Bolivia

  • Jews Leaving Bolivia As Morales Favors Socialism, Iran, Chavez

    More than any other single event in recent years, the future of Bolivian Jewry may be determined by the outcome of the country’s upcoming national referendum on a new constitution. The proposed constitution calling for increased state control of private-sector enterprise is being fiercely opposed by many middle- and upper-class Bolivians, including the country’s Jews…. More ▸

  • PLO Closes Office in Bolivia

    The Palestine Liberation Organization has blamed “economic difficulties” for the decision to close down its office in Bolivia after 11 years. But the Anti-Defamation League says it is “another sign of the PLO’s loss of credibility.” According to I. Barry Mehler, chairman of ADL’s Latin American Affairs Committee, “the loss of PLO’s credibility in Latin… More ▸

  • Two Jewish Groups Protest Bolivia’s Move to Grant PLO Diplomatic Status

    Two international Jewish organizations have lodged strong protests with the Bolivian government for granting diplomatic status to the Palestine Liberation Organization which has had an office in La Paz since 1982. Israel Singer, secretary general of the World Jewish Congress, and Seymour Reich, international president of B’nai B’rith, expressed shock, concern and disappointment over the… More ▸

  • First Jewish Member of Parliament in the History of Bolivia

    As a result of Bolivia’s recent elections, a Jewish legislator, Jose Brecher, has for the first time become a member of the Chamber of Deputies, the World Jewish Congress reported. The election of the Jewish Parliamentarian coincides with a political event here unprecedented in the last quarter of a century: an elected government transmitted its… More ▸

  • Bolivia Says Barbie Was Protected by Nazi Sympathizers in Government

    The government of Bolivia has disclosed that Klaus Barbie, “the butcher of Lyon, ” was delivered to French authorities last February because of “his crimes against humanity” and that his years in Bolivia were made possible by the complicity of former high officials in the government and in the armed forces, the World Jewish Congress… More ▸

  • France Will Make Formal Request to Bolivia for Barbie’s Extradition

    Official sources here said that France will make a formal request to the Bolivian government for the extradition of war criminal Klaus Barbie as soon “as materially possible.” The sources predicted, however, that the legal and administrative process might last 2-3 weeks. Barbie, known as the “butcher of Lyon,” the French city where he was… More ▸