The B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem concluded this week a visit to Israel by 11 journalists from six Latin American countries—Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Uruguay. Their program of meetings and site visits focused on the Oct. 7 terror rampage and the ensuing war with Hamas.

The visiting journalists—invited by B’nai B’rith affiliates in their countries—were briefed by Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan; Prime Minister’s Office Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Brigadier General (Ret.) Gal Hirsch; Foreign Policy Director Dr. Ophir Falk; Member of the Security Cabinet Minister Gideon Sa’ar (New Hope); Minister of Economy MK Nir Barkat (Likud); Opposition MKs including Evgeny Sova (Yisrael Beiteinu) and Dr. Matti Sarfati Harkavi (Yesh Atid); Police Superintendent Mirit Ben Mayor; Ambassador Jonathan Peled, MFA deputy director general of Latin America and the Caribbean; Alon Simhayoff, Director, U.N. Political Affairs Department; IDF Spokesman Maj. Roni Kaplan; Capt. (Res.) Shadi Khalloul; Itamar Marcus, director of Palestinian Media Watch; and Ambassador (ret.) Victor Harel of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, among others.

Journalists also met with survivors of the Nova music festival, relatives of hostages being held in Gaza and evacuees from Israel’s northern border. The group toured Ofakim and Nir Oz in Southern Israel, both of which endured significant losses on Oct. 7—Nir Oz continues to be designated as a closed military zone. Additionally, the delegation visited the Bedouin city of Rahat with the family of Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ahman Abu Latif, who died fighting Hamas in Gaza, as well as Hadassah Hospital’s Gandel Rehabilitation Center, Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center, the Nova music festival site and memorials at Reim and Tkuma, Magen David Adom’s Jerusalem headquarters, Capernaum, Gush Halav, Kiryat Shmona, Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

The mission was led by B’nai B’rith Latin American Affairs Director Eduardo Kohn and educator Gabriel Ben-Tasgal. This was the fourth mission of Latin American journalists hosted by the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem and the first since Oct. 7. World Center-Jerusalem Director Alan Schneider said the mission program exceeded expectations in exposing participants to the impact the terrorist attack had on Israel and Jews around the world and the resilience of the Israeli people in the face of extreme adversity.