Ronald S. Lauder, Eduardo Elsztain and Jack Terpins, leaders of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and the Latin American Jewish Congress (LAJC), have expressed sadness at the news of the passing of former Argentine President Néstor Kirchner, who died on Wednesday morning of a heart attack at the age of 60. They sent their heartfelt condolences to Néstor Kirchner’s widow, President Cristina Férnandez de Kirchner. WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said Kirchner had been an “excellent president” not just for Argentina but also for the Jewish community in the country. “During his term in office, President Kirchner brought Argentina back on track – not just economically, but also morally, with respect to the human rights violations of the past, especially under the military dictatorship in the 1970s. Both the late President Kirchner and his wife, current President Cristina Fernández, have played a tremendous role in ensuring that Argentina today is one of the world’s foremost democracies where the civil rights of all religious and ethnic minorities are respected. Largely thanks to them, Argentina has again become a good place for Jews to live.”
The Argentinean Jewish leader Eduardo Elsztain, who serves as chairman of the WJC Governing Board, also praised the late president: “President Néstor Kirchner always had an open ear for concerns among the Jewish community – not just in Argentina, but across the continent. He often interceded, for the benefit of our communities, with fellow statesmen in other countries.”
Jack Terpins, president of the Latin American Jewish Congress, declared: “President Kirchner was never afraid of speaking out when he felt it necessary, especially over the scandals surrounding the terrorist attacks against the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 and the AMIA center two years later in 1994. Both he and his wife showed great commitment and took important steps to bring those who perpetrated the attacks – and those who later tried to cover them up – to justice. We will sorely miss the late President Kirchner.”
Picture: President Néstor Kirchner (third from left) and his wife Cristina attending the AMIA bombing commemoration in July 2007.
