(JTA) — The Global Forum for Combatting Antisemitism, meeting for the first time in Latin America, will also have its first non-Jewish group as co-organizer.
The meeting, gathering more than 100 international experts in Buenos Aires July 17 -18, will be organized by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Hispanic Israel Leadership Coalition, a Christian organization; and the World Jewish Congress through its regional chapter, the Latin American Jewish Congress, or LAJC.
“Anti-Semitism has its own dynamic in the region, so the issue is very important for us. The well-being of the Jewish communities in the Diaspora is a core issue for my government,” Israeli ambassador to Buenos Aires, Dorit Shavit, told JTA.
The meeting will include workshops about anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment in the region.
In March, the murder of Jewish businessman David Fremd in Uruguay by a convert to Islam raised fears of a surge of Islamist terrorism in Latin America. The deadly bombings in Buenos Aires of the Israeli Embassy in 1992 and the AMIA Jewish center in 1994 were attributed to the Hezbollah terrorist group, but an attack against individuals was unprecedented .
“The murder in Uruguay must turn on all the alerts,” Shavit told JTA.
The Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism is a biennial gathering for assessing the state of anti-Semitism globally, and formulating effective forms of societal and governmental response.
Participants also will attend the ceremony of 22th anniversary of the AMIA Jewish Center bombing on July 18.
