In Argentina, Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana addressed the audience at the ceremony co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of Justice; the Argentine chapter of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research; and several Jewish organizations with a presence in Argentina.

Two events in Mexico were co-organized by the Mexican government, the United Nations, and BBI. One was the inauguration of a Holocaust exhibit at the Chamber of Deputies on January 26. BBI Director of Latin American Affairs Eduardo Kohn delivered a speech to attendees, including several government officials.

Mexico held a Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration at the Chamber of Deputies. BBI President Moishe Smith addressed participants, including B’nai B’rith members, congressmen, and representatives of the French, Polish, and German embassies. Smith and Kohn also spoke at the opening of an exhibit titled “Children and Women of the Shoah” at the Mexican-Israeli Cultural Institute.

In Brazil, President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva spoke at a Holocaust Remembrance Day event held at Beit Yaacov Synagogue. It was the fourth consecutive year the Brazilian president took part in Holocaust commemoration activities.

Peru hosted two Holocaust commemoration events, including speeches from the Israeli and Polish ambassadors, district authorities, and B’nai B’rith Peru co-President Benami Grobman in the Carmen de la Legua district. The documentary “Paper Clips” was screened at the Law School of Garcilazo de la Vega University, where BBI member Alexander Grobman, the school’s assistant dean, and other officials also spoke. Both events were co-organized by B’nai B’rith Peru and the Jewish Association of Peru.

Israeli Honorary Consul Max Haber spoke before the Chamber of Deputies in Paraguay on January 29 on the topic of Holocaust remembrance in an event co-organized by the Honorary Consulate of Israel in Paraguay, the United Nations, and the Permanent Commission of Congress. Attendees included former Israeli Ambassador to Paraguay Yoav Bar-On and several Holocaust survivors.

On January 29, the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Permanent Mission of El Salvador hosted a screening of the documentary “Glass House” at a Holocaust remembrance ceremony in Washington, D.C. Speakers included Ambassador Osmar Chohfi, the president of the Permanent Council; Marisol Argueta, the foreign minister of El Salvador; Sebastian Azerrad, representative of the Latin American Jewish Congress; and documentary producers Brad Marlowe and Leonor Ávila Marlowe. Adriana Camisar, BBI’s assistant director of the Center for Human Rights and Public Policy, represented B’nai B’rith at the event.

Uruguay will hold its Holocaust commemoration event, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, B’nai B’rith, and the Israeli Central Committee, on February 3. Foreign Minister Gonzalo Fernández will be the keynote speaker.