Other Features Include: Israeli start-ups helping the disabled and the poignant friendship between a Jewish philanthropist and his chess prodigy mentee

(Washington, D.C., April 9, 2019)—During a time of rising anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, an interfaith group of Muslim and Jewish women in Northern Virginia tackles tough topics over discussion meetings as they try to bridge the gap between the two targeted religious groups. The women, who have been meeting for four years and consider one another family, are members of a national group called the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom. We delve into the strong bonds between the women and the challenges the group faces in the feature story: The Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom: Finding Common Ground.

Israeli entrepreneurs are developing new technology – and adapting existing technology – to help the visually and physically impaired. In To See and Walk: Israeli Start-Ups Adapt Technology for the Blind and Disabled, readers will see some of the exciting devices created by Israeli companies for this purpose, including super-charged glasses that can read any text out loud and a harness designed to help young children with conditions affecting their mobility walk with the assistance of an adult.

Samuel Reshevsky was a young chess prodigy when prolific Jewish philanthropist Julius Rosenwald took him under his wing. Reshevsky, who had learned to play chess well enough to beat skilled adult opponents by age 4, had foregone formal education to support his entire family through chess. Rosenwald, who was passionate about education and funded the creation of 4,000 schools in the South to educate African-American children, agreed to support the Reshevsky family if Samuel’s parents would agree to obtain tutoring for their child instead of forcing him to play chess professionally full-time. In The Philanthropist and the Phenom, we shed light on the long-lasting friendship between Reshevsky and Rosenwald.

Contemporary anti-Semitism is the focus of columns from CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin and President Charles O. Kaufman. In The Many Faces of Contemporary Anti-Semitism, Mariaschin explores the history of dual loyalty accusations hurled at American Jews and condemns the disturbing resurgence of this anti-Semitic canard from Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan). Kaufman’s column, Unity Needed in the Fight Against Anti-Semitism, calls on American Jewry to unite in the face of this ancient hatred. He also shares how B’nai B’rith is working to fight anti-Semitism and urges readers to become involved.

Comedian Eddie Cantor hosted a radio show and starred in some of the first movie musicals filmed in color, but it is less well-known that he was a B’nai B’rith member and passionate advocate against anti-Semitism. We document the ups and downs of his life, during which he repeatedly risked his career to stand against anti-Semites like Henry Ford and Charles Coughlin, in Eddie “Banjo Eyes” Cantor and B’nai B’rith. 

Finally, our Seniors column urges Congress to find bipartisan ways to fix Affordable Care Act problems instead of doing away with the law altogether.  

Read those stories and so much more in the spring 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