Religious diversity and tolerance isn’t a topic that’s raised that often in predominantly Roman Catholic Latin America. But Argentine senator and First Lady Cristina Fernández de Kirchner met Saturday with the Jewish community in Caracas, Venezuela and urged Venezuelans to not be afraid of anti-semitism:

“Latin America has a long tradition of respect and absolute coexistence of different nationalities and religions…Our history (in the region) also includes pain, persecution,” the senator said during her keynote speech before the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Venezuela’s Israeli Confederation (CAIV).

Fernández de Kirchner compared the annihilation of Jews during the Holocaust to the dictatorship that seized power in Argentina 31 years ago, “following a bloody coup d’etat.”

A question that might come to mind is where Judaism falls in Chavez’s new socialist Venezuela, not to mention the president’s newfound friendships with Iran and Syria.

Kirschner’s visit was designed to help melt the ice between the Chavez government and Venezuelan jews, who have more than a few issues with the president:

“This is the worst I’ve seen the situation here in 40 years,” Rabbi Pynchas Brener, chief rabbi of Caracas’s Ashkenazi Jews, told JTA.

In a speech last December, Chavez reportedly referred to “the descendants of the same people who crucified Christ,” saying they “have taken over all the wealth of the world.”

Whether Kirschner’s intervention will do any good is anybody’s guess, but the First Lady did vow to challenge any act of anti-semitism that might arise in Latin America:

“Rest assured that each and every one of us holding institutional positions throughout Latin America not only will raise our voices, but will also take concrete steps in the face of any sign or type of anti-Semitism. We are not willing to give up a historic tradition in Latin America.”

Meanwhile, all of Latin America is speculating on which Kirschner — the current Argentine president or Cristina — will run for president in the country’s next elections.

Via / El Universal and Jewish in St. Louis

Image via Cronica.com.ar and BBC.co.uk/AFP