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A Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) delegation traveled to Costa Rica last week for a preparatory visit ahead upcoming fourth-annual Latin America-Israel Forum to take place in the country’s capital, San José, on November 11-14.
The delegation, led by CAM Director of Hispanic Affairs Shay Salamon, held a round of meetings with government officials (including Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Affairs Arnoldo André Tinoco), representatives of international institutions (including the United Nations, UNESCO, and Organization of American States), Jewish community leaders, and interfaith partners (including the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem).
Minister of Foreign Affairs Tinoco was officially invited by CAM to take participate in November’s forum.
Salamon explained that one of the reasons Costa Rica was chosen to host this year’s forum was UN data showing a 19% rise in hate speech in the country this year. Costa Rica is also the second-leading country in Latin America for quantity of antisemitic expressions on social media.
A presentation was also made to Minister of Foreign Affairs Tinaco and his deputies on the importance of adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.
Other participants in the meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Tinaco included Israeli Ambassador to Costa Rica Michal Gur-Aryeh, Director for Combating Antisemitism and Holocaust Remembrance at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ruth Cohen-Dar, and Founding Head of the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewish History at Tel Aviv University and CAM Advisory Board Member Professor Dina Porat.
While in Costa Rica, Salamon was interviewed by Mundo Cristiano-CBN, which will broadcast the entire Latin America-Israel Forum on its various platforms.
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, with this year’s summit being held in Costa Rica.
Watch Salamon’s Mundo Cristiano-CBN interview (in Spanish) HERE:
