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<\/a><\/p>\nArgentina’s president, Javier Milei, greets attendees at a major Chabad event in Buenos Aires, June 8, 2026. (Nicolas Kremenchusky for Jabad Lubavitch Argentina)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Milei has long studied Judaism and has said he wants to convert after leaving office but sees Jewish practice, including the observance of Shabbat, as incompatible with the presidency.<\/p>\n
His 40-minute speech at the Chabad event focused almost entirely on Jewish religious texts and thought, quoting passages from the Torah as the basis of his economic view.<\/p>\n
Milei also revealed that his address was drawn from the epilogue of his upcoming book, \u201cMorality as State Policy,\u201d in which he argues that capitalism is a system invented by \u201cthe Creator\u201d \u2014 whom he also referred to as \u201cthe One\u201d \u2014 to bring paradise to earth through work.<\/p>\n
Jews in Argentina have a range of perspectives on Milei\u2019s philosemitism.<\/p>\n
\u201cI appreciate that the president chose to attend and speak at the Tribute to the Rebbe,\u201d Rabbi Tzvi Grunblatt, the head of Chabad in Argentina, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. \u201cHe is doing so from a deeply personal place. I also think it is healthy for him to have this spiritual side.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Alicia Osipovich, a sign-language interpreter assisting a deaf attendee at the event, told JTA that Milei\u2019s forceful support for Israel and Judaism made her uneasy, even as she personally appreciated it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud and deeply moved to have a president like him,\u201d Osipovich said. \u201cAt the same time, I have some concerns. He speaks extensively about Israel, and you know how support for Israel is sometimes portrayed. He says he is a Zionist, but nowadays the word \u2018Zionist\u2019 is often used as a negative label. I have mixed emotions. As a Jew, I am proud, but I also feel some concern about the increased public exposure of Judaism these days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under Milei\u2019s leadership, Argentina has invited European Jews worried about rising antisemitism to consider the country as a destination. Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno recently emphasized Argentina\u2019s attractiveness in a message aimed at Jews in Britain and other European countries who are grappling with surging incidents targeting Jewish communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cA country on the up with great opportunities. Sunny, with many natural attributes, and home to the largest Jewish community in Latin America. Strong stand against antisemitism. British and European Jews should seriously consider Argentina. You are welcome,\u201d Quirno wrote on X in reply to author Saul Sadka, who had urged British Jews to consider leaving amid growing hostility.<\/p>\n
Argentina\u2019s leading Jewish organization, DAIA, has recorded more antisemitic incidents in recent years, mostly taking place online. But the rate of antisemitic incidents reported in the country last year was significantly lower than in many other countries with sizable Jewish populations, according to the 2025 worldwide antisemitism report published in April by Tel Aviv University.<\/p>\n
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Simon Wiesenthal Center\u2019s global director, praised Quirno\u2019s invitation, saying it reflected a significant shift.<\/p>\n
\u201cSign of the times? A country formerly ruled by a Nazi-supporting dictator has morphed over decades into a strong democracy whose president is a philo-Semite,\u201d Cooper wrote in reply to Milei\u2019s foreign minister. \u201cArgentina currently serves as chair of IHRA [the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance]. Foreign minister now beckons embattled British Jews. Incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s ambassador to Argentina Eyal Sela told JTA at the Chabad event that he had no difficulty recognizing that Argentina is currently a very good place for Jewish life.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I agree with the Argentine foreign minister,\u201d Sela told JTA. \u201cOf course, Israel will always be the best place for Jewish life. But today, Argentina is a much better place for Jews than Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monday\u2019s event opened with the testimony of Yosef Chaim Ohana, a survivor of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, who expressed deep gratitude for the support shown by Jews around the world, followed by remarks from his father, Avi Ohana. Milei hosted the Ohanas and Grunblatt on Tuesday morning at Argentina\u2019s presidential palace, the Casa Rosada.<\/p>\n
Dozens of Argentine nationals were murdered or taken hostage on Oct. 7. This week, an Israeli who had worked in Buenos Aires at the Israeli embassy in Argentina was killed in an attack on a moshav in central Israel.<\/p>\n