B'NAI B'RITH IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND AROUND THE GLOBE
SPRING 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Welcome to IMPACT!
- B’nai B’rith Elects New President and Officers During Triennial Meeting in Washington, D.C.
- Congratulations to B’nai B’rith’s New Officers
- “Coffee With a Jew” Encourages Open Dialogue About Judaism in Munich
- New York Screening and Discussion of “Bau, Artist at War”
- International Holocaust Remembrance Day Honors Those Who Experienced the Shoah
- Stand With Israel: Support Our Israel Emergency Fund
- Mariaschin Surveys Anti-Semitism Crisis During Jan. 7 Presentation
- Athletic Scholarships Awarded in Israel
- B’nai B’rith Celebrates the Community “Spirit” of Christmas
- B’nai B’rith Participates in Helsinki Conference on Anti-Semitism
- B’nai B’rith Uruguay’s Education Outreach
- California Wildfire Fund
- Music Thrives at B’nai B’rith NSW
- Garsek Lodge Purchases Ambulance for Israel
- World Center-Jerusalem Hosts Greek Journalist
- Backstory: Einstein’s Judaism
Welcome to IMPACT!
Every day, B’nai B’rith International makes a difference in communities around the world, and IMPACT is your window into that work. As the global voice of the Jewish community for 181 years, we remain committed to humanitarian aid, human rights advocacy, helping older adults and supporting Israel and Jewish communities everywhere.
Why read IMPACT? Because our work affects real lives. Whether responding to crises, fighting anti-Semitism, or supporting seniors in need, B’nai B’rith is at the forefront of critical issues. This newsletter keeps you informed on how we advocate at the United Nations, engage with policymakers, train the next generation of Jewish leaders and provide aid to those facing hardship, in your community and around the world.
Each edition highlights key initiatives, from disaster relief efforts to cultural and educational programs that strengthen Jewish identity.
By staying connected through IMPACT, you become part of a movement that ensures our vital work continues. Together, we uphold our mission to advocate for safety and security for Israel, champion Jewish interests worldwide, aid seniors and help communities in need.
Thank you for reading—and for being part of the B’nai B’rith family.
–The IMPACT staff
B’nai B’rith Elects New President and Officers During Triennial Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Credit for all photos: Leslie E. Kossoff/LK Photos
Congratulations to B’nai B’rith’s New Officers
President:
Robert Spitzer, Mercer Island, Wash.
Vice Chairman:
Bruce Pascal, Potomac, Md.
Treasurer:
Michael Gellman, Potomac, Md.
Chief Justice:
David Geller, Miami
Senior Vice Presidents:
Jack Berkowitz, Goshen, N.Y.
Eric Engelmayer, Luxembourg
Millie Magid, New York City and Miami
Dan Tartakovski, Mexico City
Jacobo Wolkowicz, Montevideo, Uruguay
FROM THE PRESIDENT
My Goals as B’nai B’rith President
President, B’nai B’rith International
Dear Members and Friends of B’nai B’rith,
It is a great honor to write this message, my first as the newly elected international president of B’nai B’rith. Thank you for the confidence you have placed in me, and the leadership team, which includes: Vice Chairman Bruce Pascal of Potomac, Md.; his Potomac neighbor, Treasurer Michael Gellman; Senior Vice Presidents Jack Berkowitz from Goshen, N.Y.; Eric Engelmayer from Luxembourg; Millie Magid from Miami and New York City; Dan Tartakovski from Mexico City; Jacobo Wolkowicz from Montevideo, Uruguay; and Chief Justice David Geller of Miami. This talented group of leaders joins me in our partnership with the strong professional staff led by CEO Dan Mariaschin in advancing B’nai B’rith’s mission.
B’nai B’rith’s footprint is wide around the world; we are one small part of it. In communities across the globe, those of you who are involved in the important work of Jewish community building and service are our most important leaders. The position of president may attract attention, but the work of B’nai B’rith is accomplished by thousands of people whose actions and support are critical to our success. To all of you, I’d like to say “hello” and “thank you.”
