Milei Makes a Splash 

Argentina’s President Javier Milei made his first official state trip abroad last week to Israel, in a visit that blended geopolitical and spiritual interests.

The South American leader reaffirmed his strong support for Israel in meetings with President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and doubled down on his pledge to move Argentina’s embassy to Jerusalem. (That move, which requires approval by Argentina’s Senate, will be overseen by the likely ambassador, Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish, profiled in Mishpacha three weeks ago.)

Milei made the requisite stop at Yad Vashem, but also went with Herzog to kibbutz Nir Oz, which had been home to many Argentinean citizens before the Hamas massacre of October 7. Many of them, like the Bibas family, were either killed or abducted (although on Sunday night the IDF managed to rescue Argentine nationals Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70). With Herzog at his side, Milei declared, “Israel has every right to defend itself,” labeling Hamas the “21st-century incarnation of Nazism,” and demanding the release of all Hamas’s remaining hostages.

The non-Jewish head of state’s visit also took a uniquely religious turn. After his plane touched down in Israel, he made a pilgrimage directly to the Western Wall. Images of the president shedding tears of joy while embracing Rabbi Wahnish went viral, setting the stage for the ensuing 72 hours.