Agencia AJN.- The Commissioner for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism of the OAS, Fernando Lottenberg, held an interview with the AJN Agency after the Brazilian police arrested two people suspected of being linked to Hezbollah and considered that «it is surprising that it is in Brazil, but not surprising that it is in this region».

Furthermore, regarding the wave of anti-Semitism around the world, he stressed that «it is not only up to the Jewish community to fight it».

«We need and demand the support of government institutions, police and civil society so that Jewish lives are protected. I think this is the most serious moment we are living through since the end of the Second World War,» he said.

-What can you tell us about what we have heard in Brazil in the last few hours?

-What happened in the last 48 hours was the arrest of two people in Brazil, one in Sao Paulo and one in Belen do Para, who apparently are there on instructions and hired by Hezbollah, to carry out terrorist acts in Brazil against Jewish institutions. Not much is known at the moment, the investigation is taking place in secret. What we do know, point one, is that there is collaboration between Israeli and Brazilian authorities. Point two, in a statement that one of them gave to the Federal Police, he confirmed the connection with Hezbollah and now we are trying to understand this factor, in the light of what happened in Argentina for example in the 90s and whether or not it has a connection with what is happening in the Middle East today. If it could be an attempt to open other fronts, to try to hurt Jewish communities in other countries. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, because we don’t know everything at the moment. It’s a bit strange that this is happening. We never heard that there would be something prepared against the Brazilian Jewish community, but of course, from what we know, it can’t be ruled out. I think we have to follow the investigations, what comes out of the police and the judges, and when we have more information we will talk about it again.

-On a personal level, do you have an opinion on why it may come to this?

-I want to draw a positive consequence from this, because it is something that is normally approached from another angle. You always talk about the Triple Frontier and that they are out there and nobody is looking at them and they do what they want. And I say from my own experience, as a former community leader, that this is not the case. The police are vigilant. When I was in the presidency (Jewish community), this is public, I am not giving away a secret, just remembering, someone was arrested in Foz do Iguaçu who was looking for funds and financing for Hezbollah. With the cooperation of the three countries he was arrested, prosecuted and tried. If we have to look at a positive angle, they are attentive, they are cooperating with institutions in other countries. If you ask me why at this moment, I still don’t know what to say. When I took a position in CONIB (Brazilian Israelite Confederation), I warned about the need for an anti-terrorism law in Brazil. Because the law was a bit outdated, it was from the time of the military regime, and judges avoided applying it. There was some resistance, but in the end we have a law, which is not ideal, but it allows us to do what was done now, because there is legislation for this. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a person connected to Hezbollah was also arrested, who called himself ISIS and in communications it was found that he would try to do something against Jews. What is important about this law is that it allows, among other things, telematic interception. Terrorism is a dangerous crime, which must be investigated while it is being prepared, because after it is done, there is not much else to do. And this is a small legal revolution that allowed this kind of dangerous crime to be sanctioned.

It’s good that the police are vigilant, it’s good that we have adequate laws and we hope that, if it is confirmed that this is what is being said so far, that they will have adequate punishment.

-Are we only talking about Brazil or when we talk about Mossad and other organizations, can we think that they are looking at the region as a whole? I say this because of what’s happening in Bolivia, because of Venezuela…

-I think so. What we see is that it is surprising that they are in Brazil, but not surprising that they are in this region. Because the cooperation they have with certain countries in our region is intense. Especially Venezuela and Nicaragua. They come and go with great ease, whether they are Hezbollah or Iran. I remember the plane in Argentina. Or the visit of Mohsen Rezai, a senior Iranian leader, who was at Daniel Ortega’s inauguration for the fourth time and was not bothered at all. He is on Interpol’s red alert and was there circulating freely, the Nicaraguan police did nothing, the Argentinean ambassador found him and did not denounce his presence. It seems to us that they have a base here and it could be, I don’t want to be irresponsible, that they are expanding their domain and actions.

-Let’s talk about anti-Semitism and this wave that we are seeing in the world as a result of what happened in Israel with Hamas. What is your view of this?

