SWC to Attend 30th Anniversary of Bombing of Argentinian Jewish Center

July 16, 2024

On July 18th, representatives of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) will be in Buenos Aires for the 30th anniversary commemoration of the 1994 bombing of the Jewish Mutual Aid Association (AMIA) building which killed 85 people and injured more than 300.

The commemoration of the AMIA bombing will include local Jewish community leaders, representatives of the Argentinian government, relatives of those killed as well as survivors of the bombing.

Dr. Ariel Gelblung, the Head of Latin American for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said that “The AMIA bombing, which still remains the single most deadly terrorist attack in the history of Argentina, was orchestrated by Iran, which also orchestrated Hamas’ terror attacks of October 7th. It is long past due, 30 years past due, that the civilized countries of the world stop treating the Iranian government as a ‘normal’ government and instead recognize it as a source of terror and hate.”

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, SWC Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who will be participating in the ceremony, said  “The fact that the government of Iran would orchestrate the bombing of a Jewish Community Center in Argentina, thousands of miles of the Middle East, should dissuade anyone that Iran’s hatred of Israel is based on anything other than the hatred of the Jewish people.”

Rabbi Cooper, who will be addressing the Buenos Aires City Hall, noted that despite the passage of 30 years, there has not been a single conviction in a case marred by corruption, murder of a prosecutor and political interference. Nonetheless, Rabbi Cooper said that “We hope that President Javier Milei, who has taken so many positive steps to address anti-Semitism and defend the Jewish people, will pursue justice for the victims and the victims’ families of the AMIA bombing."

For further information, please email Michele Alkin, Director of Global Communications at malkin@wiesenthal.com or Erik Simon at esimon@wiesenthal.com, join the Center on Facebook, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed. 

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization. It holds consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS, and the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO).