SANTIAGO - The World Jewish Congress and its regional affiliate, the Latin American Jewish Congress, have partnered with Argentina’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hold commemorations in more than 20 countries around the world over the coming weeks to mark the 25th anniversary of the deadly 1994 bombing of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) Jewish center, which claimed the lives of 85 people and wounded hundreds more. AMIA and the umbrella organization Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas (DAIA) are also partners in these endeavors.
The commemorations opened on Tuesday at the Argentinian embassy in Santiago, Chile, with a moment of silence in honor of the victims of the attack. Argentine Ambassador to Santiago, José Octavio Bordón, emphasized in his address that such commemorations are integral to ensuring that “memory is not erased.” The attack on AMIA “was an attack against the community of Argentina" and against "all of the children of God," he said.
Bordón reiterated his appeal to all "the democratic countries of the world" to collaborate to bring to justice the perpetrators of this attack.
Gerardo Gorodischer, President of the Jewish Community of Chile, referred to the events of July 18, 1994 as the day that “dehumanization arrived to our continent in a ruthless assault on innocent citizens,” and paid special tribute to the Chilean victim of the attack, Carlos Avendaño Bobadilla, and Susana Kreiman, an Argentine who worked in Santiago. Israel's Ambassador to Santiago, Eldad Hayet, also took part in the commemoration.
The events will continue on Wednesday in Berlin, followed by various cities including London, Madrid, Moscow, Geneva, Tel Aviv, Canberra, Rome, and others, through July 18. Each will be organized together with the Argentinian embassies and diplomatic offices, as well as the local Jewish communities in the respective countries.
"This was an attack against all Argentinians, a sentiment that is shared by all in our country. It is essential that we continue to share the memory of the attack and demand justice on all levels. We hope the mass commemorations will reinforce to the international community the need to put an end to this scourge of terrorism, " Adrián Werthein, President of the Latin American Jewish Congress, said of the initiative.
World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said: “Twenty-five years after this heinous attack, the families and loved ones of the victims are still waiting for justice to be served, and for the perpetrators, both local as well as those working for the long arm of Iran, to be brought to trial. We must not wait another 25 years to put an end to this chapter in Jewish and Argentinian history. Global terrorism and indiscriminate attacks against Jewish communities are continuing around the world. We must make it clear these horrific crimes will never be tolerated and do everything in our power to prevent them from happening again.”