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A massive pro-Israel prayer and unity rally was held on Thursday in the northern Colombian coastal city of Santa Marta.
More thab 10,000 people attended the gathering — held in a baseball stadium under the banner of “Santa Marta, Magdalena, and the Caribbean Bless Israel” — and the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) was represented by Director of Hispanic Affairs Shay Salamon, who addressed the crowd.
Apostle Edwin Alvarez and Missionary Apostle Jose Satirio Dos Santos were also among the event’s participants. Co-organizers included the United Church of Santa Marta and Kehilat Yovel.
Esta semana en Santa Marta, Colombia, tuvimos el privilegio de compartir con más de 10.000 personas para orar por Israel. Estas muestras de amistad y acompañamiento son poderosas y nos animan a seguir forjando conexiones fuertes para combatir el antisemitismo.
Estamos… pic.twitter.com/Romxvt6UkN
— CAM en Español (@CAMenEspanol) May 12, 2024
A day earlier, Salamon spoke at a meeting in Santa Marta of more than 1,200 Christian leaders and pastors from across the region.
“Islamic extremism, and hatred in general, are not limited to the Jewish people, but represent a threat to all humanity,” Salamon said. “It is regrettable that we witness passivity, silence, and in many cases justification, of antisemitic acts by groups that present themselves as defenders of human rights. The condemnation of terrorism by these same groups is selective, depending on who the victim is.”
🌎 We are proud of our incredible team in Latin America (@CAMenEspanol), who work tirelessly to build strong coalitions for protecting Jewish communities and supporting Israel. 🛡️ Despite the prevalence of anti-Israel protesters, we have committed partners ready to stand with us… pic.twitter.com/QT6UJgx4tM
— Sacha Roytman (@SachaRoytman) May 11, 2024
The atmosphere in Santa Marta stood in stark contrast to Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s recent announcement that he would sever diplomatic ties with Israel over the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip that was triggered by the October 7th Hamas massacre.
Salamon condemned Petro at the time, commenting, “Is this a surprise? Not at all! Petro’s continued antisemitic rhetoric is a personal problem that he wants to pass along to an entire nation. At CAM, we call a spade a spade. This decision demonstrates antisemitism and Petro’s pro-terrorism stance.”
“El Presidente de Colombia, @petrogustavo, anunció que romperá las relaciones diplomáticas con el Estado de Israel a partir de mañana ¿Sorpresa? ¡Para nada!
La continua retórica antisemita de Petro es un problema personal que quiere trasladar a toda una nación. Desde CAM llamamos… pic.twitter.com/7I8crcPrdZ— CAM en Español (@CAMenEspanol) May 1, 2024
CAM’s outreach in Latin America began three years ago, and since then it has worked diligently to build meaningful partnerships and friendships with influential leaders, lawmakers, diplomats, community organizations, and civil society activists from a diverse assortment of religious, political and cultural backgrounds in the region to combat antisemitism together.
During this time, CAM en Español has emerged as a key player in the battle against Jew-hatred in Latin America, with a growing coalition involved in impactful activities in countries including Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Panama, and Guatemala, among others.
CAM en Español has organized regional summits hosted by Uruguay in 2023, Panama in 2022, and Guatemala in 2021.
Immediately after October 7th, CAM en Español jumped into action to mobilize support for Israel and respond to incidents of antisemitism across Latin America, meeting with regional leaders, holding educational webinars, promoting social media campaigns, and raising funds for Israeli emergency relief organizations.
