Remarks by the High Representative for UNAOC,
Under-Secretary-General Miguel Ángel Moratinos,
on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of AMIA
(Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina)
18 July 2024, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Good morning,
Distinguished guests and representatives of Jewish communities,
Dear Mr.Amos Linetzky,
I wish to thank you, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina, The World Jewish Congress, and the Presidents of AMIA, DAIA, and LAJC for inviting me to be part of this ceremony on the occasion of the somber 30th anniversary of AMIA.
I stand here today with a heavy heart after the moving ceremony this morning at the site where the terrorist attack took place.
At the same time, I was humbled by the testimony of AMIA survivor Mr. Daniel Pomerantz yesterday and those of the families of the innocent victims today at the ceremony.
To Daniel and all the victims’ families, I say: your bravery and endurance are inspiring.
Today we gather not only to honor and mourn those innocent victims of the terrorist attack on AMIA, but to also remind ourselves to never let our guards down.
Antisemitism and Jew hatred is not a thing of the past.
It is still thriving and is rising again at an alarming speed.
Being alert means, learning lessons from the past.
To never be indifferent to the suffering of others.
To refuse to allow impunity to override justice.
We all have a responsibility to address and combat antisemitism.
I say we because I believe that siloed approaches will fall short.
We should intensify our prevention efforts, to denounce discrimination and to resolve conflicts before they engulf everything and everyone.
Speaking out and condemning antisemitism unequivocally is imperative.
And what is true for antisemitism is true for other forms of hate.
Racism. Anti-Muslim bigotry. Xenophobia. Homophobia. Misogyny.
I, like other senior UN officials, have done so on several instances.
Over the past two decades, the United Nations system has, with Member States encouragement and support, engaged in many actions to respond to antisemitic narratives and condemn antisemitic incidents and promote educational and awareness-raising efforts to counter antisemitism and address other forms of identity-based hatred and religious intolerance.
We only know too well that dehumanization of the other diminishes societies.
It’s a vile act that violates everything the United Nations stands for.
It is in this context that we should pause to analyze what worked and what didn’t work.
I reiterate what I said yesterday: It is not enough that we do more. We have to find what we can do better together.
We have to strive to find a way forward to a shared, safe, and inclusive future for our human family.
This is particularly urgent considering the current dangerous and complex global landscape and especially the grave situation after October 7th.
I remain committed to working with you all regardless of whether we agree on everything or disagree because we all share one valuable asset: our Humanity.
Concluding, I wish to quote the late Rabbi Jonathan Saks :
“The Jewish way is to rescue hope from tragedy.
However, dark the world is, love still heals.
Goodness still redeems.
Terror, by defeating others, ultimately defeats itself
While the memory of those who offered kindness to strangers, lives on.”