Matthew Bronfman holds talks with Uruguayan leaders
11 Jan 2008
Matthew Bronfman, the chairman of the World Jewish Congress Governing Board, has paid a visit to Uruguay, where he met with a number of government officials and Jewish leaders.
Accompanied by representatives of the Latin American Jewish Congress (LAJC) and the Central Jewish Committee of Uruguay, Bronfman met with Uruguay’s deputy foreign minister Maria Herrera Sanguinetti. He raised concerns about the rising influence of Iran and its president Mahmud Ahmadinejad in certain parts of Latin America. Bronfman underlined the importance of Uruguay joining Argentina, which has been a member for some years, in an international task force on Holocaust remembrance and education.
Matthew Bronfman also met with Ricardo Ehrlich, the mayor of Uruguay’s capital Montevideo, who had recently visited Israel. Together with LAJC secretary-general Saul Gilvich, the WJC chairman paid his respects at a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.
The Jewish community of Uruguay has around 15,000 members, who largely live in and around Montevideo.