Jump to content

Richard Benkin: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
BOT--Reverting link addition(s) by 81.62.162.93 to revision 680720216 (http://www.interfaithstrength.blogspot.com [\bblog(?:cu|fa|harbor|mybrain|post|savy|spot|townhall)?\.com\b])
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Notability|date=September 2015}}
Dr. ''Richard Benkin'' is an American Jewish [[human rights]] activist, co-founder of '[[Interfaith Strength]]', journalist, writer and lecturer. He's also a member of Folks Magazine's Editorial Board since August 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Folks Magazine's Editorial Board|url=http://folks.co.in/about/management-team/|accessdate=28 August 2011}}</ref>
'''Richard Benkin''' is an American former [[nursing home]] owner and administrator.


==Career==
==Career==
===Nursing home operator===
=== Human rights activities ===
Benkin owned and administered a nursing home, the Lexington Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, in [[Illinois]], that ran afoul of the law. He eventually lost his license. A 2000 ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' investigative series on Benkin revealed pervasive fraud, misrepresentation, abuse of patients’ rights, and maintenance of an environment seriously dangerous to highly vulnerable groups and individuals.
⚫
Benkin participated in efforts to release Bangladeshi journalist, [[Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury]], imprisoned after writing articles warning about the rise of Islamic radicals, and urging Bangladesh to recognize Israel. Benkin, like Choudhury, is an Advisory Board Member of [[Islam-Israel Fellowship]].<ref>[http://interfaithstrength.com/images/RichardBio.htm Bio of Dr. Richard Benkin], Interfaith Strength</ref> <ref>Interview with Richard Benkin in "Kashmir Affairs", 24 Dec 2008, Murtaza Shibli [http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=2672] </ref> Choudhury together formed [[Interfaith Strength]] to disseminate information about Choudhury's case.
<ref>[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-03-31/news/0003310188_1_aids-patients-facility-chicago-christian-industrial-league, Shelter Alleges Nursing Home Misled It], March 31, 2012</ref> One of the investigative series’ co-authors, Michael J. Berens, who received a 2012 Pulitzer prize for a ''[[Seattle Times]]'' investigative series on elder abuse in Lexington Nursing & Rehabilitation Center.<ref>[http://seattletimes.com/html/seniorsforsale/2010939195_seniors31.html, How the aged and frail are exploited in Washington's adult family homes], January 30, 2010</ref>
⚫
Choudhury was released from prison in 2004. Benkin said "In almost seven years since [he] was arrested, the Bangladeshi government has not brought forward one scintilla of credible evidence against this journalist; and its sole 'witness' continues to not show up."<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/heather-robinson/independent-journalist-un_b_579477.html Independent Journalist, Under Attack, Gets Mixed Signals from the U.S.] May 17, 2010</ref> In September 2005, the Bangladeshi government asked Benkin if he would help build a "positive image" of Bangladesh in the United States. Wanting to help the Bangladeshi people and advance US-Bangladesh relations, Benkin was advised to accept the challenge because Bangladesh had taken positive steps recently. After one month, however, a frustrated Benkin resigned from the role after serious disagreements with the Bangladeshi government.<ref>[http://www.interfaithstrength.com/images/Aslam.htm]</ref> On February 15, 2007,HOUSE RESOLUTION 64 passed the [[United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs]] without opposition.<ref>[http://interfaithstrength.com/images/Resolution.pdf HOUSE RESOLUTION 64]</ref> The resolution called on the government of Bangladesh to drop all charges against Choudhury<ref>[http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll139.xml]</ref>


In June 2000, the Illinois State Department of Professional Regulation alleged that Benkin had lured a homeless 27-year-old female drug addict into his “care” so as to have sex with her. Finally, the state closed the nursing home and in 2003 publicly announced the suspension of Benkin’s license.<ref>[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-06-15/news/0006150295_1_homeless-patients-elderly-patients-nursing-home, Nursing Home Owner Is In Danger Of Having State Revoke His License] June 15, 2000</ref><ref>[https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2003/01/21/03-1141/office-of-inspector-general-program-exclusions-december-2002, Office of Inspector General; Program Exclusions: December 2002] Jan 21,2003</ref>
⚫
Congressman [[Mark Kirk]] presented a Certificate of [[Special Congressional Recognition]] to Benkin on May 22, 2005 at Benkin's synagogue, Temple Chai in [[Long Grove, Illinois|Long Grove]]. The certificate was awarded for Benkin's "commitment and dedication to preserving human rights in the case of Shoaib Choudhury.<ref>[http://kirk.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2644&Itemid=131]</ref>


