CAM Hosts Session on Cities-Oriented Approach to Fighting Antisemitism at Regional Summit in Montevideo

Nearly 100 cities were represented this week at the 27th Mercociudades Summit in Montevideo, Uruguay, attended by a diverse array of elected officials and delegates from international organizations, academic entities, and social organizations, among other relevant public and private figures.

Mercociudades is a network of 364 cities in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay and Venezuela, where more than 120 million people live.

The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) was an active participant in the summit, including its role as host of a side session titled “Tolerant and Inclusive Cities: Challenges and Opportunities,” which coincided with the 2022 Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in Athens. Greece.

The CAM session, organized in collaboration with the Municipality of Montevideo, featured two panel discussions with prominent speakers addressing the problem of intolerance and antisemitism from different angles, in an effort to contribute to social solidarity in the cities of Latin America.

The topics of the panels were “The Origin of Hatred and Educational Solutions” and “What Could Cities Do?” — with the participation of representatives of B’nai B’rith International, the Shoah Project, central rabbis from the Jewish community of Uruguay, and a family member of a victim of antisemitism.

Among those attending the summit were the Vice President of the Republic of Uruguay Beatriz Argimón; Vice Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires Verónica Magario; Mayor of São Paulo Ricardo Nunes; Mayor of Santiago Irací Hassler Jacob; Mayor of Quilmes Mayra Mendoza; and Mayor of Esteban Echeverría Fernando Gray, a former president of the Mercociudades network.

The organizers of the summit highlighted CAM’s at the official opening of the event, and it was also named at the end of the General Assembly where the Mayor of Montevideo Carolina Cosse assumed the presidency of Mercociudades.