World Jewish Congress to meet in Buenos Aires March 15-17; Argentine president Macri to address delegates

International Jewish leaders to convene in Argentina to discuss unresolved terror attacks

Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky to attend plenary session

NEW YORK/BUENOS AIRES–More than 400 Jewish community leaders from around the world are expected to gather in Buenos Aires next week, as the World Jewish Congress (WJC) holds a special session of its Plenary Assembly, the organization’s highest decision-making body. Argentina’s [resident Mauricio Macri will deliver a keynote speech at the opening event of the assembly, and Paraguay’s president Horacio Cartés will be awarded the Latin American Jewish Congress’ Shalom Prize for his support for Israel.

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said ahead of the Plenary Assembly meeting: “This will perhaps be the largest gathering of international Jewish leaders in Latin America in recent decades. We look forward to fruitful discussions and to a show of solidarity with the Jewish community of Argentina, the largest and most vibrant in Latin America.

“We will make it clear that it’s not acceptable that today, more than two decades after the worst terrorist attacks against the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and the AMIA Jewish center, justice has yet to be done. We welcome president Macri’s decision to cancel the memorandum of understanding with Iran regarding the AMIA bombing probe and we hope that he will work diligently to ensure that no stone is left unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice.”

Press registration

Journalists and press photographers are welcome to this conference. Prior registration using the following registration form is essential (select “Press” in the capacity field).

https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/registrations/1603spa_buenos_aires/register/

Note that all accreditation requests are subject to approval and may be refused. Registered journalists are kindly requested to show their press cards at the registration desk.

Certain sessions of the program may be closed to the press.

Interviews with WJC officers can be arranged; please contact one of the people below in advance.

Tentative program of events

Tuesday, 15 March 2016
Location: Sheraton Hotel Retiro

19:30 Cocktail reception and opening dinner with keynote speeches by Argentine President Mauricio Macri and WJC President Ronald S. Lauder

Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Location: Sheraton Hotel Retiro

9:00 Special Plenary Assembly convenes; reports by WJC President Ronald S. Lauder and WJC CEO Robert Singer, among others; discussion of business resolutions

11:00 Speech by Adalberto Rodríguez Giavarini, president of the Argentine Council of Foreign Relations, and discussion on the subject of “Differing perceptions of Israel”

11:30 Discussion on measure to counter the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel

12:15 Intervention by Luis Álmagro Lemes, secretary general of the Organization of American States, on developments in the Middle East

12:45 Award of LAJC Shalom Prize to Paraguayan President Horacio Cartés

14:45 Address by Israeli Minister of Education and of Diaspora Affairs, Naftali Bennett

15:15 Session on the threat posed by international terrorism to Jewish communities, with interventions by France’s Ambassador to Argentina Jean-Michel Casa and personal testimony from Sister Guadalupe about her life in Aleppo, Syria; discussion and vote on resolutions on international terrorism and the AMIA bombing

17:00 Intervention by Omar Abboud, lay leader of the Muslim community of Argentina

17:30 Tribute to the late Alberto Nisman, special prosecutor in the AMIA bombing investigation from 2004 to 2015

Thursday, 17 March 2016
Location: AMIA/DAIA Headquarters, Buenos Aires

10:30 Tribute to the victims of the 1994 AMIA bombing, with personal testimonies of survivors, laying of wreath by WJC & LAJC leadership.

Location: Former site of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires (corner of Arroyo and Suipacha streets)

14:30 Official ceremony on the anniversary of the 1992 terrorist attack against the Israeli Embassy

14:42 Minute of silence, followed by speeches of WJC President Ronald S. Lauder and of representatives of the Argentine and Israeli governments

About the World Jewish Congress

The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is the international organization representing Jewish communities in 100 countries to governments, parliaments and international organizations.

Media contacts

New York: Aliyana Traison
Cell: +1 917-244-9660

Brussels: Michael Thaidigsmann
Cell: +32 495 510 917

Email: media@worldjewishcongress.org
Website: www.worldjewishcongress.org