===Views===
=== Activist ===
{{Primary sources|section about activism: references are to his own website interfaithstrength.com and house.gov|date=September 2015}}
In 2008 he compared Islamist militants in [[Kashmir]] to [[Palestine|Palestinian]] militants, stating that Kashmir is a transitory goal in the [[Islamist]] goal to control [[India]]: <blockquote>"Kashmir is South Asia’s West Bank. Just as Pakistan and its Islamist allies ultimately seek to turn all of India into an Islamic state; so, too, the Arabs have tried again and again to destroy the Israel and even had that as their stated policy. After their colossal failure to do so in 1967, they tried once more to invade Israel with national armies only to fail again. So they changed tactics and stopped talking about their ultimate goal. Instead they focused on “the occupation” ([[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]]). Their real aim-to destroy Israel and turn it into an Islamic state-never changed. This tactic successfully distracted a gullible Europe which supported Arab calls for their temporary goal. Similarly, South Asian Islamists still want more than Kashmir. Kashmir, like the West Bank, is a transitory goal, but a critical one."<ref>Interview with Dr. Richard Benkin in "Kashmir Affairs", 24 Dec 2008, Murtaza Shibli [http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=2672]</ref></blockquote>
Immediately, in 2003, Benkin began his partnership with and advocacy for [[Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury]], which brought Benkin to international attention. Testimony from long-time Bangladeshi freedom fighters that Choudhury was a fraud, an overnight anti-Islamist, was repeatedly ignored by Benkin, who is also believed to have committed numerous deceptions in representing Choudhury, according to an article in the ''[[Baltimore Post-Examiner]]''.<ref>[http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/bangladeshi-fake-muslim-zionist-promoter-richard-benkin-has-history-of-deception/2012/10/08 Bangladeshi fake 'Muslim Zionist' promoter Richard Benkin has history of deception] October 8, 2012 </ref>

⚫
He participated in efforts to release Choudhury, imprisoned after writing articles warning about the rise of Islamic radicals, and urging Bangladesh to recognize Israel. Benkin, like Choudhury, is an Advisory Board Member of [[Islam-Israel Fellowship]].<ref>http://interfaithstrength.com/images/RichardBio.htm</ref><ref>Interview with Richard Benkin in "Kashmir Affairs", 24 Dec 2008, Murtaza Shibli [http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=2672] {{unreliable source|date=September 2015}}</ref> Choudhury together formed [[Interfaith Strength]] to disseminate information about Choudhury's case.
⚫
Choudhury was released from prison in 2004. Benkin said "In almost seven years since [he] was arrested, the Bangladeshi government has not brought forward one scintilla of credible evidence against this journalist; and its sole 'witness' continues to not show up."<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/heather-robinson/independent-journalist-un_b_579477.html Independent Journalist, Under Attack, Gets Mixed Signals from the U.S.] May 17, 2010</ref> In September 2005, the Bangladeshi government asked Benkin if he would help build a "positive image" of Bangladesh in the United States. Wanting to help the Bangladeshi people and advance US-Bangladesh relations, Benkin was advised to accept the challenge because Bangladesh had taken positive steps recently. After one month, however, a frustrated Benkin resigned from the role after serious disagreements with the Bangladeshi government.<ref>http://www.interfaithstrength.com/images/Aslam.htm</ref> On February 15, 2007, HOUSE RESOLUTION 64 passed the [[United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs]] without opposition.<ref>http://interfaithstrength.com/images/Resolution.pdf</ref> The resolution called on the government of Bangladesh to drop all charges against Choudhury.<ref>http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll139.xml</ref>

⚫
Congressman [[Mark Kirk]] presented a Certificate of [[Special Congressional Recognition]] to Benkin on May 22, 2005 at Benkin's synagogue, Temple Chai in [[Long Grove, Illinois|Long Grove]]. The certificate was awarded for Benkin's "commitment and dedication to preserving human rights in the case of Choudhury.<ref>http://kirk.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2644&Itemid=131</ref>


== Awards and recognitions ==
== Awards and recognitions ==
Line 27: Line 34:
== References ==
== References ==
<references/>
<references/>

== External links ==
*[http://www.interfaithstrength.blogspot.com Blog]
*[http://www.interfaithstrength.com Interfaith Strength]
*[http://www.freechoudhury.com/RichardBio.htm Biography]


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
Line 47: Line 49:
[[Category:American male journalists]]
[[Category:American male journalists]]
[[Category:American lobbyists]]
[[Category:American lobbyists]]
[[Category:American Zionists]]
[[Category:Human rights in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Human rights in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Jewish activists]]
[[Category:Jewish activists]]

Revision as of 21:18, 12 October 2015

Richard Benkin is an American former nursing home owner and administrator.

