The attendance by over 20,000 people at Israel Week here, including 140 leading non-Jewish personalities, was viewed as a powerful expression of solidarity with Israel and an implicit protest against the Brazilian government’s support for the anti-Zionist resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly.”
The 140 non-Jewish personalities attending the inaugural dinner included former President Juscelino Kubitschek; Dom Antonio Morais Jr., the Archbishop of Niteroi; 10 members of Brazil’s Academy of Literature, headed by its president, Austregesilo de Athayde; members of the Brazilian Senate and House of Representatives; and high officials of the Rio State government.
The Israel Week, sponsored by the Rio branch of the Brazilian Zionist Organization, the Israeli Consulate and the Brazil-Israel Cultural Center, displayed 20 tons of Israel-made goods, conducted five Israeli fashion shows and held five dinners for 400 people each, prepared by the chief chef of Tel Aviv’s Dan Hotel.
Proceeds from the event, held at the Copacabana Palace, will not go to Israel but will be donated to the Catholic-controlled Banco do Previdencia, a central body that assists local philanthropic institutions.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
