Buenos Aires, Argentina… William C. Daroff, Chief Executive Officer of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued the following statement:
“Today, a leadership delegation of the Conference of Presidents joined with world leaders, leaders of global Jewry, the Argentinian Jewish community, and the Argentinian government to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the attack on the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. The Conference of Presidents, as representatives of the American Jewish community, remembers the victims, urges that justice finally be served, and lauds President Javier Milei’s constructive step last week to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.
“On July 18, 1994, 85 people, from then-5-year-old Sebastian Barreiro to 73-year-old Faiwel Pablo Dyjament, were killed, and 300 more were injured when terrorists set off a bomb, destroying the AMIA building. The official Argentine investigation overseen by prosecutor Alberto Nisman concluded in 2007 that Iran and its proxy Hezbollah were responsible for the attack. Although Interpol issued ‘red notices’ for the Iranian suspects, no arrests have ever been made.
“In 2015, Nisman revealed that then-President Cristina Kirchner, Foreign Minister Hector Timerman, and other Argentinian officials engaged in a coverup in collusion with the Iranian regime responsible for the attack. For his pursuit of justice, Nisman paid with his life. He was murdered on the eve of his presentation of evidence to the Argentine Congress.
“President Milei’s strong statements of support for global Jewry and his decision to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization are a welcome departure from the track record of his predecessors. We urge President Milei to take all measures within his authority to help bring those responsible for the attack on the AMIA and the subsequent coverup to justice.
“The Conference of Presidents and its 50 member organizations have long stood in solidarity with our Argentine counterparts. This week, the Conference is leading a Jewish American delegation to Argentina to commemorate the AMIA bombing, led by Conference Chair-Elect Betsy Berns Korn and Daroff. Member organizations in attendance include: ADL; AJC; American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee; Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America; Jewish Federations of North America; National Coalition Supporting Euroasian Jewry; and WIZO: Women’s International Zionist Organization.
“Decades of solidarity and collaboration with our friends in Argentina in the aftermath of the attack, including the Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas (DAIA), helped lay the groundwork for the J7, the Large Jewish Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism, which is also convening this week in Buenos Aires. Diaspora Jewish communities are experiencing dramatic increases in antisemitic attitudes and incidents in the post-October 7th world. Several Argentinian nationals were killed and more than a dozen taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, including the Bibas family.
“Our communities are working together to develop strategies against antisemitism offline and online, on campus and in boardrooms, and around the world.
“Through the J7, the Jewish communities of Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States are working together to develop best practices for governments, academia, the private sector, and civil society to aid the fight against antisemitism.
“We look forward to continuing our work with our international J7 counterparts to combat antisemitism and to convening again next year in Berlin, as we mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.”
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The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is the recognized central coordinating body representing 50 diverse national Jewish organizations on issues of national and international concern.
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