From: "B'nai B'rith Leadership" <bbileadership-AT-bnaibrith.org>
To: "BBI Leadership" <bbileadership-AT-bnaibrith.org>
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2001 15:47:06 -0400
Subject: BBI Leadership Briefing (08/17/2001)


B'NAI B'RITH INTERNATIONAL
Richard D. Heideman, President, mailto:rdheideman-AT-bnaibrith.org
Daniel S. Mariaschin, Executive Vice President, mailto:dsm-AT-bnaibrith.org

BBI LEADERSHIP BRIEFING
Friday, August 17, 2001
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B'nai B'rith International
1640 Rhode Island Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Telephone: 202-857-6500    Telefax: 202-296-0638
Internet: http://www.BBInet.org

This BBINET e-publication designed for the leadership of B'nai B'rith International.  We welcome your comments and suggestions.

For text or details on each item, please refer to the numbered section, after the Contents section.

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CONTENTS

1.   BBI Executive Vice President meets with Israeli officials on current crisis

2.  News from B'nai B'rith Districts
* B'nai B'rith Canada

3. News From B'nai B'rith International:
* Racism Conference Could Spell Disaster

4.    B'nai B'rith World Center- Jerusalem Report
*World Center continues efforts on Durban Conference

5.  In Memoriam
* Ruth Berman
* Rabbi Oscar Groner

6.  News from B'nai B'rith Canada

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1.  BBI EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT MEETS WITH ISRAELI OFFICIALS ON CURRENT CRISIS

BBI Executive Vice President Daniel Mariaschin visited Israel recently for a series of high level meetings focusing on Israel's attempts to control the=20deteriorating security situation.

In a packed agenda organized by the B'nai B'rith World Center in Jerusalem,=20Mariaschin met with Minister of Defense Benyamin Ben Eliezer, Ministry Director General Amos Yaron, Chief Education Officer Eliezer Stern and Deputy Head of the Intelligence Corps Research Division Eran Lerman. He also held extensive meetings with Foreign Ministry officials which focused on the upcoming World Conference Against Racism, US-Israel relations and Arabs attempts to=20de-legitimize Israel in the international arena. Meetings included Ministry=20legal advisor Alan Baker, Deputy Director General for North America Yoram Ben Ze'ev, Deputy Director General for Information Gideon Meir, Deputy Director General for International Organizations Mordechai Yedid and Shmuel Ben Shmuel, Director of the ministry's Department for World Jewish Communities.

Mariaschin also met with former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US ambassador Daniel Kurtzer, former Israel ambassadors to the US Zalman Shoval and Prof. Itamar Rabinovich, MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud), MK Collete Avital (Labor), MK Dan Meridor (Center Party), Government Secretary Gideon Saar, Prime Minister's office director general Avigdor Yitzhaki, Prime Minister Sharon advisors Dani Ayalon and Ra'anan Gissin, President Katsav advisors Avi Granot and Taliya Lador Fresher and with Jewish restitution officials Naphtali Lavie=20and Moshe Zanbar.

One of his most poignant meetings was with family members of the kidnapped and missing Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, including those missing since the 1982 Lebanon war and those kidnapped last October whose have been withheld any information on the condition of their loved ones by the Hizbollah and other Arab terrorist groups. Mariaschin offered to take specific steps to help seek the release of these soldiers.

Mariaschin rounded out his meetings with consultations with B'nai B'rith Israel President Arie Bar Zion and with the B'nai B'rith World Center Executive