Rio Mayor Joins 9,000 At First Jewish Street Festival
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
(JTA) — The mayor of Rio de Janeiro joined some 9,000 Jews and non-Jews at the debut of a Jewish street festival in the city.
“Respect for all religions is fundamental in a city that is already experiencing anomalous violence. And we do not need any kind of religious phobia. The fact there are so many people here who are not from the Jewish community is a demonstration of the tolerance that must exist between all religions,” said Rio’s mayor, Marcelo Crivella, an openly pro-Israel evangelical Christian,.
The Fest Rio Judaico was held Sunday at a city square at the heart of Ipanema, one of Rio’s most upscale neighborhoods and home to hundreds of Jewish families. The day-long event, which drew massive media coverage, featured Jewish culture and traditions, including music, dance, cinema, literature, science, food and more.
“The Hebrew culture moves me. It has a special meaning,” Crivella said.
According to organizers, it was the largest outdoors Jewish gathering ever held in Brazil’s second largest city, which is home to some 30,000 Jews. Previous large Jewish events wereRio de held indoors for security reasons.
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