CAM en Español Teams Hosts Pre-Passover Toast for Latin American Partners

The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) hosted on Monday a virtual pre-Passover toast with its partners from across Latin America.

The event featured a special greeting from Catalan journalist and Chair of the CAM Advisory Board for Latin America Pilar Rahola.

The CAM en Español team, led by Director of Hispanic Affairs Shay Salamon, also unveiled several future projects, including the official announcement of the fifth-annual Latin American Forum Against Antisemitism, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in October.

Salamon also spoke about the recent appointment of Richard Gamboa Ben-Eleazar — who has a record of antisemitic statements — to serve as as director of religious affairs at Colombia’s Ministry of the Interior, criticizing President Gustavo Petro for the move.

“While in many places in the world the Jewish people and state are falsely accused of occupation, apartheid, and genocide, we see in Jewish texts the importance of the principle of freedom and how in the Hebrew language there a term for every type of freedom, from the personal to the national levels,” Salamon said.

“On this occasion of Passover, we must demand the freedom of the hostages who are still in Gaza exactly 18 months after October 7th, and also ask for national freedom for all of us,” he added.

CAM’s outreach in Latin America began four 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.