Distinguished National authorities
Dear Secretary General of the IHRA, Michaela Küchler
Dear IHRA Advisor, Robert Williams
Dear President of the DAIA, Mauro Berenstein
Dear Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Latin America, Ariel Gelblung
Dear IHRA delegates, special keynote speakers, and honored guests
It is a privilege for me, in my capacity as Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, to open this preliminary conference ahead of the first plenary session under this Argentine presidency. We extend a warm welcome to you all, especially to those who have traveled for many hours and from far away.
The working definition of antisemitism adopted by the IHRA in 2016 is the result of many years of collaborative work among legal scholars, historians, experts, and governments from more than thirty nations. It was created with a specific purpose: to provide the world with a precise tool to identify, name, and combat anti-Jewish hatred in all its forms, including those disguised as political criticism or valid debate.
Today, this definition is recognized by more than forty countries, the European Union, the United Nations, and numerous prestigious institutions. We are fully aware that the definition is an open proposal and that each state, as well as each organization, remains sovereign in deciding whether to implement it. We also recognize that the debates surrounding it remain ongoing.
We must consider that, despite the immense diversity of political, legal, and cultural frameworks across the more than 8 billion inhabitants of our planet, we are addressing a phenomenon—antisemitism—that has been developing and evolving for at least two thousand years, both in the West and across the rest of the globe.
It would be naive to think, then, that if antisemitism persisted even after the world witnessed the horrors of the Shoah, a technical definition and its application could completely resolve it. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel once said: *"I thought antisemitism died in Auschwitz; then I realized that only Jews died there."*
We certainly know that, thanks to the efforts of states, organizations, and survivors, the Holocaust raised deep global awareness about the most extreme dangers of antisemitism. However, its comeback following the fateful events of October 7 reminds us all that we cannot rest or remain idle.
In this regard, Argentina has made remarkable advances. First, we have had an anti-discrimination law since 1988, which I´m sure will be discussed today.
Furthermore, since the state's adoption of the working definition of antisemitism in 2020, many sectors of the Argentine government and civil society have embraced it. This has enabled civil society and, most notably, the judiciary to utilize it as a tool to fight anti-Jewish hatred.
We are fully aware that this definition and its implementation represent just one of many paths we can take to confront antisemitism.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank Dr. Ariel Gelblung and his entire team for organizing this masterful preliminary conference, which allows us to reflect on much of what has been achieved in Argentina during these ten years of the working definition of antisemitism.
I would also like to congratulate and extend my gratitude to my Co-Chair and dear Ambassador to the IHRA, Fabiana Loguzzo, for supporting this conference together with the entire presidential team and the dedicated collaboration of the Foreign Ministry team.
Thank you all for your presence, and I wish you an excellent and enlightening conference.
Thank you very much.