-What I see first of all is that there is a qualification to be made. And I give him credit, because it is a formulation by Professor Carlos Rey of the Holocaust Museum in Curitiba, Brazil. He says you shouldn’t think of these things in terms of causality, of cause and effect. «What they do there increases anti-Semitism’, no. Anti-Semitism is already there. Anti-Semitism is already there. What happens is that this kind of situation allows them to take to the streets, to the networks, to say absurd things or to take decisions for violent acts, using what is happening in the Middle East as a pretext. I think this is important to say.

Then, we are seeing in the region, in Brazil CONIB detected an increase of almost 1000% compared to last year. In the UK, 600%; in France, 400%. We have to be concerned and we have to look for measures so that the security of Jewish communities is guaranteed. Yesterday I was in Montevideo for the commemoration of 85 years of the Kristallnacht or, as it is called today in Germany, the November pogrom, and in the speeches I gave I emphasized this. Because it is without doubt the most serious moment we are living through. Schools in France had to be closed, people are afraid in American universities to wear Stars of David, kippah or other symbols. It is not up to the Jewish community alone to fight it. We need and demand the support of governmental institutions, police, civil society and others, so that Jewish lives are protected. I believe that this is the most serious moment we are living through since the end of the Second World War. I don’t want to raise unfounded alarms, but it is important for people to be clear that the ill will, the hatred, the harshest prejudice against Jews is out there and we have to be vigilant.

-How does the OAS view this phenomenon?

-With concern. The creation of the function of Commissioner for Combating Anti-Semitism shows the interest and concern of the General Secretariat and the member states to be attentive to the issue. The secretary was already in the first days very firm in demanding the release of the hostages, of what happened on 7 October, and I think we have to try to keep Latin America and the Americas in general as safe as possible, as open as it has always been to minorities, and that Jews should not be the scapegoat once again.

-What is the message to the political leaders of the countries of the region?

-We special envoys met in Paris a fortnight ago. It was a meeting that was marked, but with the events, our main focus became their consequences in terms of what can happen to Jewish communities. We called on governments to assess the needs, to establish the security that Jewish communities need. We call on the police, law enforcement authorities, to be vigilant of threats to Jews. Be aware that Jews around the world cannot be held responsible for what happens in the Middle East. It is very important to make this distinction. We have seen with concern how some leaders in our region were looking for collective responsibility and this does not happen with other communities. It is only with the Jews and it is very serious. We cannot accept it. And the words of political leaders at this time matter a lot. So to talk about genocide, to talk about massacre, to talk about ethnic cleansing, which is not happening there, brings on the Jews an additional burden.

-This goes against the grain of what we see in Honduras, in Chile, in different countries that are going against this in the decisions they are taking with the State of Israel.

-That’s why we wrote this warning and sent it.

-In Argentina, there have been two attacks, the death of a prosecutor, Iranian planes circling overhead, is the region looking for any kind of misfortune that could happen?

-No doubt, and the communities are prepared. We have contacts. I am in Uruguay today, but I am always in contact with Chile, with Colombia, with various community organisations in our region. They are very well prepared and alert and in contact with the security forces to prevent anything more serious from happening. We are also in the political sphere acting with the other commissioners. Argentina has a commissioner, María Fabiana Loguzzo, who was in Paris, making this line of contact and transmission with authorities and civil society so that the issue gains the dimension and concern that it should have.

By Daniel Berliner*

Much has been heard from Javier Milei about his relationship with Judaism, his classes and weekly Torah study, his decision to convert and the transfer of the Argentine embassy to Jerusalem.

At this time, the Argentine community leadership is extremely concerned about the candidate’s public use of Judaism, an annoyance that is added to his position against declaring 18 July a ‘National Day of Mourning’ in homage to the victims of the AMIA bombing, which goes against the grain of his supposedly great love.

Milei does not miss an opportunity to talk about his rabbi, the rabbi of the Moroccan community, who quickly had to recalculate to lower his exposure given that Sephardic communities tend to stay away from politics, unlike the Ashkenasim who do. This would mean that any activity outside of his rabbinic status would force him to resign so that he could work politically with Milei.

