MEXICO CITY - World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder held talks with Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto in Mexico City on Thursday. He praised the Mexican leader for being a friend of Jews and of the State of Israel and urged him to lend his support in advancing efforts for peace in the Middle East.
“We highly appreciate that Jews in Mexico have been able to live in freedom and run their lives in an environment where expressions of anti-Semitism are rare, and fought. We also hope that Mexico, with its excellent relations to both Israel and the Arab world, can play a critical role in bolstering the peace process. At a time when the Jewish state is subjected to unfair attacks world-wide, it is good to know that one has friends,” the WJC president said.
President Peña welcomed the WJC delegation by saying: “We have a special relationship with the Jewish community of Mexico, which has distinguished itself in so many fields and made invaluable contributions to our society. We cherish our friendship with the State of Israel with whom we work closely on issues of common concern, and I look forward with anticipation to the state visit of President Shimon Peres to Mexico in November.”
Lauder was accompanied by the president of the Central Committee of the Jewish Community of Mexico (CCCJM), Rafael Zaga Kalach; WJC’s Mexican Vice-President Renee Dayan Shabot; WJC CEO and Executive Vice-President Robert Singer; WJC Associate Executive Vice-President Maram Stern and WJC-North American Executive Director Betty Ehrenberg.
Background
The Jewish presence in Mexico dates back to the early 16th century. Today, about 40,000 Jews live in the predominantly Catholic Central American country. Since 1938, the CCCJM has served as the umbrella body of Mexican Jewish communities. It is affiliated with the World Jewish Congress.
Since the signing of a free trade agreement in 2000, bilateral trade between Israel and Mexico has more than doubled.
