The Sephardic Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel, Rishon LeZion Rabbi David Yosef, arrived for an official visit to Argentina and was received at the Menora Chella & Moise Safra Center.
In his speech, he highlighted the daily work of his host, Chief Rabbi Isaac Sacca, advocated for mutual respect among Jews, and emphasized that “the President of Argentina (Javier Milei) is one of the few in the world who stands firm and speaks in favor of the People of Israel.”
The gathering brought together prominent members of the Jewish community, religious leaders, and diplomatic figures, presided over by Sacca, the Israeli Ambassador to Argentina, Eyal Sela, and Chief Rabbi Yosef Chehebar.
During the event, Chief Rabbi Isaac Sacca emphasized the main challenges facing Israel today.
“The continuity of the People of Israel, the danger of ceasing to exist, assimilation, the lack of identity, the lack of Torah study, our culture, our tradition. The continuity of Israel is the challenge of our generation,” he said.
Sacca also called for strengthening unity within the Jewish people: “We are constantly in a state of conflict, in a state of schism. More and more ideas, more and more the threshold of sensitivity toward someone who thinks differently becomes almost immune. There are people who cannot bear that someone else thinks differently, and that can lead to a war between brothers, as has happened in history.The unity of the People of Israel, the peace of the People of Israel, is the proof we have in times of benevolence, of progress and freedom like those we are living today.”
Finally, he warned about the need to preserve the purity and seriousness of Torah study: “We must keep it protected from distortions, that it not become something lacking in seriousness or a culture of superstition. The Torah is of God, it is full of wisdom, and we must preserve that greatness which transforms our life into a great edifice of existence.”
In turn, Chief Rabbi David Yosef stated: “We are going through a very difficult period for the People of Israel. There is great hatred toward the People of Israel. Unfortunately, there is antisemitism. Jews were exterminated and fought for their lives, but we see how the nations of the world ignore all this. It is terrible and threatening… The President of Argentina is one of the few in the world who stands firm and speaks in favor of the People of Israel.”
Meanwhile, “never before has such a difficult situation been experienced within the People of Israel in the Land of Israel, and I do not refer only to the religious and secular. In our society there are many divisions among the different denominations, but the attitude of each one of us is worrying and we must act as rabbis. We need to respect Sephardim, Ashkenazim, and all the denominations within the Sephardic and within the Ashkenazic. We must be conscious of the great responsibility we have,” he asserted.
Regarding the local context, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel underlined: “Communities are developing, and the Argentine one is above all. All the communities here are truly glorious, the glory of the entire People of Israel, but we must think of those outside, the vast majority of Jews in Argentina, who are not practitioners. Here I want to reinforce the work of Rabbi Isaac Sacca, who is doing great work and is my emissary, studied with me and we are in daily contact.”
Among those present were the presidents of the DAIA, Mauro Berenstein, and of the AMIA, Osvaldo Armoza.
Rabbi David Yosef’s visit was received as a gesture of spiritual closeness and strengthening of the ties between the Argentine Jewish community and the State of Israel.
Published by ItonGadol
