Supporting and Defending Israel

As our permanent presence in Israel, our World Center in Jerusalem keeps us well connected to events and leaders in Israel.

B’nai B’rith leaders met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and various Members of Knesset in December to discuss such issues as the Iranian nuclear threat, the peace process and Israel’s mistreatment at such global venues as the United Nations.

This year, we took part in the inaugural meeting of the Knesset Lobby for Combating Anti-Semitism. And we continued to recognize and encourage Israel-Diaspora relations.

For the 21st year, the World Center hosted its award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage. This coveted award has had an impressive array of judges and winners over the last two decades, encompassing a “who’s who” of the Israeli journalism community.

B’nai B’rith leaders met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Since 1985, the World Center has attracted major speakers to deliver the “Jerusalem Address”—established as a forum to address fundamental challenges facing Israel and the Jewish people. This year’s speaker, noted British novelist and columnist Howard Jacobson, received attention from countless media outlets in Israel for his presentation.

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, the B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem and the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) held a unique, joint Holocaust commemoration ceremony dedicated to the heroism of Jews who rescued fellow Jews during the Holocaust. The event took place at the Scroll of Fire Plaza in the B’nai B’rith Martyrs’ Forest with about 900 people in attendance. Twenty-nine rescuers citations were awarded to Jews or their descendants who assisted other Jews in escaping to a safe haven or employed subterfuge, forgery, smuggling, concealment and other methods to ensure the survival of Jews from the Holocaust in Europe.

In 2013 the World Center continued a 25-year partnership with B’nai B’rith Uruguay for the “Light and Truth Award,” presented every other year to outstanding Uruguayan experts in the fields of science and technology. Professor Virginia Echinope, head of the electronic energy department in the National Directorate of Energy at Uruguay's Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining received an all-expenses paid trip to Israel as part of her award. The visit combined tourism with professional interchange and helped foster professional ties between Israel and Uruguay.