Mauricio Sirotsky, president of Brazil’s Publishers Association and owner of the country’s largest television and radio network as well as two newspapers, died last month in Porto Alegre at the age of 60. He had suffered from cancer but succumbed to a heart attack.
The Governor of Rio Grande Do Sul province and the Mayor of Porto Alegre, the provincial capital, declared three days of official mourning for Sirotsky, who had been active in Jewish communal affairs. A journalist, he built a communications empire that consisted of 14 television stations and 16 radio stations.
Ecumenical funeral services at the Porto Alegre City Hall were attended by a representative of Brazil’s President, Jose Sarney, several ministers and state governors. The services were conducted by a local rabbi and the Archbishop of the district. Sirotsky was buried in the Jewish cemetery.
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