Oct. 7 changed the world for me and many of you. While I’ve been involved in B’nai B’rith most of my life, I never felt compelled to lead at this level. Seeing masked protesters prowling universities and harassing Jewish students in the name of Middle East peace and having a neighborhood school and synagogue in my hometown of Mercer Island, Washington, defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti shook me out of my complacency and spurred me to action.
Given the challenges in the Middle East and the rise of anti-Semitism around the globe, B’nai B’rith’s ability to build and strengthen our Jewish community ties is needed at unprecedented levels. The rates of affiliation with Jewish religious and social organizations are at an all-time low, while the need to successfully advocate for one another and Israel is critical. B’nai B’rith can and should be a leader in that effort.
While B’nai B’rith continues to have thriving lodges in communities across North America and the globe, B’nai B’rith’s growth will come from engaging younger Jewish people throughout the world. To achieve this, we in the older generation need to better listen to their voices and to communicate in ways that they will hear. Beyond that, we need to mentor and empower our younger leaders to progress in B’nai B’rith and to take over our jobs!
B’nai B’rith has a young professionals leadership program, “Connect,” which has already produced many of our current leaders. There’s an award program, the “Label A. Katz Young Leadership Award,” which has recognized scores of outstanding young people in our ranks. One of my major goals is to strengthen our young leadership program and to better engage young leaders locally, nationally and internationally.
Speaking of goals, we need to do a better job of letting the Jewish world know what Hamas already knows (See Hamas Charter, Article 22): that B’nai B’rith is one of the world’s most important defenders of Israel and the Jewish people. In March, our leaders are gathering in Geneva to engage in public diplomacy before the United Nations Human Rights Council, which has a permanent agenda item at each session to attack Israel. Later, we’ll speak out to defend Israel at meetings with UNESCO officials and diplomats in Paris.
These are just a few examples of B’nai B’rith’s advocacy which are important to share. The impact of our work is profound. To help facilitate better communication about our achievements, here’s a link for you to use to sign up for one or more of B’nai B’rith’s newsletters. If you have a Jewish friend who you think would enjoy any of these newsletters, feel free to forward the link.
Communication is best when it is reciprocal. Do you have a story about the important work you’ve done in B’nai B’rith? If so, please let me know. We’ll try to share some of the best stories with you all.
Thank you for the trust you’ve placed in me by electing me as your president.
Here’s to B’nai B’rith’s future!
Robert Spitzer
rspitzer@bnaibrith.org
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FROM THE CEO
The Big Lie Arrives in the Granite State
CEO, B’nai B’rith International
As I write this, we’re about to depart for Geneva and meetings at the United Nations Human Rights Council, where bias against, and demonizing of Israel, are near-daily occurrences. Our B’nai B’rith delegation, in its face-to-face meetings with dozens of diplomats, will speak truth to power in the face of a global avalanche of distortions, blood libels and outright anti-Semitism.
Here at home, as well as abroad, the big lie express just keeps chugging along.
The blood-libelous charge that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza has spawned a garden industry of hateful variants in places you’d expect, and in others, unexpected.
Take, for example, what the New Hampshire State Legislature considered in early March: an amendment that would require the teaching of the “Palestinian genocide” in the state school system. The actual wording of the measure reads:
“Such instruction shall include at least 5 hours of study to include, at minimum, instruction of the United Nations (U.N.) definition of genocide, the U.N. resolution on human rights, the Holocaust (and other Nazi committed genocides), the Armenian genocide, the Rwandan genocide, the genocide of indigenous peoples in the United States, and the Palestinian genocide.”
Just in that one paragraph, there are two issues that immediately arise. The first: the U.N. definition of genocide—drafted largely by Polish-born Raphael Lemkin (the Jewish human rights activist who lost his entire family in the Holocaust)—centers around the “intent to destroy in whole or in part, a national ethnical, racial or religious group, as such.”
