5:16 PM on Monday, September 13, 2010 - Tishrei 5, 5771
Atlantic blogger Jeffrey Goldberg has been cast in the unwitting role of
Jewish ambassador to Latin America as dictators Fidel Castro and Hugo
Chavez use him as a sounding board for their position vis-à-vis the Jews.
It all started last month when the Cuban government got in touch with
Goldberg to say that Castro had read his Atlantic Monthly cover story on
Israel and Iran and wanted him to come to Cuba.
During their meeting, Castro "repeatedly returned to his excoriation of
anti-Semitism," chiding Ahmadinejad for denying the Holocaust. Castro
said that Iran could further the cause of peace by "acknowledging the
'unique' history of anti-Semitism and trying to understand why Israelis
fear for their existence."
He also said "I don't think anyone has been slandered more than the
Jews. I would say much more than the Muslims."
Due to illness, Castro dropped out of site for four years, but since his
recent re-emergence he has talked obsessively about his fear of a
nuclear war that would pit the US and Israel against Iran.
In a new development, Castro's ally Chavez is also sounding off on the
Jews. On September 8, the Venezuelan president said that "We respect and
love the Jewish people," and announced he would meet with leaders of his
country's Jewish community.
These remarks are surprising as both Castro and Chavez have a history of
virulent anti-Israel rhetoric. Chavez is close to Ahmadinejad and
severed ties with Israel in January 2009 to protest its Operation Cast
Lead, which he called a "genocidal holocaust against the Palestinian
people." A pro-Chávez Web site called for boycotting Venezuela's small
Jewish community at the time, leading to vandalism against synagogues.
Goldberg reports that Chavez's new rhetoric and willingness to meet with
Jewish leaders is "a direct result of Fidel's statement."
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