In an unprecedented gesture in the political history of Argentina, President Raul Alfonsin, accompanied by Foreign Minister Dante Caputo, Interior Minister Antonio Troccolin and Justice Minister Alconado Aramburu, attended the major annual Jewish communal dinner here where he praised the Jewish contribution to the Argentine nation, the World Jewish Congress reported today.
The dinner Tuesday night commemorated the 50th anniversary of the DAIA, the central representative body of Argentine Jewry and the WJC affiliate here.
Addressing his hosts, Alfonsin stated: “I must say in the name of the Argentine people how grateful we are for the enrichment which the Jewish community brought to our society. Many thanks for the defense of freedom, the only way by which a people can be dignified.”
The presence of Alfonsin and his address at the DAIA event is seen as a gesture towards the Jewish community and an unequivocal condemnation of anti-Semitism, confirming the Argentine government’s efforts to win out over the destabilizing intentions of the antidemocratic forces.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
