AJC Brings Together 100+ U.S. and Ibero-American Jewish Leaders for Strategic Forum

Amid rising tensions between Israel and Spain resulting in an unprecedented increase in antisemitic incidents, American Jewish Committee (AJC) brought together more than one hundred Jewish community leaders from across Ibero-America to explore regional trends, exchange best practices and resources, visualize future scenarios, and design guidelines for effective collective action for its annual Strategic Forum for Leaders of Ibero-American Jewish Communities.

Following the three-day program in Madrid and Toledo, the group issued The Madrid Declaration, calling on governments throughout the region to protect local Jewish communities from the growing "atmosphere of targeting and fear" and to prioritize the rebuilding of diplomatic relations with the State of Israel.

The forum, held October 20-22 by AJC's Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs (BILLA) and hosted by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain, also marked the 20th anniversary of BILLA, AJC's one-of-a-kind Institute established to strategically engage Latino and Jewish leaders and communities and help shape the present and future of Jewish life in the region through advocacy and diplomacy.

This year's forum came at a pivotal moment for Israel and the Jewish people. In these uncertain times, fostering stronger connections among these communities is essential-not only to confront the challenges facing Jews globally but also to tackle the unique issues affecting each and every community.

"Despite the difficult climate, we know how important it is for AJC to be here in Spain to support our partners from the Spanish Jewish Community-both to stand side-by-side with them in solidarity and to speak with moral clarity," said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. "Our timely presence in a country we have visited many times comes as the Spanish community is facing dire challenges stemming from anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric and incitement across society ranging from the media to the arts and sports to government officials. I am proud that AJC's BILLA convened this Strategic Forum with our partners from the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain to reinforce our collective commitment to help protect Spanish Jewish life as it faces threats to its well-being and to play a constructive role in getting relations between Spain and Israel back on track."

David Obadia, President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain and one of the signatories to the Madrid Declaration, expressed "deep appreciation for AJC's long-time partnership, and for choosing Madrid as the host city for the Forum particularly during such fraught moments for Spanish Jewry and Spain-Israel relations. Thank you as well to so many Jewish leaders from sister communities for being here to explore shared challenges and for conveying their feelings of solidarity."

The forum participants explored the dire state of relations between Spain and Israel - including in a meeting with Ambassador Dana Ehrlich, Israel's charge d'affaires in Spain and heard from representatives from several Jewish communities experiencing particularly challenging environments including Spain, Colombia, Chile, and Brazil. EU Coordinator Katherina von Schnurbein, OAS Commissioner Fernando Lottenberg, and Spanish Coordinator José Thovar presented best practices to combat antisemitism. Among other topics discussed was the continuous global and regional threat posed by Iran and its proxies, which have increased their footprint in Latin America, especially after October 7, 2023.

The Forum concluded in Toledo with a celebration of the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate hosted by Metropolitan Archbishop of Toledo Francisco Cerro Chaves and with the participation of Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC International Director of Interreligious Relations, at the Santa Maria La Blanca Synagogue, a symbol of the once prominent and thriving Jewish presence in this majestic city centuries ago.

"We came to Spain bearing a message of friendship and mutual responsibility," said Dina Siegel Vann, Founding Director of AJC's BILLA. "We have worked side by side with our Spanish Jewish partners and with successive Spanish political, diplomatic, and civil society interlocutors throughout the years to strengthen historical and current connections with the Jewish world as well as the trilateral alliance between the U.S., Ibero-America, and Israel. Antisemitism, whether manifested through accusations of collective guilt or denial of Israel's legitimacy, is in direct opposition to the democratic principles that Ibero-American societies seek to uphold and is a threat to all."

AJC's Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs (BILLA) is a unique initiative that strengthens the Jewish community's bonds of friendship with growing U.S. Latino communities and the countries of Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. BILLA partners with local Jewish communities and other sectors of civil society to promote relations among their countries, the U.S., and Israel. BILLA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a representative in São Paulo. For more, please visit www.ajc.org/billa.

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