B'nai B'rith

[Hebrew bənê bərît, sons of (the) covenant : bənê, bound pl. of bēn, son + bərît, covenant.]

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The world's oldest and largest international Jewish service organization.

B'nai B'rith (Hebrew, "sons of the covenant") was founded by twelve Jewish immigrants of German descent in New York on 13 October 1843 to respond to the needs of Jewish communities worldwide. The organization has since created three major institutions that have played a key role in contemporary Jewish life worldwide: the Anti-Defamation League (1913); Hillel (1923), the largest Jewish campus organization worldwide; and the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (1924), concerned with the problems posed by the assimilation of Jewish youth in the diaspora and still operating an extensive network of summer camps.

B'nai B'rith lodges were established in the Middle East, starting with the Maimonides Lodge in Cairo (1887) and the Eliahu Hanabi Lodge in Alexandria (1891), followed by lodges in Istanbul, Edirne, and Beirut (1911). The organization's central concern was and is the promotion and implementation of programs that allow for the appreciation and maintenance of "Jewish unity, Jewish security, and Jewish continuity" worldwide.

The organization has five centers that develop and implement its programs: the Center for Community Action; the Center for Jewish Identity, devoted to "the transmission of Jewish values, ethics, and knowledge"; the Center for Human Rights and Public Policy (CHRPP), serving as the organization's research and advocacy arm; the Center for Senior Services, making B'nai B'rith the world's largest operator of affordable housing for seniors; and the World Center, established in 1980 to serve as the organization's official center in Jerusalem.

Within the United States, the organization acts as a powerful lobbying group, seeking the continuation of support for Israel. B'nai B'rith's CHRPP lists among its concerns "the security and welfare of Israel, rising Islamic militancy, resurgent antisemitism, Jewish renewal in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, [and] the security and welfare of Jewish communities worldwide." The organization has criticized human rights organizations that oppose the policies of the state of Israel, condemned the position of the European Union toward Israel, and consistently denounced what the organization calls "prejudiced reporting" about Israel by the foreign media.

B'nai B'rith is the only Jewish nongovernmental organization to be accepted as part of the Organization of American States, and it maintains a visible presence in South American countries. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, it supported the attempts on the part of the United States to establish stronger ties with the republics of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbeki-stan.

Bibliography

B'nai Brith International. Available from http://www.bnaibrith.org/.

Ivers, Gregg. To Build a Wall: American Jews and the Separation ofChurch and State. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1995.

— VANESA CASANOVA-FERNANDEZ

B'nai B'rith membership certificate, 1876.

B'nai B'rith International (English pronunciation: /bəˌneɪ ˈbrɪθ/; Hebrew: בני ברית, "Sons of the Covenant") is the oldest continually operating Jewish service organization in the world. It was founded in New York City by Henry Jones and 11 others on October 13, 1843.

B'nai B'rith is engaged in a wide variety of community service and welfare activities, including the promotion of Jewish rights and the state of Israel, assisting hospitals and victims of natural disasters, awarding scholarships to Jewish college students, sponsoring low-income senior housing, and opposing anti-Semitism through its Center for Human Rights and Public Policy.^[1] With nearly 100,000 members and supporters, B'nai B'rith International reaches more than 50 countries around the world to increase the welfare of resident Jews.

Until 2001, B'nai B'rith sponsored the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO), which is now BBYO, Inc.

Contents 1 History 2 Awards 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

History

B'nai B'rith was founded in New York City by Henry Jones and 11 others on October 13, 1843.^[2]

B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO), an organization for high school-age Jewish teens, was founded in 1923, and comprises the boys' order, Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA), and the girls' order, B'nai B'rith Girls (BBG).^[3] In 2001 BBYO was spun off as BBYO, Inc.

The B'nai B'rith building in Washington D.C. was one of three buildings taken over in the 1977 Hanafi Siege. Muslim gunmen holding hostages made several demands, including the demand that the movie Mohammad, Messenger of God be destroyed because they considered it sacrilegious."^[4]

Awards

B'nai B'rith International bestows various recognitions and awards, including its Presidential Gold Medal awarded every few years to honor the recipient's commitment to the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Recipients have included David Ben Gurion, John F. Kennedy, George H. W. Bush, Stephen Harper, and Golda Meir. In November 2005, the Gold Medal was given to former Austrian chancellor Franz Vranitzky,^[5][6] and in May 2006, it was awarded to Australian Prime Minister John Howard.^[7][8]

See also

• B'nai B'rith Youth Organization
• B'nai Brith Canada

References

1. ^ The History of B'nai B'rith
2. ^ Materials for historical research: The Western Jewish History Center, of the Judah L. Magnes Museum, in Berkeley, California has a large collection of historical records and papers, membership ledgers, correspondence, reports, and photographs that document the history of B'nai B'rith's Grand District Number Four (which included the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, as well as the Canadian Province of British Columbia) for the years 1963–92.
   The Jewish Historical Society of San Diego houses over 10 collections of materials about San Diego B'nai B'rith Men's Lodges and Women's Chapters, which date back to 1887.
3. ^ BBYO.org
4. ^ Theresa Vargas (March 12, 2007). "'Some Things You Never Forget': Thirty years ago, gunmen stormed three D.C. buildings, taking 150 hostages and one life". Washington Post. p. B01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/11/AR2007031101562.html. 
5. ^ oe1.ORF.at / News
6. ^ oe1.ORF.at / Bnai B´rith-Medaille für Altkanzler Vranitzky
7. ^ B'nai B'rith Australia / NZ
8. ^ B'nai B'rith Award Ceremony Honors Australian Prime Minister John Howard

External links

• B'nai B'rith International
• B'nai B'rith Center for Human Rights and Public Policy
• B'nai B'rith Youth Organization
• Western Jewish History Center

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