The Jewish Federation of the State of S\u00e3o Paulo (Fisesp) held a farewell breakfast on Tuesday, June 24, at its headquarters, in honor of Rafael Erdreich, Consul General of Israel in S\u00e3o Paulo, who is concluding his diplomatic mission in Brazil after five years marked by historic challenges, including the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 attacks and the current diplomatic tensions between Brazil and Israel. Erdreich will now assume a prominent new role at Israel\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.\n<\/p>\n
Opening the event, Fisesp president C\u00e9lia Parnes expressed concern over the current state of Brazil\u2013Israel relations. She noted that the Brazilian government\u2019s refusal to accept Vivi Aisen as Erdreich\u2019s successor in S\u00e3o Paulo, combined with the absence of an Israeli ambassador in Bras\u00edlia, represents a \u201ctotal impoverishment of institutional relations between the two countries.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Paying tribute to the consul, Parnes highlighted his ability to build bridges and strengthen ties between Brazilian and Israeli institutions. \u201cHis work was marked by the ability to bring people and institutions closer together, cultivating partnerships based on respect, trust, and cooperation. Rafael leaves a legacy of friendship and collaboration that will continue to bear fruit for many years,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n
The ceremony featured speeches from community leaders and officials who worked closely with Erdreich. Among them were Leandro Toledano, who emphasized educational partnerships and the consul\u2019s role in promoting innovation; Ivan Kreiser, who spoke of the friendship and human side of the diplomat; Fernando Ferreira, representing S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s Secretary of International Relations, Angela Gandra, who stressed cooperation in education, technology, and combating antisemitism; and Samo Tossatti, from the State Government\u2019s International Affairs Office, who conveyed a message from Governor Tarc\u00edsio de Freitas reaffirming S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s closeness to Israel.\n<\/p>\n
The event, led by Fisesp\u2019s executive president Ricardo Berkiensztat, brought together consuls, state and municipal authorities, community leaders, and business representatives to honor Erdreich\u2019s work and celebrate his legacy. Rabbi Samy Pinto also participated, offering a special blessing for the diplomat\u2019s new mission.\n<\/p>\n
In his farewell speech, Erdreich reflected on his tenure and recalled key challenges faced by the consulate, including coordinating travel during the pandemic to reunite families separated between Brazil and Israel, navigating institutional relations amid diplomatic impasses, and responding to the events of October 7, 2023.\n<\/p>\n
He also highlighted the support received from Governor Tarc\u00edsio de Freitas, who implemented immediate protective measures for Jewish institutions and visited Israel shortly after the attacks. Erdreich expressed gratitude to the Brazilian Jewish community for its mobilization and solidarity, citing organizations such as Conib, Fisesp, Clube Hebraica, the Community Fund, StandWithUs, B\u2019nai B\u2019rith, and many others.\n<\/p>\n
Closing on a hopeful note, Erdreich said he believes the war is nearing its end and that a new opportunity for stability may emerge in the region.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are on the path to the end of this war; I can already hear the dawn of its conclusion on the horizon,\u201d he declared.\n<\/p>\n
Visibly moved, he added that he leaves Brazil with \u201ctrue longing,\u201d concluding: \u201cOne does not leave a place that has become part of oneself with a light heart.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
At the end of the ceremony, C\u00e9lia Parnes presented the diplomat with a Brazilian national soccer team jersey as a symbolic tribute, recognizing his contribution to strengthening Brazil\u2013Israel relations and his bonds with the Brazilian Jewish community throughout his mission.\n<\/p>\n
Source: Fisesp \/ Liane G. Zaidler\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tSilas Anast\u00e1cio is a leading figure in fostering relations between Brazil and Israel. An author, lecturer, and institutional strategist, he works to strengthen dialogue among leaders, defend religious freedom, and combat antisemitism.
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\nHis initiatives bridge the cultural, diplomatic, and social spheres, promoting projects that highlight Judeo-Christian roots and reinforce cooperation between communities and institutions.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Jewish Federation of the State of S\u00e3o Paulo (Fisesp) held a farewell breakfast on Tuesday, June 24,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":511335,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[111,1083,631,85,46,155681,954,43],"class_list":["post-511334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-antisemitism","tag-brazil","tag-community","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-israel-at-war","tag-israeli-politics","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/511335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}