B'nai B'rith International

08/14/2026

Ninety-one years after President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act on August 14, 1935, Social Security remains a foundation for the economic security and dignity of older Americans.

According to the Social Security Administration, more than 56 million Americans 65 or older receive Social Security benefits as of July 2026. Data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities show those benefits lift 17 million older adults out of poverty, making this program vital for seniors, including many of the residents living in B’nai B’rith sponsored buildings.

Social Security is critical to fighting poverty among older Americans and protecting it remains central to our advocacy on behalf of seniors.

Happy Birthday, Social Security!

Photo Credit: The Library of Congress / US National Archives

08/14/2026

We are appalled by former Dutch Foreign Minister and EU VP Frans Timmermans’s abhorrent Holocaust inversion—comparing Israelis who he disagrees with ideologically to the N***s who sought to annihilate the Jews. His comments are a clear example of antisemitism by the IHRA working definition-which the Dutch government adopted in 2018.

This language endangers Jews across the Netherlands and can influence other key diplomats.

We, along with the B’nai B’rith Office of EU Affairs, call on the government, which appointed Timmermans as a Minister of State, to remove him immediately.

A former E.U.-boss who is now a top adviser to the Dutch king and government said on Sunday that right-wing Israelis have “exactly the same reasoning as the N***s,” prompting local Jews to call him…

08/13/2026

B’nai B’rith Magazine won 5 (!) Simon Rockower Awards for journalistic excellence for our 2025 issue! The awards are presented annually by the American Jewish Press Association to recognize the best in Jewish journalism.

🥇 First Place: Award for Journalistic Excellence in Covering Zionism, Aliyah and Israel—“A Dead Sea journey: Biking through the Negev”—Uriel Heilman

🥇 First Place: Award for Excellence in Writing about Jewish Heritage and Jewish Peoplehood in Europe—“YIVO at 100: Preserving Ashkenazi culture of the past for the present and future”—Beryl Benderly

🥇 First Place: Award for Excellence in North American Jewish History—“Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round: Desegregating Glen Echo amusement park”—Deborah Lynn Blumberg
Honorable Mention: Award for Excellence—Publication Design—Simeon Montesa and B’nai B’rith staff

🥈 Second Place: Award for Excellence in Long-Form Writing—“A Dead Sea journey: Biking through the Negev”—Uriel Heilman and Simeon Montesa

Read our award-winning stories and the full 2025 issue:https://bnaibrith-org-wpom.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2025_BBM_Winter.pdf

08/11/2026

FBI statistics show that Jews are consistently the most targeted religious minority in the U.S., yet the LA County district attorney’s office, which has filed 66 hate crime cases this year, does not track or categorize cases by religion.

Understanding that breakdown matters, says Evan Bernstein, incoming CEO of B’nai B’rith.

“Law enforcement has limited resources and needs to be able to know where those resources are best used to protect the most targeted populations,” he told JNS.org. “It is critical that the Jewish community builds relationships with its local first responders for this reason.”

“It is critical law enforcement understands the breakdown of religious minority groups impacted by hate crimes,” Evan Bernstein, incoming CEO of B’nai B’rith International, told JNS.

08/11/2026

🎙️ Meet the Speakers | IMPACT: Emerging Leaders Fellowship 2026

👉 Daniel S. Mariaschin, Honorary CEO and Senior Advisor, B’nai B’rith International

With decades of experience in Jewish advocacy and international affairs, Dan brings a wealth of insight into the challenges facing Jewish communities worldwide, the fight against anti-Semitism and the importance of effective global advocacy.

🌍 IMPACT is a joint B’nai B’rith International-World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) initiative that gives emerging Jewish leaders the opportunity to engage with experts and build the skills and networks to make an impact in their communities and beyond.

Ready to make your impact?
🚀 Applications are open until Sept. 1, 2026!
🔗 Learn more & apply: https://www.bnaibrith.org/global-advocacy/impact-emerging-leaders-fellowship/

08/10/2026

On the 25th anniversary of the August 9 su***de bombing at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem, we remember the 16 killed and 130 wounded by barbaric terrorists.

The attack on the pizza restaurant was one of many in 2001. We can never forget that Israelis still do not live in peace.

Su***de attack at Jerusalem pizzeria killed 16, including 8 children; a quarter of a century later, a family reckons with its ongoing fight for justice — and a new wave of grief after October 7

08/05/2026

A message from B’nai B’rith on the 2026 U.S. midterm elections and the critical need to reject hateful, divisive rhetoric in our political discourse.

Our full statement:

08/05/2026

“The ICRC failed every test with respect to Israelis held captive by Hamas terrorists. They never met with the hostages, never assured them comfort or medical supplies, never demanded proof of life and never did anything to speed their release,” said Rabbi Eric Fusfield, B’nai B’rith Director of Legislative Affairs.

“The ICRC has much to answer for, and the U.S. and the international community should demand those answers.”

Read more at JNS.org.

The International Committee of the Red Cross “failed every test with respect to Israelis held captive by Hamas terrorists,” said Rabbi Eric Fusfield of B’nai B’rith.

08/05/2026

🎨 During World War II, Polish-Jewish immigrant Arthur Szyk so effectively attacked the N***s that Hi**er reportedly put a bounty on his head—yet Szyk never fired a shot. Driven by an unrelenting passion for freedom and dignity, he used his art to show Americans what was happening to the Jews of Europe during the Holocaust.

After his death in 1951, Szyk quickly faded from public memory. That we know so much about his work today is thanks to Irvin Ungar, who has devoted the past three decades to scholarship on Szyk, championing his legacy across the globe.

On this episode of Conversations with B’nai B’rith, Honorary CEO Dan Mariaschin speaks with Ungar about his new book about their intertwined lives, “Reviving the Artist Who Fought Hi**er: My Life with Arthur Szyk,” and Ungar’s quest to restore this singular figure in 20th-century art.

https://youtu.be/OZ3IBQXo9Vg

08/04/2026

Alpha Epsilon Pi presented B’nai B’rith Honorary CEO and Senior Advisor, Brother Daniel S. Mariaschin (New Hampshire, 1971) with the Arthur Teich Award for Distinguished Alumni Achievement during the fraternity’s International Convention in Phoenix.

Congratulations, Dan!

Read more at JNS.org:

Longtime B’nai B’rith International leader recognized for decades of Jewish communal leadership, advocacy and service.