Chief Rabbi of Argentina Beaten to Death

The chief rabbi of Argentina, Gabriel Davidovich, was severely beaten at his Buenos Aires home around 2 o’clock in the morning on Monday, February 25. He was hospitalized in serious condition with nine broken ribs and a punctured lung.

The assailants tied up Davidovich’s wife and stole money and other possessions from their home. They reportedly told the rabbi and his wife, “we know that you are the AMIA rabbi.”

The Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina, Argentina’s equivalent to a JCC, has the Argentinian police authorities investigating the assault.

Many have called the attack anti-Semitic. The Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas, the umbrella organization for Jewish organizations in Argentina, said the attack was “framed on the anti-Semitic events that are taking place in different European countries, which threaten the existence and democratic values.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “we must not let anti-Semitism rear its head. I strongly condemn the recent acts of anti-Semitism and call on the international community to take action against it.”

With anti-Semitic attacks on the rise, it is important for the jewish Argentinian community to stand together in solidarity with Rabbi Gabriel Davidovich.

By Sophie Kieffer