Israel had no intention to commit genocide in Gaza. If it had, its air force could have concluded the war there in a few days. Its scrupulous efforts to avoid civilian casualties—the “knock on the roof,” leaflets warning them to vacate ahead of an impending action, e-mails, text messages and phone calls to civilians were met by the massive use of human shields by the Hamas terrorists, who placed no value on the lives of their fellow Palestinians. Instead, the IDF has taken hundreds of casualties in ferreting out terrorists from hundreds of miles of tunnels, and from schools, mosques, hospitals and apartment blocks.
Photo: MSyuzan /Wikimedia.org
in schools. Photo: Ken Lund/Wikimedia.org
Indeed, if it’s genocidal intent we are talking about, then we must look at Hamas, with its bloodthirsty objective of killing Israelis, resulting in the carnage of Oct. 7. Had Hamas not been stopped, it is likely that the terrorists would have gone on to Tel Aviv and its suburbs to carry out their murderous ways.
The second issue that must be addressed in the New Hampshire legislative amendment is that of equivalence. The drafters of this amendment had the unmitigated gall to compare the Holocaust, and its six years of relentless murder of the Jews of Europe, with Israel’s defensive war in Gaza, responding to the Hamas crimes on Oct. 7.
The inflated casualty figures trumpeted daily by the “Gaza (Hamas) Ministry of Health,” purposefully conflated the high numbers of terrorist killed with those Palestinians who died of natural causes during the 17 months of fighting, along with others who were killed in the course of the war. Strenuous efforts by many to set the record straight have been met by a global “don’t confuse me with the facts” response, or worse, millions of people buying, whole cloth, the lies of Hamas and its fellow travelers.
The director of West Point’s respected Institute for Urban Warfare, John Spencer, said early on that the ratio of combatants killed to civilians in Gaza was the lowest in history, underlining Israel’s careful approach to going out of its way to avoid civilian casualties. No matter: Spencer’s expert analysis had little resonance in the camps of the Israel bashers and professional haters.
But the blood libel lives on, especially at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant face arrest warrants for supposedly causing starvation in Gaza, considered “war crimes” under international law. These charges fly fully in the face of the facts: thousands of trucks were and are delivering food and water to Gazans in the middle of a war, surely a first in modern warfare. Many of the provisions have been stolen by Hamas, which, while attacking Israelis and holding hundreds of hostages, profited mightily from its black marketeering of international aid to its own people.
If this amendment in the New Hampshire legislature is adopted, what is it that schoolteachers will be imparting to their students? With no actual genocide to teach, they will be spreading a virus of hate by perpetuating bald-faced lies and calumnies against Israel and its people and, yes, against the entire Jewish people. These classrooms will send students off to university campuses, where many may wind up in pro-Hamas “encampments.” And then they will graduate, perhaps many becoming teachers themselves, joining the blood libel conveyor belt, wittingly or unwittingly raising the level of anti-Semitism.
Though I was born in New York, I consider myself to be a proud son of New Hampshire, where I was raised and where I received my undergraduate degree. It is a state rich in natural beauty and American history; it was the ninth state to ratify the new constitution, in 1788, replacing the Articles of Confederation. This ratification led to the establishment of the United States.
New Hampshire’s motto, “Live Free or Die,” words attributed to Gen. John Stark, a hero of the American Revolution. If he were to witness the introduction of this mindless, pro-Palestinian amendment—which demonizes a people for defending itself from genocidal terrorists and lauds the victimizers and not the victims—Stark would surely recoil at the dishonesty and hypocrisy contained within it.
I surely did. There is no place in American education for teaching purposely false narratives, particularly those which fan the flames of hatred. Unfortunately, and sadly, the New Hampshire legislative amendment will most likely not be the last of its kind.
On March 31, the proposed amendment to the New Hampshire Holocaust Education law, to include the study of the “Palestinian Genocide,” was defeated.
Editor’s Note, posted April 10
“Coffee With a Jew” Encourages Open Dialogue About Judaism in Munich
Once a month, a mobile coffee bar is set up in public locations in and around Munich under the banner “Coffee With a Jew,” inviting passersby to ask questions about Judaism they may never have had the chance to ask otherwise.
Since last summer, the B’nai B’rith Hebraica-Menorah lodge in Munich, has spearheaded the project in town squares, museums and local parks, inviting people to pause and engage in open dialogue, while creating a safe space for the public to inquire about topics they might feel too hesitant to ask about in other circumstances. They even offer a deck of prompt cards that include questions such as “Are all Jews rich?” “Can I say ‘Jude’ (German for Jew, often misconstrued as anti-Semitic)?” and “Can I criticize Israel without being anti-Semitic?”
Munich Lodge President Daniel Gitbud and Vice President Ariella Chmiel encourage participants to “talk with us, not about us.”
Gitbud says the project shifts the focus from solely learning about Jewish history through the lens of the Holocaust to engaging with the vibrant Jewish community living in Germany today.
“We are often met with great interest and sometimes even genuine gratitude,” Chmiel said. “People appreciate and feel happy about the opportunity to talk to us. If we keep dancing around each other, afraid to make mistakes—where one side thinks: ‘It’s better to stay amongst ourselves and not overexpose us,’ and the other says: ‘You always have to be careful what you say’—then we won’t get anywhere.”
Gitbud, a recipient of B’nai B’rith’s 2025 Label A. Katz Young Leadership Award, has served as president of the Munich lodge since 2022 and has worked to expand its young adult presence. He and Chmiel will continue hosting “Coffee With a Jew” in Munich and other German cities, aiming to combat anti-Semitism by showing that Jews are not so different and inviting the world to get to know them better.
New York Screening and Discussion of “Bau, Artist at War”
Nearly 200 people attended a March 2 New York City screening of “Bau, Artist at War,” sponsored by B’nai B’rith International, the Holocaust and United Nations Outreach Programme and New York City’s Center for Jewish History, where the event occurred.
A noted graphic designer in Israel, Joseph Bau and his wife, Rebecca, were Holocaust survivors who made Aliyah in 1950. Unknown to his family, Bau worked as a Mossad agent, using his talents to forge documents for Israeli spies.
The movie “Schindler’s List” featured the story of the Baus’ wedding at the Plaszow concentration camp.
A post-screening panel moderated by B’nai B’rith CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin included Deborah Smerecnik, the movie’s writer and producer, Clila and Hadasa Bau, the daughters of Joseph and Rebecca Bau, and director Sean McNamara.
The Center for Jewish History recorded the discussion, which will be made available on its YouTube channel. Mariaschin interviewed Smerecnik and the Bau sisters on the podcast Conversations with B’nai B’rith, in the summer of 2024.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day Honors Those Who Experienced the Shoah
B’nai B’rith events organized in connection with International Holocaust Remembrance Day (also known as International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust) remembered the Shoah, shared survivors’ stories and honored a savior of European Jewish musicians. The Jan. 27, 2025, observance occurred 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.
Photo: Bruno Charbit
Washington and New York
The Podcast, Conversations with B’nai B’rith, featured CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin’s interview with Robert Williams, executive director, University of Southern California Shoah Foundation, who emphasized the importance of preserving survivors’ testimonies and the need to expand Holocaust education. He also detailed ongoing attempts to glorify European leaders who murdered Jews during World War II.
Mariaschin’s Jewish News Service op-ed queried: “For people who are too young to recall the rise of the Nazis and their 12-year regime of terror or for those who were born after the Holocaust, how does one ‘remember’? How can one sufficiently commemorate such unfathomable crimes at a time when the number of eyewitnesses who experienced this horror drops every day? How do you adequately convey the enormity of the crimes and the lessons we are supposed to learn from those nightmarish years of persecution and destruction of Jewish communities across much of the European landmass?”
B’nai B’rith staff and Connect members attended the annual Holocaust Remembrance programs at the United Nations, when Israel’s President Isaac Herzog urged its members to “commit to joining hands to defeat darkness and hatred and work together to ensure the building of a shared future.” Presenters acknowledged Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas and the crisis of anti-Semitism rampant worldwide.
