B'nai B'rith International

09/07/2026

For the first time since World War II, Germany faces the real prospect of a far-right party leading a state government.

The AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt is a deeply worrying milestone. The party has a record of extremist rhetoric, antisemitic controversies and attempts to relativize Germany’s N**i past and the local branch in Saxony-Anhalt is officially classified as right-wing extremist.

For years, Germany’s Jewish community and mainstream democratic parties have warned against normalizing the AfD. That firewall is now facing its greatest test.

Our EU Affairs Director Alina Bricman spoke to Jüdische Allgemeine about what this moment means for Jewish life and German democratic resilience.

In der jüdischen Community sowohl in Sachsen-Anhalt als auch darüber hinaus ist die Sorge nach dem AfD-Wahlsieg groß. Wir haben Reaktionen gesammelt

09/06/2026

Sept. 5 marked 54 years since 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Many Palestinians still celebrate this heinous attack, the “Munich Massacre”—yet another stark reminder of the hatred and violence Israelis and Jews continue to face.

We honor the memory of those Israeli athletes by relentlessly combating antisemitism, defending Israel and safeguarding Jewish communities everywhere.

Learn more about our mission: https://www.bnaibrith.org/about-us/

09/03/2026

According to the NYPD, Jews were targets of 53.9% of all hate crimes in New York City so far in 2026, even though Jews make up just 10% of the city's population.

“It is deeply alarming that our community continues to be the primary target of hate in this city,” B’nai B’rith CEO Evan Bernstein told JNS.org.

“This cannot be ignored, and it certainly cannot be accepted as ‘business as usual,’” he added. “We must confront this reality with the urgency it demands before this culture of intolerance becomes permanently entrenched.”

It could not be clearer: This climate of hate, this normalization of anti-Semitism cannot become an expected feature of daily life for Jewish New Yorkers.

"It is deeply alarming that our community continues to be the primary target of hate in this city," Evan R. Bernstein, CEO of B’nai B’rith International, told JNS.

09/03/2026

: Our lodge members were among the Jews who interceded with President Abraham Lincoln to repeal an order by General Ulysses S. Grant expelling Jews from Tennessee.

In 1862, Grant’s General Orders No. 11 called to expel Jews “as a class” from the region. Our lodges in Missouri wrote to Lincoln protesting the Order, made against “a class of loyal citizens…driven from their homes and deprived of their liberty…sacrificing their lives for the Union…”

The Orders and the B’nai B’rith letter to Lincoln were displayed together at the White House during a 2012 Jewish American Heritage Month event. President Barack Obama acknowledged the act: http://www.bnaibrith.org/press-releases/president-references-jewish-efforts-to-repeal-grants-order-no-11

B’nai B’rith Magazine also went in-depth on the Order and the letter. Read more here: http://www.bnaibrith.org/in-the-news/throwback-thursday-bnai-brith-abraham-lincoln-and-the-jews

B’nai B’rith Leaders Were Instrumental in Momentous InitiativeDuring a celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month President Barack Obama

09/03/2026

B’nai B’rith’s Special Advisor on Latin American and U.N. Affairs, Adriana Camisar, attended AMIA’s Annual Dinner in Buenos Aires.

AMIA is an emblematic institution of Argentina’s Jewish community, renowned for its extraordinary social work and its remarkable resilience following the 1994 Iranian-sponsored terrorist attack that claimed 85 lives and injured hundreds.

More than three decades later, AMIA continues to be a powerful example of resilience, Jewish communal strength and commitment to tikkun olam.

Pictured (L-R): AMIA Executive Director Daniel Pomerantz, AMIA Secretary-General Mario Sobol, Camisar, AMIA President Osvaldo Armoza

09/03/2026

Peru has severed diplomatic relations with Iran, doing what too many governments refuse to do: look clearly at the Iranian regime’s conduct and act responsibly.

This affirms what B’nai B’rith has long maintained: the Iranian regime’s hegemony endangers people far beyond its borders, and nations willing to say so deserve support, not silence.

The Peruvian Foreign Ministry (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores del Perú) cited major global security and human rights concerns, including Iran’s incitement to violence, obstruction of nuclear inspections, disruptions to global trade in the Strait of Hormuz and abuse of its own people.

Peru’s commitment to security and democratic values is one we share, having recently welcomed Peruvian journalists on our Latin American Journalists Mission to Israel.

We urge other governments in the region and beyond to follow ’s leadership and hold the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism accountable for its actions.

09/03/2026

We are deeply concerned by Leuven Mayor Mohamed Ridouani’s decision to ban Hapoel Beer Sheva FC from playing its Europa League match in the city—even behind closed doors, under the pretext of not being able to ensure security.

This follows previous instances in which Belgian authorities refused to host Israeli teams, forcing matches abroad.

Israeli athletes should not be made to pay the price for threats directed against them.

A Belgian mayor is refusing to let his city host Israeli club Hapoel Beer-Sheva for a Europa League game, meaning Union Saint-Gilloise will need to find a new venue for the match.

09/02/2026

🚨 Join B’nai B’rith in calling on governments not to participate in the U.N.’s commemoration of the infamous Durban conference, which was marred by shocking manifestations of antisemitism and efforts to single out Israel, the world’s only Jewish state, for implied characterization as racist.

Twenty-five years later, the international community should not legitimize that shameful legacy.

👉 Take action now! https://www.bnaibrith.org/take-action/ #/71

09/02/2026

“This conference was supposed to be about human rights. Unfortunately, it became a platform to promote hate against Israel and hate against the Jewish people.” – Ambassador Danny Danon - דני דנון, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the U.N.

Convened as a conference AGAINST racism, the 2001 U.N. Durban Conference became a conference OF racism: against Israel and the Jewish people.

B’nai B’rith brought the largest Jewish delegation to Durban and led the Jewish walk-out. 25 years later, the Durban Declaration’s legacy lives on, as does the antisemitism it helped legitimize.

Watch Ambassador Danon, מיכל קוטלר וונש Michal Cotler Wunsh and other leading Israeli and U.S. officials discuss Durban’s hateful legacy: https://youtu.be/ZlgScwml1uo

Video credit: Israel at the UN / JNS.org

09/01/2026

B’nai B’rith, in partnership with JNS.org, held a live program today examining the hateful legacy of the 2001 U.N. World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa.

Hosted by B’nai B’rith Honorary CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin, the program featured leading Israeli and U.S. officials—including Ambassador Danny Danon, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the U.N., and Ambassador Jeff Bartos, U.S. Representative for U.N. Management and Reform—exploring how Durban helped legitimize antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric, including the portrayal of the Jewish state and its supporters as “racist.”

Panelists examined how the normalization of such rhetoric has fueled anti-Jewish hostility and violence, particularly in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks.

📖 Read the full program highlights: https://www.bnaibrith.org/durban-at-25-seeds-of-hate-program/

🎥 Watch the complete broadcast: https://youtu.be/ZlgScwml1uo