Question of Palestine. We commend all of the countries that joined the United States and Israel in voting against these units which outrageously waste precious taxpayer resources to attack Israel. We take special note of the change in voting pattern by several European states by voting against DPR instead of abstaining. Further, Australia, Canada, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Nauru stood with the United States and Israel in consistently voting against every anti-Israel resolution. We thank these countries for standing up for their principles, even in the face of international pressure to vote the other way. 
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Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon announced during his speech at the General Assembly session that Israel would soon propose its own resolution to recognize the Jewish refugees from Arab countries and Iran and acknowledge that the international community has ignored them for decades. B’nai B’rith strongly supports this resolution to right an historical injustice.
 
B’nai B’rith has had a continued presence at the United Nations since its establishment, and continues to work to ensure the achievement of the protection of human rights and promotion of tolerance and peace.
 
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. 2, 2019)—B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
B’nai B’rith is outraged that the organizers of the Aalst carnival parade in Aalst, Belgium, have chosen to renounce the event’s place on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity rather than be held accountable for the anti-Semitism in the annual parade. Following an outcry from Jewish groups, including B’nai B’rith, in Belgium and worldwide, UNESCO was set to vote on whether the parade could remain on the heritage list during an agency meeting on Dec. 12. Aalst’s mayor stated it was “unavoidable” that Jews would continue to be mocked at the carnival.
 
The Aalst carnival has a history of trafficking in anti-Semitic tropes. In preparation for the 2020 parade, organizers plan to distribute ribbons to all participants featuring Orthodox Jews with hooked noses and gold teeth. In March of this year, we condemned the 2019 parade’s “Shabbat Year” float, which depicted Orthodox Jews amidst bags of money; the float’s creators claimed the display was meant to protest “rising prices.” In the 2013 parade, one float featured a caricature of the Holocaust with Nazi rail cars and Zyklon B, the gas that was used to kill Jews at concentration camps. 
 
The Aalst parade has held a spot on the UNESCO list since 2010; it is unacceptable that the parade retained its listing for six years after featuring the Holocaust caricature. To prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future, UNESCO must create a de-listing mechanism for items on the cultural heritage list. Currently, no event has ever been de-listed.
 
In addition, we call on UNESCO to strongly affirm that there will not be any tolerance for these kinds of anti-Semitic caricatures and displays.
 
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. 15, 2019)— B’nai B’rith International President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:
 
We are outraged by today’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) committee vote to move forward the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
 
UNRWA is a corrupt, politicized agency that uses its bloated budget, which is intended to provide humanitarian aid, to incite hatred.
 
UNRWA’s history of supporting incitement is long. The U.N. has confirmed that terrorist groups used UNRWA-run schools to store rockets and fire them at Israel during 2014’s Operation Protective Edge. Textbooks in use at these schools contain anti-Semitic portrayals of Jews and perpetuate the lie that Jews have no historic ties to Israel. The agency has even employed members of the terrorist group Hamas.
 
This year, a leaked ethics report described a culture of corruption, nepotism, discrimination and misuse of funds at the agency. In 2018, the United States stopped supporting the agency because of the Palestinians’ failure to make progress on a peace plan. The Belgian, Dutch and Swiss governments suspended aid to UNRWA in response to corruption allegations.
 
We call on the rest of UNRWA’s donors to immediately cease their donations until the agency meaningfully addresses its corruption and incitement issues.
 
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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