How Could You

I lived in Brazil for a number of years and surely I thought I knew the country well.

So it came as a surprise to me when Brazil took the lead in hemming Israel in with its announcement that it would recognize a Palestinian state even without any peace agreement with Israel. And as one of the foremost Latin American states it pulled several other countries on that continent along with it. How could Brazil the homeland of Osvaldo Aranha turn its back on us like that?

Every Brazilian knows the name of Osvaldo Aranha. He was the man who directly brought about the establishment of Israel as the modern Jewish State. He was Brazil’s ambassador to the UN and chaired the special session of November 29 1947 at which the decision was taken to declare a Jewish state in Eretz Yisrael. Aranha is recognized as a Righteous Among the Nations for his ceaseless lobbying to ensure that the resolution would pass by a wide margin while the Arabs and their supporters worked feverishly to defeat it. He wielded his influence over many nations particularly in South America to secure their votes in favor of the resolution and he delayed the historical session until representatives of the Zionist movement arrived.

When the votes were all counted he struck the dais with a gavel that is now on display at Kibbutz Bror Chayil a settlement founded in the Negev by Brazilian immigrants.