While the figures are still unofficial, it appeared today that Brazilians voting in the general elections throughout the country, October 7, elected at least five Jews to Federal and state legislatures.
The ballot count as it stands now shows that Emanuel Weisman, of this city, has been elected as a deputy to the Federal Legislature. In addition, three other Jews, Francisco Silbert and Gerson Bergher of Rio de Janeiro, and Jacob Salvador Zweibel, of Sao Paulo, were elected as deputies in the Legislature of the State of Guanabara. Previously, it had been announced that Dr. Aaron Steinbruch, president of the Federation of Jewish Organizations of Rio de Janeiro, had been chosen to the State Senate, the first Jew in this country ever to be elected a Senator.
The ballots of the elections held more than two weeks ago are still being counted, and official figures will not be known for about two weeks more. It appeared likely to observers here that three more Jews have been chosen–two to state legislatures and one as a Mayor.
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.
