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The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) wrapped up its fifth-annual Latin American Forum Against Antisemitism today, marking another pivotal step forward in regional efforts to combat antisemitism.
Held over four days from October 11–14 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the forum — hosted in partnership with the City of Rio de Janeiro, Israeli Confederation of Brazil (CONIB), and Israeli Federation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FIERJ) — convened more than nearly 1,000 top national and local decision and policymakers, religious leaders, community activists, and Jewish organizational representatives from across Latin America to promote impactful collective action against rising antisemitism.
The forum coincided with the release on Monday of the 20 living Israel hostages from Gaza, two years after the October 7th massacre, offering an opportunity for a joyful communal celebration.
“What happened on October 7th cannot be forgotten,” said CAM Director of Hispanic Affairs Shay Salamon. “Although we are experiencing a unique moment now, with the release of the hostages, we must recognize that antisemitism won’t disappear with the end of the war. It will have to be fought with education, empathy, and joint action.”
“Amid the troubling rise in antisemitic rhetoric and violence around the world, it is more important than ever for allies of the Jewish people and the State of Israel to rally together in a united show of solidarity,” Salamon added. “The message of this summit is loud and clear — hate and discrimination have no home here in Latin America, and the Jews of the region do not stand alone.”
Building on the success of past regional forums in Costa Rica, Uruguay, Panama, and Guatemala, this year’s gathering — drawing participants from 18 countries — served as a platform for sharing collaborative strategies and best practices and brainstorming new innovative approaches to confronting and rooting out antisemitism across Latin America.
The summit’s discussions focused on urgent challenges facing Latin American Jewish communities, including the global proliferation of antisemitism in the ongoing aftermath of October 7th and the regional threat posed by the Iranian regime and its terror proxies.
At the forum, the formation of a new group, Latin American Legislators Against Antisemitism, was officially announced.
Distinguished forum speakers included, among others: Verónica Abad, Former Vice President of Ecuador; Dr. Franco Fiumara, Argentine Criminal Court Judge; Fernando Lottenberg, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism of the Organization of American States (OAS); Javier Garcia, Uruguayan Senator and Former Minister of Defense; Washington Abdala, Former President of the Chamber of Deputies of Uruguay and Ambassador of Uruguay to the OAS; and Pilar Rahola, Catalan journalist and Chair of the CAM Advisory Board for Latin America.
“Antisemitism is not only a Jewish issue, it is an issue for all of us,” Garcia said. “We will see a change in our society when forums or spaces like this begin to be organized by non-Jews, because antisemitism strikes at what is most dear to freedom — that everyone can express their ideas, their beliefs, their faith, with freedom and tolerance.”
The forum began on Saturday evening, with a commemorative event marking the second anniversary of the October 7th attack.
On Sunday, a special session for Latin American legislators — 26 lawmakers from 15 countries — was held atop Rio’s landmark Sugarloaf Mountain, followed by a gala dinner at City Hall.
The main plenaries took place on Monday at Teatro Grande in Leblon.
The forum concluded with participants signing a joint declaration (which can be read in full below):
JOINT DECLARATION
We, participants in the Fifth Latin American Forum Against Antisemitism, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, agree to the following declaration:
We CALL ON regional, national, and local authorities, as well as businesses, civic entities, and NGOs, throughout Latin America to develop and enact zero-hate policies, legislative measures, executive actions, and social media regulations to identify and counter antisemitic manifestations.
We AFFIRM the vital need for widespread adoption and implementation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, the most authoritative and effective tool to delineate all contemporary forms of antisemitism, and we URGE Latin American leaders to embrace and champion the definition.
We SUPPORT the development of educational initiatives and interfaith programming to build bridges of deeper understanding, mutual respect, solidarity, and allyship between Jewish communities and the peoples of all faiths and backgrounds who comprise Latin America’s diverse social tapestry.
We STAND in ongoing solidarity with the State of Israel and firmly back its right to self-defense against the Iranian regime and its regional terrorist proxies, including Gaza-based Hamas, the perpetrator of the October 7th massacre two years ago, the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
We COMMEMORATE the victims of October 7th and we HONOR the memories of the 1,200 men, women, and children brutally murdered on that dark day, the horrors of which must never be allowed to recur.
We IMPLORE Latin American leaders to exert maximum pressure on Hamas to immediately release the 48 hostages, both living and dead, who remain in Hamas captivity in Gaza.
We DEMAND the Iranian regime be held accountable for its global terrorist activities, both past and present, including in Latin America, and we BACK efforts to thwart its nuclear weapons ambitions, which threaten the security and stability of the Middle East and the entire world.
We REJECT all attempts to isolate and boycott the State of Israel, and we ENCOURAGE the bolstering of bilateral ties between Latin American countries and Israel in every relevant realm, including diplomacy, security, trade, technology, economic development, agriculture, and tourism.
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, legislators, 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, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, and Bolivia, among others.
CAM en Español has organized regional summits hosted by Costa Rica in 2024, Uruguay in 2023, Panama in 2022, and Guatemala in 2021.
