The American Jewish Committee (AJC), based in New York, released a statement on Tuesday applauding Fernando Lottenberg on his appointment as the first Organization of American States (OAS) Commissioner for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism.
The position was officially formed and announced in June by OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro at the AJC 2021 Global Forum.
“Secretary General Luis Almagro has long shown groundbreaking leadership in the global fight against antisemitism,” said AJC CEO David Harris.
“We are delighted he chose Fernando Lottenberg, one of Latin America’s foremost Jewish leaders and a dear friend, to fill this critical post, and look forward to working with the commissioner in fighting antisemitism throughout the region.”
Lottenberg served as president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Brazil from 2014 to 2020. In his new role, responsibilities will include promoting adoption and implementation by all countries in the region of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism and to raise awareness of the need to stay cognizant to all forms of antisemitism.
Lottenberg’s appointment is the latest action by Secretary General Almagro to mobilize countries across the region to fight antisemitism. At the 2019 AJC Global Forum Almagro announced that the OAS was adopting the IHRA working definition on antisemitism.
He announced at the 2021 AJC Global Forum that the OAS, which comprises 35 member countries, had applied for IHRA membership as an institutional partner.