The Latin American Jewish Congress honored Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.
The group awarded its Shalom Prize, given to “builders of peace between peoples,” to Bachelet at a ceremony Tuesday at the La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago. “She is a clear example of what the world expects from its political leaders: that they work for a more peaceful and safer world, for democracy, the full respect for human rights and for minorities,” said Jack Terpins, the president of both the Latin American Jewish Congress and Brazil Israelite Confederation. The secretary-general of the World Jewish Congress, Michael Schneider, and Chilean Jewish officials attended the ceremony.
Bachelet, who was elected president in 2006, is the first woman to hold the post in Chile. The country has a Jewish population of 20,000.
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