In Chile's bizarre election, Nazi's son wins Jewish vote
Gabriel Boric, who at his 35 will be Chile’s youngest president ever, reached 55 percent in the second round at press time, defeating ultra-right candidate José Antonio Kast.
“I will be the president of all Chileans,” said Boric in his first speech — something many Jews there would very much like to believe, given that in the past he has spoken strongly against Israel and the local Jewish community.
But aside from Boric himself, the big question mark for local Jewry remains his allies; the main supporter of his bloc is the powerful Chilean Communist Party, whose rising star is Daniel Jadue, a Chilean of Palestinian descent who is also an outspoken anti-Semite and leading defender of the Palestinian cause in Chile.
The most determinative presidential election that Chileans can recall have forced the flourishing Jewish community to confront what exile is all about: They were forced to choose between an extreme right-wing candidate whose father had been a bona fide Nazi, and an extreme left-wing candidate who drew his main support from the Communist Party. The contest clearly showed a pattern that has repeated itself all around the globe: The extreme right tends to support the Israeli cause, while the left sides with the Palestinians.
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