While reading the NYT this morning I stumbled across the headline Jews in Argentina Wary of Nation’s Ties to Chávez. The piece is by one Alexei Barrionuevo, a staff writer who usually covers financial and business issues.
Why would Jews in Argentina would be "wary" about the President of Venezuela visiting their country? Staying with Mr. Barrionuevo’s usual trade, the article is mostly about deepening economic ties that Venezuela and Argentina:
President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela said Monday that his country would help the government of President Néstor Kirchner refinance more of Argentina’s debt and increase its energy supplies.
The agreements help solidify the relationship between the countries; Venezuela has played an important role in helping Mr. Kirchner revive Argentina’s still-recovering economy.
But they are also causing potential political problems. In recent days, Jewish leaders here — part of Latin America’s largest Jewish community — have been expressing growing concern about Mr. Chávez’s close ties to Iran.
Hmm – reading on we learn that these Jewish leaders have concern because Iran is loud-mouthing about Israel. Let me see the chain again: Israel – Iran – Venezuela – Argentine – Jews in Argentine concerned about Israel. Isn’t that a bit too long a chain to make sense? By the way – Chavez opposes Ahmedinejad’s position on Israel.
Imagine orthodox-christian Germans being "wary" because the Italian Prime Minister, who before met a Polish president that despises Putin’s rule in Russia, visits Germany?
So who are these Argentinian Jewish leaders? Let’s see who the author quotes:
“The question is, will the economic agreements also generate some type of political commitment?” said Sergio D. Widder, the Latin American representative of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization.
After reading the piece twice, this is the ONLY quote from Jewish leaders in the article I find. (So why the plural leaders?)
The Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, which pays Mr. Widder, (and as we noted before, plans to build a "Museum of Tolerance" in Jerusalem – on top of a Muslim graveyard,) already has an interesting relation with Chavez.
In early 2006 the Wiesenthal Center spread a doctored quote from Chavez to make him look anti-semitic. Then the Confederation of Jewish Associations of Venezuela responded to the Wiesenthal Center smears:
Officials of the leading organization of Venezuelan Jewry were preparing a letter this week to the center, complaining that it had misinterpreted Chavez’s words and had failed to consult with them before attacking the Venezuelan president.
“You have interfered in the political status, in the security, and in the well-being of our community. You have acted on your own, without consulting us, on issues that you don’t know or understand,” states a draft of the letter obtained by the Forward.
…
Both the AJCommittee and the American Jewish Congress seconded the Venezuelan community’s view that Chavez’s comments were not aimed at Jews.
…
Sergio Widder, the Wiesenthal center’s representative in Latin America, countered that Chavez’s mention of Christ-killers and wealth was ambiguous at best and in need of clarification. He said that the decision to criticize Chavez had been taken after careful consideration.
Those careful consideration included deleting important parts of the Chavez quote Mr. Widder and his center managed to push into the U.S. media stream.
I have no idea what the real Jewish community in Argentine thinks of Chavez. What he does offer though is certainly positive for the Argentinian economy. So I’d guess they are quite less "wary" than what the NYT headline and a quote from a very right-wing U.S. zionist "Jewish human rights" organization suggest.
It would have been interesting to learn about the real Argentinian Jewish opinion on the economic deals. Unfortunatly, the NYT and Alexei Barrionuevo will not tell us about it. Instead they foist partisan propaganda from a proven quote-forger to their readership.
Cui bono?