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

 

Agencia AJN.-  Monty Norman, el compositor y letrista de origen judío más conocido por la mundialmente famosa melodía de James Bond, murió este lunes a los 94 años, según dio a conocer el diario The Guardian, que confirmó la noticia con los familiares del artista. Norman, que nació en el barrio londinense de Stepney, era hijo de inmigrantes procedentes de Lituania.

La pasión por la música la tuvo luego de obsesionarse con The Beatles y Eric Clapton, comenzando a trabajar en la composición de canciones para obras de teatro con música rock, el género que le apasionaba. De hecho, el resto de su carrera se dedicó a la industria de los montajes, siendo una adaptación de Pinocho uno de sus últimos trabajos.

Norman recibió en 1962 el encargo de componer la banda sonora de «El satánico Dr. No». Recurrió a una melodía escrita para la adaptación inédita de la novela «Una casa para el señor Biswas», de V. S. Naipaul. De esta manera, la música que iba a acompañar la obra del autor que en 2001 ganaría el Nobel de literatura, quedó asociado para siempre con el agente 007.

Sin embargo, los productores del film habían quedado insatisfechos con el trabajo de Norman y encargaron a un joven John Barry que elaborase un nuevo arreglo para el tema. Desde entonces, Barry se llevó el mérito de la célebre pieza, hasta el punto de que Norman demandó en 2001 al Sunday Times por habérsela atribuido a su rival.

Otros créditos de Norman incluyen los musicales teatrales Songbook y Poppy, y música de cine para The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), Call Me Bwana (1963) y la miniserie de televisión Dickens of London (1976).