Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Angela Merkel Urges Fight Against Anti-Semitism In Speech At Argentina Synagogue

BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking at a synagogue in Argentina, said anti-Semitism must be fought “wherever it appears.”

She also praised Argentina for receiving Germans who escaped from the Nazis during World War II.

In the first hours of her one-day official visit to the South American country, Merkel on Thursday visited the oldest congregation in Argentina, the synagogue of the Israeli Congregation of the Argentine Republic, better known as Libertad Temple, in Buenos Aires.

“This synagogue is a symbol of the great Jewish community of Argentina, where many Germans came escaping from the Nazis,” she said. “There was a bridge between Argentina and Germany, and I want to thank you for having welcomed many Germans here in your country.”

Merkel recalled the 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, which left 29 people dead, and the 1994 AMIA Jewish center bombing that killed 85, as “living and painful” examples of anti-Semitism.

“We must fight anti-Semitism where it is present, and fight for democracy and the rule of law throughout the world,” said Merkel, who also noted that Germany’s past is a reminder of the need to fight against anti-Semitism and for freedom and democracy.

Merkel re-inaugurated the recently restored Walcker pipe organ, built in Germany in 1931 specifically for the synagogue. Germany contributed some $33,000 to the restoration.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.