B’nai B’rith participants also spoke with Manny Korman, who was rescued by the Kindertransport, a group that sent Jewish children to England, at an event held at its New York offices.
Europe
B’nai B’rith was a sponsor of the European Union conference, “Remembering the Past, Shaping the Future” in Brussels. Of special interest was a discussion between Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission coordinator on combatting antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, and Mala Tribich, a Polish-born educator, and survivor of the Ravensbrück and Bergen-Belsen camps.
Israel
B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem and the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers During the Holocaust awarded a posthumous Jewish Rescuers Citation to the founder of pre-state Israel’s first orchestra (the present-day Israel Philharmonic Orchestra), Polish violinist Bronisław Huberman (1882-1947), at its Jan. 19 Tel Aviv concert in his memory.
Procuring funds and visas with the help of Chaim Weizmann, Huberman faced danger when he came to Germany in 1935 to hire orchestra members. Arturo Toscanini, among the few artists who condemned Hitler and Mussolini, conducted the orchestra’s debut performance in 1936. Huberman saved about 1,000 lives, including the musicians and their families.
FROM THE VAULT
B’nai B’rith Leader, Immigration Lawyer Max J. Kohler
Little known today, B’nai B’rith leader Max J. Kohler (1871-1934) worked to ameliorate the plight of German Jews suffering under the Nazis by using his knowledge of constitutional and immigration law. He fought on their behalf until the last day of his life.
The son and grandson of prominent American Reform rabbis, Kohler practiced law from the age of 22 and spent his career writing and speaking out against discrimination. When he entered private practice, he served his clients—Chinese and European immigrants—without charge. He also published books considered among the first to focus on American Jewish history.
B’nai B’rith’s Holocaust and Related Materials Collection at the Jacob Rader Marcus Center documents Kohler’s work on the Joint Council, a committee formed after Hitler began to persecute Jews in early 1933. Its members—B’nai B’rith, the American Jewish Committee and the American Jewish Congress—made plans to coordinate activities and meet with Washington leaders, to voice the need for action.
Kohler sent Secretary of State Cordell Hull a strongly-worded brief, “The United States and German Jewish Persecutions—Precedents for Popular and Governmental Actions.” It cited examples of the times that the American government applied economic sanctions or other measures to induce foreign nations to amend discriminatory policies; his intent was to justify U.S. intervention in Germany in the present.
During the Great Depression, even wealthy individuals applying for immigration to the United States had to name an American sponsor committed to their financial support, a regulation which intentionally reduced numbers of new arrivals. Submitting a bill to Washington legislators, Kohler vehemently underscored the urgency of facilitating emigration for German Jews. He proposed that they be allowed to post their own bond before emigrating. Although it received support and was sent to the Department of Immigration and Naturalization for approval in May 1933, the change was protested by members of President Franklin Roosevelt’s cabinet and never enacted.
Fiercely driven, Kohler labored without respite to help German Jews but saw no progress. The anguish and despair he experienced may have caused his fatal heart attack in July 1934. In a B’nai B’rith Magazine tribute, his friend, Judge Abram Elkus, eulogized: “courage was the mark of his entire life.”
Mariaschin Surveys Anti-Semitism Crisis During Jan. 7 Presentation
An international audience watched B’nai B’rith CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin’s Jan. 7 online presentation “Meeting the Challenge of Global Anti-Semitism,” sponsored by B’nai B’rith, the U.N. consortium, and the Committee to End Anti-Semitism and Promote Peace (EASAPP), which includes B’nai B’rith, and Congregation L’Dor V’Dor on Long Island, N.Y.
Mariaschin surveyed the landscape of the current crisis, which affects Jews everywhere.
He cited the consistent demonization of Israel by global leaders, whose messages are repeated in interviews and articles that never mention the terrorist acts perpetrated by Hamas and Hezbollah.
Mariaschin condemned the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA):
“…even in the face of evidence that many of its workers were Hamas operatives, some of whom participated in the massacres of October 7, fanning the flames of criticism about Israel’s over inflated casualty figures and lying about the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gazans.”