Career

Nursing home operator

Benkin owned and administered a nursing home, the Lexington Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, in Illinois, that ran afoul of the law. He eventually lost his license. A 2000 Chicago Tribune investigative series on Benkin revealed pervasive fraud, misrepresentation, abuse of patients’ rights, and maintenance of an environment seriously dangerous to highly vulnerable groups and individuals. [1] One of the investigative series’ co-authors, Michael J. Berens, who received a 2012 Pulitzer prize for a Seattle Times investigative series on elder abuse in Lexington Nursing & Rehabilitation Center.[2]

In June 2000, the Illinois State Department of Professional Regulation alleged that Benkin had lured a homeless 27-year-old female drug addict into his “care” so as to have sex with her. Finally, the state closed the nursing home and in 2003 publicly announced the suspension of Benkin’s license.[3][4]

Activist

Immediately, in 2003, Benkin began his partnership with and advocacy for Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, which brought Benkin to international attention. Testimony from long-time Bangladeshi freedom fighters that Choudhury was a fraud, an overnight anti-Islamist, was repeatedly ignored by Benkin, who is also believed to have committed numerous deceptions in representing Choudhury, according to an article in the Baltimore Post-Examiner.[5]

He participated in efforts to release Choudhury, imprisoned after writing articles warning about the rise of Islamic radicals, and urging Bangladesh to recognize Israel. Benkin, like Choudhury, is an Advisory Board Member of Islam-Israel Fellowship.[6][7] Choudhury together formed Interfaith Strength to disseminate information about Choudhury's case. Choudhury was released from prison in 2004. Benkin said "In almost seven years since [he] was arrested, the Bangladeshi government has not brought forward one scintilla of credible evidence against this journalist; and its sole 'witness' continues to not show up."[8] In September 2005, the Bangladeshi government asked Benkin if he would help build a "positive image" of Bangladesh in the United States. Wanting to help the Bangladeshi people and advance US-Bangladesh relations, Benkin was advised to accept the challenge because Bangladesh had taken positive steps recently. After one month, however, a frustrated Benkin resigned from the role after serious disagreements with the Bangladeshi government.[9] On February 15, 2007, HOUSE RESOLUTION 64 passed the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs without opposition.[10] The resolution called on the government of Bangladesh to drop all charges against Choudhury.[11]

Congressman Mark Kirk presented a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition to Benkin on May 22, 2005 at Benkin's synagogue, Temple Chai in Long Grove. The certificate was awarded for Benkin's "commitment and dedication to preserving human rights in the case of Choudhury.[12]

Awards and recognitions

  • “Special US Congressional Recognition,” 2005
  • Nominated for 2006 Lorenzo Natali Prize for journalism
  • Special Recognition 2007, Bangladesh Editors Forum
  • Special Recognition 2007, Bangladesh Minority Lawyers Association

Publications

  • The Social and Cultural Development of Jewish Communities in Eastern Europe, 1976 Doctoral Dissertation, University of Michigan Press
  • The Battle Beneath Jerusalem (Dhaka Press, 2009)
  • Our Fight for Freedom: The Story of a Falsely Imprisoned Muslim and one Jews’s Fight to Free Him
  • A Quiet Case of Ethnic Cleansing (monograph on Bangladeshi Hindus), published in Toronto and Mumbai, 2008
  • Sociology: A Way of Seeing, Wadsworth Pub Co (July 1981) ISBN 978-0-534-00929-8

References

  1. ^ Shelter Alleges Nursing Home Misled It, March 31, 2012
  2. ^ How the aged and frail are exploited in Washington's adult family homes, January 30, 2010
  3. ^ Nursing Home Owner Is In Danger Of Having State Revoke His License June 15, 2000
  4. ^ Office of Inspector General; Program Exclusions: December 2002 Jan 21,2003
  5. ^ Bangladeshi fake 'Muslim Zionist' promoter Richard Benkin has history of deception October 8, 2012
  6. ^ http://interfaithstrength.com/images/RichardBio.htm
  7. ^ Interview with Richard Benkin in "Kashmir Affairs", 24 Dec 2008, Murtaza Shibli [1] [unreliable source?]
  8. ^ Independent Journalist, Under Attack, Gets Mixed Signals from the U.S. May 17, 2010
  9. ^ http://www.interfaithstrength.com/images/Aslam.htm
  10. ^ http://interfaithstrength.com/images/Resolution.pdf
  11. ^ http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll139.xml
  12. ^ http://kirk.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2644&Itemid=131

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Benkin&oldid=685436752"