Clearly all of Milei’s senses were activated as he perceived that Judaism hides a «Divine» engineering, the one offered by the holy books, the kabbalists and the scholars of all ages, from Moses onwards with the giving of the 10 commandments for all mankind at Mount Sinai.

Milei perceived all this and plunged into a world he believes he can own, by the mere fact of a weekly Torah study, his possible conversion, a closing campaign with a great Shofar and a particular trip to the grave (ohel) of the Chabad Lubavitch rebbe in Brooklyn.

None of this will magically make him Jewish.

This Tuesday, in an interview with journalist Jonatan Viale, Milei failed to say «I have a Jewish friend» to the journalist’s question: Why are you compared so much to Hitler? The «Jewish friend’s» answer was not long in coming: «Maybe I’m doing something wrong, then. I don’t go to church, I go to temple, I don’t talk to priests, I have a head rabbi and I study the Torah. I am internationally recognized as a friend of Israel and a Torah scholar. I am close to being a Jew, I just need the blood covenant.

Javier Milei, ¿el candidato que pretende apropiarse del judaísmo? #Milei Leé la nota completa: https://t.co/SWhCeKmvPO pic.twitter.com/GmJCdgYrSm

— Agencia AJN (@AgenciaAJN) August 18, 2023

Regarding Israel, I am sure that he will be officially received by the Jewish State in due course, as was the case with Eduardo «Wado» de Pedro, Juan Manzur, Patricia Bullrich, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and Alberto Fernández.

With regard to the announcement of the transfer of the Argentine embassy to Jerusalem, Israel would welcome this initiative, as it has done with the various countries that have already moved their embassies.

Perhaps all this does not work as you suppose, as in your world, where everything can be bought. Judaism and the love for it is not so within your reach despite your efforts and your gifted instinct for orientation in wanting to embrace it. None of this will become an acquired right. The road to conversion is a long one and the Jewish people embrace all those who wish to do so, but with modesty and humility.

Our teachers, rabbis and kabbalists have in their DNA centuries of wisdom passed down for thousands of years from generation to generation.

The Torah, the Talmud, the Gemara are the books that hide those answers that our teachers teach us with infinite wisdom. Love of neighbour, deep humility and modesty are the true essence of Judaism. That is why acts of faith are performed in private, in reserve, without the need to declaim them and expose them as you do whenever possible. That is not part of Judaism.

Returning to Viale, it was striking to see during the whole programme, next to his computer, a kippah, which Milei had asked him to wear months ago. The programme was ending and he was leaving without the «gift» he had come for, so at the last second of air time he said to the journalist, «Weren’t you going to give me something?»

«I keep my promise,» Viale replied, and quickly perceived not to do so publicly knowing that it could lend itself to Milei continuing to add gallons to achieve the symbolisms that would allow him to further validate his Judaism. Viale then informed him that he would do so privately. Faced with the host’s position, the candidate publicly blurted out, «Actually, that’s why I came here».

Javier Milei, ¿el candidato que pretende apropiarse del judaísmo? #Milei Leé la nota completa: https://t.co/cI9Ux5XyhJ pic.twitter.com/agl3Zl11n2

— ITON GADOL es Israel y las comunidades judias (@Itongadol) August 18, 2023

In the DNA of the Jewish people, freedom is a primary good. In the people of the book, diversity of thought, of adherence and dissent are reasons to celebrate, never to condemn. In Judaism, freedom advances, advances in embracing the one who does not think alike, because that distinction and respect has driven us to condemn hegemonic thinking that has devastated life on so many occasions.

A few months ago, former President Trump reproached American Jews for not having sufficiently «appreciated» the policies towards Israel that he adopted during his term in office and warned them that they must «get their act together» before «it’s too late».

Trump took on some of the most pro-Israel US policies of recent decades and also made nods to American white supremacism, which has anti-Semitic overtones.

*Director of itongadol and AJN Agency