B’nai B’rith International (BBI) President Moishe Smith concluded his Holocaust Remembrance trip to Mexico on January 28, which included discussions with Mexican President Felipe Calderón, Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs Juan Manuel Gomez Robledo, Israeli Ambassador Yosef Livne, and addresses at Holocaust Remembrance events.
“It is very encouraging that Mexico is proving to be a reliable partner in Holocaust education,” Smith said. “It’s imperative that nations remember the Holocaust and teach its lessons.”
On January 28, the B’nai B’rith delegation met with Ambassador Oscar Maurtua, Mexico’s Organization of American States (OAS) representative. Among the topics of discussion were OAS issues including the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago next April; the next OAS General Assembly in Honduras in June; the Inter-American Convention Against Discrimination; and the recent spike in Latin American anti-Semitism.
Smith and Eduardo Kohn, BBI director of Latin American Affairs, also spoke at the opening of an exhibit titled “Children and Women of the Shoah” at the Mexican-Israeli Cultural Institute.
Smith addressed participants at a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at the Chamber of Deputies on January 27. Included in the gathering were B’nai B’rith members, congressmen, and representatives of the French, Polish, and German embassies.
“We strongly believe that learning about the true horrors of the Holocaust helps people, and especially young people, better understand the value and the importance of promoting tolerance and respect for universal human rights,” Smith said in his address. “There’s no tragedy in history as far reaching as the Holocaust, in terms of both its cruelty and the number of people victimized.”
On January 26, Smith met with Mexican President Calderón, along with a B’nai B’rith delegation including Emilio Srougo, president of B’nai B’rith Mexico; Dan Tartakowski, president of the B’nai B’rith Mexico Human Rights Commission; and BBI’s Kohn.
The B’nai B'rith delegation thanked Calderón and his government for observing Holocaust Commemoration Day and for encouraging and promoting Holocaust education throughout Mexico. The delegation also expressed its deep concern about the new wave of anti-Semitism that the recent Gaza conflict has unleashed. In further discussions on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Calderón stated that Mexico has a balanced position, clearly condemning terror and supporting a two-state solution.
Following discussions with Calderón, the B’nai B’rith delegation met with Mexican Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs Robledo and several of his associates. The conversation focused on Mexico’s activity at the United Nations -- particularly its voting record in the Human Rights Council, Security Council, and General Assembly -- and its stance on Gaza.
Kohn also spoke at the opening of an exhibit on the Holocaust in the Chamber of Deputies, which was attended by several BBI representatives, including Smith; members of the government; and diplomats.
