BUENOS AIRES —  Jorge Norberto Elbaum is one of the most candid and insightful voices within the Argentine Jewish community. A sociologist, journalist, and researcher, he was the first president of the Argentine Jewish Call (Llamamiento Argentino Judío) and served as an ambassador for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

From these positions, Elbaum has challenged the discursive monopoly of DAIA (Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas), the umbrella organization representing Argentina’s Jewish community. He accuses DAIA of aligning with the local political right and failing to represent the community’s diversity.

Far from institutional timidity, Elbaum has publicly denounced crimes against humanity committed against civilians in Gaza, highlighting the Israeli government’s responsibility for the devastation, hunger, and death afflicting the Strip. Argentine journalist Silvina Pachelo interviewed Elbaum amid widespread anger in Argentina over the upcoming visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza.

Here is an excerpt from the interview:

What is the stance of the Jewish community regarding the possible visit of Benjamin Netanyahu to Argentina?

Jorge Norberto Elbaum: Protecting Netanyahu would violate Argentina’s Constitution, and we will defend the rule of law.The Argentine Jewish community does not have a single, unified position on Netanyahu’s visit. On one hand, DAIA defends his right to land in Argentina; on the other, the Argentine Jewish Call condemns his presence and demands his arrest if he arrives in Buenos Aires. Our position is grounded in the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court’s request for Netanyahu’s detention for crimes against humanity and war crimes. We will defend the rule of law: protecting him from the Executive Branch would constitute a direct constitutional violation by President Javier Milei and his government.

A few days ago, the Argentine Jewish Call filed a complaint in court requesting Netanyahu’s arrest should he set foot on Argentine soil. What motivated this action, and what do you hope to achieve?

We filed this request with the judiciary because we believe an ethnic cleansing process is underway in the West Bank, alongside a siege in Gaza and massacres of civilians. The International Criminal Court has requested the detention of Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister, and the leader of Hamas for the events of October 7, 2023. If they come to Argentina, we would demand their arrest. This is not a personal attack; it is an action mandated by an international court investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity against civilians. Among the victims are over 60,000 people, including 16,000 children.
Just as we requested the detention of the Hamas leader, we now request it for Netanyahu. Politically and symbolically, we want Argentine society to understand that this is not a matter of identity, religion, or ethnic-cultural affiliation. It is a humanitarian issue. A crime is being committed here, regardless of whether one is Muslim, Jewish, Armenian, Arab, Afro-descendant, or part of the indigenous peoples. What matters is demanding an end to the killing of innocents in Gaza and contributing to a two-state solution, as established by the United Nations in the 1947 partition plan.

What repercussions have Netanyahu’s statements about taking control of the entire Gaza Strip had in Argentina and within the Jewish community?
The repercussions have been clear: some have marched to condemn the arrogance of an occupying country; others, particularly sectors aligned with the Argentine government, have remained silent. There is no open defense of the ethnic cleansing program announced by Netanyahu.
We oppose any occupation of foreign lands, whether by the United Kingdom regarding the Falklands or Israel regarding the West Bank and Gaza. We have demanded Netanyahu’s arrest and defended our position for over a decade. The Argentine Jewish Call has been consistent: Israel must leave the occupied territories and allow the existence of a Palestinian state, as established by the UN in 1947.

How do you assess the responsibility of states and international organizations regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza?
Countries respond differently to the crimes against humanity in Gaza: some have spoken out firmly, others maintain hypocritical stances, and some, like Chile and Colombia, have even demanded breaking diplomatic relations with Israel. The main responsible party is the United States, which protects Israel in the Security Council through vetoes. If condemnations of the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza had not been blocked since 1967, we might already have two states and regional peace. Today, that peace is much harder to achieve due to the genocide the Gazans are experiencing.

How can Israel’s defense be balanced with the defense of Palestinian human rights?
There is no balance of rights: Israeli citizens enjoy full political and civil rights, while Palestinians live under occupation without equivalent rights. In the West Bank, Palestinians are subject to military justice, whereas Israelis—including Arab Muslims—enjoy full rights. This extreme inequality facilitates administrative detentions and fuels hunger, crimes against humanity, and the genocide currently occurring in Gaza.

More generally, how do you analyze the relationship between Argentine political leaders and the Jewish community?
Milei, the President of Argentina, is a figure without credibility, exhibiting clear emotional instability and confusing statements. He maintains good relations with the right-wing—Jewish, Arab, or Armenian—and poor relations with popular nationalist groups like the Argentine Jewish Call. We have legally denounced him and expect him to answer to the judiciary for fraud, lies, and aggression that have had severe consequences, including deaths due to lack of control over medications. In short, Milei favors the right and harms society while evading responsibility for his crimes.

How is the Argentine Jewish Call organized, and what types of activities does it carry out? Besides legal complaints, what other actions does the organization take to defend human rights and promote historical memory?
The Argentine Jewish Call is a civil society organization recognized by the IGJ (General Inspection of Justice). It is a democratic institution whose registered members vote in plural elections. We have completed five terms of office, each lasting three years. Unlike the flagship institution of the community right—which is not democratic, does not vote for individuals but for supposed institutions, hides votes, and limits participation to fewer than 60 people—our elections involve thousands.

"Pursuing Netanyahu's detention is a action for humanity, grounded in the crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.”We are a democratic institution, positioned opposite the community right. We work with other organizations, such as the priests in option for the poor. In the first week of September, I was invited for the second consecutive year to the annual seminar held in Córdoba by these priests. We feel deeply allied with them, with the popular traditions of all communities and ethnic backgrounds, and stand in stark contrast to those who defend powerful sectors and maintain a submissive stance toward the United States.
We position ourselves far from the conservative and fascist tradition that has marked Argentine history. We honor the 1,800 Jewish comrades who disappeared during the dictatorship, descendants of Colonel Manuel Dorrego, the long Sephardic Jewish tradition, and figures like Juan Gelman and Milstein, who always opposed the conservative, reactionary, and fascist thought responsible, among other things, for 30,000 disappeared people.

The Call operates through commissions. In addition to a democratically elected board of directors, we have a legal commission, a political commission, a culture commission, an arts commission, and a human rights commission. These five commissions conduct daily activism. The human rights commission participates in most civil society events and movements. The political commission performs analysis and drafts internal discussion documents, some of which are publicly shared. The legal commission works on positions, and we have participated in numerous lawsuits. The arts commission develops initiatives in theater, film debates, and other collaborative projects with various collectives.

The Call has national and federal presence, with board members representing different provinces. Additionally, the political commission liaises internationally with similar organizations, such as ARON in Chile—which also opposes the Chilean right—and with progressive traditions from the UIA and NICUF in various countries, with presence in 30 nations. We have held virtual meetings with various delegations and drafted antifascist positions consistent with the times we are living in.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the Argentine Jewish community today, and how does the Call aim to address it?
We see three major challenges, as outlined in our statutes, which are available on llamamiento.net. The first, at the international level, is the fight against fascism. That is why we participate in initiatives worldwide, including the Antifascist Congress in Venezuela and antifascist meetings in Russia related to the war and denazification in Ukraine.
Locally, there are two main lines of action. The first is to ensure society understands the situation in the Middle East conflict, questioning Israel’s position and promoting the need for two states for two peoples. The second is to fight all forms of discrimination: antisemitism, Islamophobia, discrimination against indigenous peoples, African peoples, popular sectors, the poor, and diverse communities. All these causes, which aim to guarantee equality before the law, are non-negotiable banners of the Argentine Jewish Call.