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The Argentinean Jewish community bade Israel´s ambassador in Buenos Aires, Daniel Gazit, farewell this Wednesday. He is close to finishing his term in the city.
The event was an important dinner with the presence of important community leaders.
The ceremony took place in AMIA´s building and it was attended by AMIA´s president, Guillermo Borger; DAIA´s president, Aldo Donzis; FACCMA´s president, Waldo Wolff; Karen Kayemet LeIsrael Argentina´s president, Adolfo Filarent: Latin AmericanSefaradi Federation´s president, Osvaldo Sultani; Campaña Unida Judeo Argentina ´s vice president, Jorge Stern; and Argentina Zionist Organization´s vice president, Rafael Kurzrok.
From AMIA also participated the vice president, Jose Scaliter; the treasurer, Bernardo Zugman; deputy secretary, Tomas Saieg,; and Pedro Buki, member of the executive commission. From DAIA the treasurer, Mario Comisarenco, and the deputy treasurer, Bernardo Tobal also attended the ceremony, among others.
In dialogue with the Jewish News Agency, Borger explained that the seven most important institutions have a monthly meeting with the ambassador to talk about the community concerns and about Israel.
Borger said that “in spite of the dissent and the different opinions” there is a common job and unity in the ArgentineanJewish community when they have to say goodbye to “a friend like ambassador Gazit and his wife Michele”.
At the same time, he outlined the role fulfilled bye Gazit and said that his job was a “very important, difficult and sensitive task” because he represents Israel not only in Argentina but also “in a big part of Latin America”.
“It is a pleasure and an honor to join Israel´s ambassador”, he added, minutes before the meeting started.
He also outlined that his long term in AMIA – he is in charge since 2008 – had the luck to be in the end of Rafael Eldad´s mandate (ex Israel´s ambassador) and then Gazit´s term.
“This last administration, in particular, had a lot of important visits, like the one from the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, and the Israelichancellor, Avigdor Lieberman, as many other ministers and the Sojnut´s leader, Natan Sharanksy”, he said.
From his view, all the visits to Buenos Aires from Israel show “once again that Argentina, in spite of being geographically away, feels accompanied with the warmth and articulation of Israel´s State.
“I understand that ambassador Gazit was an important mediator for this. We are saying goodbye to a friend, to a worker that was always with us”, he said.
Meanwhile, DAIA´s president, Aldo Donzis, said that the job fulfilled by Gazit in Argentina was an “extraordinary mission”.
“In fact it isn\’t like a goodbye, but a return to Israel. It is true that the diplomatic life has this situation when the moment of fulfilling his obligation is finished. But I must say what it meant to the Jewish community, to Israel. He has been extraordinary”, he said.
At the same time, he added that Gazit “was a professional diplomatic that has done his job very well representing Israel in Argentina”.
“His character, his spirit, his coherency in the dealing of subjects and his particularity with those who make him a warm person. That has allowed him to create and build bonds in Argentina, not only with the Jewish community but with the entire society”, he said.
Donzis also said that the coexistence between DAIA and Israel´s Embassy was of “mutual cooperation and collaboration”.
“We have built this bond upon which we could work together”, he added.
Photo: Leonardo Kremenchuzky