Latin American Office
The Latin American office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Centro Simon Wiesenthal - Latinoamerica, based in Buenos Aires, expands the Wiesenthal Center's agenda in the Latin American region by monitoring and combating anti-Semitism and bigotry and identifying and extraditing Nazi war criminals by working with government officials, members of the media, and local communities.
Simon Wiesenthal Center Latin America
SWC Latin American made an impact in the following:
- Played a key role in the identification and extradition of a number of Nazi war criminals including Erich Priebke, a former SS officer who was responsible for the infamous massacre at the Ardeatine Caves in Italy, and Dinko Sakic and his wife, Nada Sakic, who were charged with crimes against humanity in Croatia
- Has been active in confronting the growth and spread of neo-Nazi activity in Latin America by proposing regional legislation to governement officials in Chile and Bolivia, stopping the International neo-Nazi Congress from convening in Chile in 2000, testifying against a hate video and book publisher that promoted its catalog on line which resulted in their prosecution, and identifying an Uruguayan neo-Nazi group, "Orgullo Skinhead" ("Skinhead Pride")
- Produced SkinHitler, a Public Service Announcement showing that Nazism did not die with the demise of Adolf Hitler. The PSA was shown at theaters, on television, with print ads in subways, and received the 1999 Bronze Clio Award.
- Is a constituent member of the Commission for the Investigation of Nazi Activities in Argentina (CEANA) and meets on a regular basis with high ranking government officials in the region. It has urged the Presidents of Argentina and Chile, and Paraguayan authorities to take initiatives in bringing the issue of Nazis in Latin America to a regional level
- Was the first organization given access to the Argentine Central Bank records showing post-war gold transfers from Europe to Argentina. It then contacted similar institutions in the region to trace the evidence of Nazi gold arrival in South America
- Monitors and responds to anti-Semitic outbreaks in the region: desecration of Jewish cemeteries; religious hate; revisionism; and anti-Zionism. In one case, the Center led the protest that resulted in the resignation of former Argentine Justice Minister Rodolfo Barra; for his involvement in Nazi groups during his youth
- Participates in conferences and tolerance educational activities in private and public schools and educational institutions providing educational materials at no charge
- Exposed the new radical anti-Semitism at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, later replicated in all the major international fora
- Denounced the celebration of "Al Quds Day" in an Argentine mosque, where radical religious leaders and public officials called for the destruction of the State of Israel
- Created the 11-Point Program against Racism, Discrimination and Xenophobia in Sports, sponsored by the Organization of American States (OAS), unanimously supported by PARLATINO and declared of interest for the defense and promotion of human rights by the legislature of the government of Buenos Aires
- Created the Simon Wiesenthal Fund on Holocaust and Anti-Semitism at the Mariano Moreno National Library in Argentina, with more than 1,000 volumes
Contact Information
Ariel Gelblung
SWC Latin American Director
Guatemala 4253 Piso 3*"B"
1425BUC - CABA - Argentina
Tel +54-11 - 4825-0592
E-mail: info@cswlatinoamerica.org
www.centrowiesenthal-latam.com
