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Last week, Natalia Casarotti — mother of Keshet Casarotti-Kalfa, who was murdered by Hamas at the Nova music festival on October 7th — visited Montevideo, Uruguay, where participated in a series of speaking engagements organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), in partnership with Comunidad Yavne.
In addition to Uruguay, Casarotti also made stops in Colombia and Brazil during her Latin America tour.
In her emotional presentations to both Jewish and non-Jewish audiences, Casarotti shared her tragic story, recalling her beloved son Keshet, who was 21 at the time of his death.
Casarotti — who lives on Kibbutz Samar, in southern Israel’s Arava Desert — spoke about her experiences in the aftermath of the massacre as she tried to piece together the exact details of what happened to Keshet on that terrible morning.
She noted that while she was a quiet and private person in nature, she now viewed it as her mission to be the “voice of all those who cannot speak for themselves” and fight to ensure the horrific truth of the atrocities of the October 7th is known worldwide.
“The light of Keshet must never be extinguished,” she said.
Casarotti’s remarks struck a particularly resonant chord with a group of more than 50 Olami project participants who heard her speak in Montevideo last Monday, given there closeness in age to Keshet, and many were moved to tears by her words.
Since Keshet’s death, Casarotti, a former chef at her kibbutz, has transformed herself, becoming an international DJ, with the hope of staying close to her late son’s lifestyle.
CAM first interacted with Casarotti a year ago, when she met with a CAM-organized solidarity delegation of Latin American mayors and governors visiting the Nova music festival massacre site.
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.
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 (where 18 countries were represented), Uruguay in 2023, Panama in 2022, and Guatemala in 2021.
