Bogotá Conference Galvanizes Fight Against Antisemitism Across Latin America

A three-day international conference on the fight against antisemitism — organized by Pastor Eduardo Gomez, Director of Latino America Nueva — was held in the Colombian capital of Bogotá at the end of January, bringing together leading officials and organization representatives from across the Americas and the world.

The event — coinciding with International Holocaust Remembrance Day — was co-hosted by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), Latino Coalition for Israel (LCI), Confederation of Jewish Communities of Colombia (CCJC), Zionist Federation of Colombia, and Limmud Bogotá.

Attendees from ten countries participated either in-person or virtually.

The guest of honor was former Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, joined by his wife Patricia de Morales.

CAM Director of Hispanic Outreach Shay Salamon took part with Morales in the conference’s opening panel, and he spoke about steps Latin American governments can take to combat Jew-hatred, including the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, and he also made a presentation on the history of Jerusalem and the Zionist movement.

Furthermore, conference attendees were invited by Salamon to join CAM’s #CantBeCompared campaign against Holocaust trivialization and sign the declaration calling for action against this threatening form of antisemitic hate speech.

“This conference marked an important milestone in the fight against antisemitism across the Americas,” Salamon said. “The nations of Latin America have a leading role to play in combating hatred and can showcase for the world how to foster interfaith tolerance and harmony.”

The conference was broadcast widely throughout the region, and a recording can be viewed here: