Leaders of Brazil’s Jewish community have been assured by a high government official that the regime of President Ernesto Geisel has not altered the nation’s “even-handed”‘ policy in the Middle East conflict. The Jewish leaders were also promised by Gen. Golbery do Couto E Silva, Chief of Cabinet, that the government will look into alleged manifestations of anti-Semitism in Brazil.
Similar assurances of even-handedness toward the Middle East were given last week to Israeli Ambassador Mordechai Shneerson by the director general of the Foreign Ministry in Brasilia, Ambassador Ramiro Elisio Saraiva Guerreiro. The Israeli envoy was told that the traditionally friendly relations between Brazil and Israel remain un-changed. But these assurances have not allayed the fears of Israel’s friends here that Brazil has changed course on the Middle East to the detriment of Israel.
Foreign Minister Azeredo Da Silveira left for New York yesterday to attend the 29th session of the UN General Assembly where the Palestinian question was made a separate item on the agenda over the weekend. Brazil was not among the 56 member states supporting the item as of last Thursday.
But the attitude of the Geisel government toward the Israeli-Arab conflict was indicated two weeks ago in a joint declaration by Da Silveira and the visiting Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Omar Saqaaf. It affirmed that “a constructive treatment of the Middle East question have as fundamental components the de-occupation of all territories seized by force and the recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”
‘PROTOCOLS’ SOLD IN CITIES
The declaration heightened the Jewish community’s anxiety and prompted the visit by the Jewish delegation to the Chief of Cabinet. The delegation stressed the Jewish community’s commitment to Israel and concern over the possible deterioration in Brazil’s traditional pro-Israel policy which, they noted, dated from the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948. They also expressed the community’s growing concern over “anti-Zionist” attacks in some newspapers and in radio and television commentaries and the hawking of the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” in Brazilian cities.
The Jewish delegation consisted of Dr. Beno Milnitzky, president of Brazil’s Jewish Confederation; Dr. Eliezer Burla, president of the Jewish Federation of Rio de Janeiro; and Dr. Marcos Firer, president of the Jewish Federation in Sao Paulo.
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.