Mariaschin stressed that the often-violent pro-Gaza demonstrations across Europe and America do not express moral outrage, but in fact reveal the age-old hatred of Jews which has existed for centuries.
Turning to the task of tackling anti-Semitism, despite despair, Mariaschin concluded:
“I have no doubt we will prevail, in confronting both the new and the old anti-Semitism, and in winning the war of right over wrong, of good over evil, in Israel’s battles against those who seek to extinguish its flame of decency and its place as the homeland of the Jewish people.”
Mariaschin advocated for speaking “truth to power” in his answers to questions from online and EASAPP audience members, fielded by the organization’s Chair Susanne Bleiberg Seperson.
Athletic Scholarships Awarded in Israel
B’nai B’rith is partnering with the Majdal Shams municipality, where 12 Druze children playing football (soccer) were killed by Hezbollah rockets on July 27, 2024, and with the Israel Football Association to sponsor three coaching scholarships, in memory of the young victims.
B’nai B’rith Celebrates the Community “Spirit” of Christmas
Each year, B’nai B’rith members and supporters spread holiday cheer in their communities.
On Dec. 5, the Isadore Garsek Lodge in Fort Worth saluted local police at a celebration overflowing with delicious treats and heartfelt appreciation for their protection of the city’s Jewish community, which enjoys a special relationship with the officers.
Police Commander Stefanie Ricks noted, “we’re proud to work in a community where we receive such an outpouring of support and recognition from groups like B’nai B’rith.”
In Atlanta, where Achim/Gate City Lodge has conducted its Pinch Hitters program for more than 40 years, volunteers worked at fire stations, hospitals and convalescent homes on Dec. 25, allowing nonprofessional staff to take the day off. An MSNBC live holiday news segment featured Pinch Hitters in their brightly colored tee shirts at a local nursing facility.
Connect Holiday Festivities
B’nai B’rith Connect young leaders partnered with the B’nai B’rith Center for Senior Services (CSS) for a Dec. 15 program at the Adelstein Family-Project H.O.P.E. B’nai B’rith House in the Bronx.
for a lively get-together with residents.
B’nai B’rith Participates in Helsinki Conference on Anti-Semitism
International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy (ICHRPP) Deputy Director Rabbi Eric Fusfield represented B’nai B’rith at a conference on anti-Semitism in Helsinki sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Feb. 10.
Fusfield delivered remarks which opposed the politicization of anti-Semitism and the need to combat hatred of Jews wherever it occurs.
The event provided opportunities for OSCE members to engage in dialogue about ways to address and tackle anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination.
B’nai B’rith Uruguay’s Education Outreach
to their families.
B’nai B’rith Uruguay is dedicated to enhancing life for impoverished children through projects promoting educational opportunities.
In 2024, the organization formed a partnership with the Administración Nacional de Educación Pública (ANEP), the government office that oversees Uruguay’s public schools. Officially recognizing B’nai B’rith’s longtime efforts improving underfunded, mostly rural schools, the agreement signifies that ANEP will facilitate and collaborate with B’nai B’rith in its initiatives. Previously, arrangements were made between B’nai B’rith and the individual school receiving its support for classroom construction, staff salaries and the acquisition of computers and other essential equipment.
B’nai B’rith Uruguay Executive Director Javier Galperin noted: “The signing of this agreement marks a significant milestone for B’nai B’rith Uruguay. For over 85 years, we have built strong partnerships with governmental institutions, and this agreement represents a pivotal step in advancing our mission. We are proud to lead the development of impactful projects that contribute to Uruguayan society, driven by the values and commitment of the Jewish community.”
The Winter 2024 issue of IMPACT detailed B’nai B’rith’s transformational achievements at rural school 33 in Paso del Cuello, Sauce, outside Montevideo, now prized for its academic excellence.
B’nai B’rith is also the Uruguay sponsor of the Holocaust education philanthropy, The Butterfly Project. Students, parents and faculty from economically challenged schools participate in interactive workshops, where they are taught about the young people murdered in the Holocaust. In response, the children create artworks in their memory and in the name of their own freedom and civil liberties. More than 10,000 people in communities across Uruguay have benefited from what Galperin describes as “art interventions.” The Butterfly Project is named for the poem “The Butterfly,” composed by a boy who died in the Terezin Concentration Camp.
California Wildfire Fund
B’nai B’rith opened an Emergency Relief Fund in January that will partner with community agencies assisting California wildfire victims in Los Angeles Country. Spread by high winds, these devastating fires have killed residents and destroyed homes, offices and places of worship. As of March 10, at least 29 persons have died and nearly 130,000 were forced to leave their residences. Property damage totals billions of dollars.
Or mail a check payable to the B’nai B’rith Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund to:
B’nai B’rith Emergency Relief Fund
1120 20th Street NW Suite 300N
Washington, DC 20036
Music Thrives at B’nai B’rith NSW
B’nai B’rith’s Australia and New Zealand lodges sponsor projects aimed at advancing the arts for children and adults. In addition to organizing exhibits with Jewish themes, B’nai B’rith NSW has spread goodwill throughout Australia with its annual Harmony Day Poster Competition, honoring the country’s national diversity holiday. The contest, which now includes a song writing category, has resulted in the creation of more than 50,000 designs by gifted students over two decades.
B’nai B’rith administrates the Hetty Hardy Musical Excellence Grant, which funds music lessons for a talented high school student at the Jewish academy, Moriah College. Expressing his thanks, recent winner, saxophonist Benjamin Uria, wrote: “It is a tremendous honor to be a recipient of this award, and I am truly grateful for your generosity.”
Lodge members now have opportunities to make their own music. In December, A Cappella, B’nai B’rith’s new singing group, shared the stage with the Sydney Sakura Choir, which performs in Japanese, during an interfaith tribute to Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese consul in Lithuania who rescued hundreds of Jews escaping the Nazis.
Players from the Sydney lodges have also formed the B’nai B’rith Boppers, a band which made its debut at a Hanukkah party in Sydney. Truly a B’nai B’rith shidduch, the Boppers joined forces with A Cappella for a concert this year on March 9.
Garsek Lodge Purchases Ambulance for Israel
Community members of all faiths in the Fort Worth area generously responded to Garsek Lodge’s fundraising campaign for the purchase of an ambulance for United Hatzalah. Now in service in Jerusalem, the new ambulance replaces a vehicle destroyed in the days after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.
Staffed by a team of Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Druze volunteers, United Hatzalah ambulances deliver emergency treatment to patients, prior to the arrival of paramedics.
World Center-Jerusalem Hosts Greek Journalist
Sponsored by B’nai B’rith World-Center Jerusalem, reporter Adam Provatas, host of the Greek National Television (ERT) program, “SynThesis,” and his production crew were in Israel to transmit live broadcasts and film interviews, many of which focused on the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks, at locations including Majdal Shamas village and the offices of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. During his time in the country, Provatas met with prominent Israeli diplomats, Knesset leaders and high-ranking Greek Orthodox clergy.
Backstory:
Backstory: Einstein's Judaism
As people of many nations marveled at Albert Einstein’s scientific genius on his 50th birthday in March 1929, B’nai B’rith Magazine acknowledged his Jewish heritage and praised his dedication to Zionism.
“While newspapers around the world were acclaiming him [for his Theory of Relativity], while scientists were interpreting it in relationship to practical applications, Albert Einstein turned to his people….
His thought was on Palestine [pre-State Israel] and how it might be made a comfortable place for Jews who are homeless in the world…
His heart remained among his people.
The greatness of Albert Einstein is more than greatness of mind; it is a grandeur of character which remains staunch in the tide of public adulation, firm to his faith…”
Within weeks of the publication of the magazine’s editorial, Einstein and Chaim Weizmann, a B’nai B’rith leader who would become Israel’s first president, embarked on their first fundraising trip to the United States for the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.