Argentina’s Javier Milei selects Jewish ambassador to replace foreign minister he fired

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A Jewish veterinarian from an influential business dynasty has been named Argentina’s foreign minister at a time when President Javier Milei has prioritized ties with the United States and Israel.

Gerardo Werthein replaced Diana Mondino, whom Milei fired after Argentina voted in the United Nations to condemn the U.S. embargo on Cuba. The United States and Israel — which Milei, elected last year, has defined as Argentina’s main allies, in a shift for Argentina — were the only two votes opposing the non-binding resolution.

Werthein had been Milei’s ambassador to the United States, one of two Jewish ambassadors that the self-described “anarcho-capitalist” has appointed. The other is Axel Wahnish, an Orthodox rabbi who represents Argentina in Israel.

Werthein will lead a “transformation in our country’s foreign policy,” according to a statement from Milei’s office.

A main component of that transformation has been Argentina’s relationship to Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Milei’s predecessor was a sharp critic of Israel, as are his counterparts across Latin America. The leaders of neighboring Brazil and Chile have condemned Israel for its military response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, as has Colombia’s Gustavo Petro. Milei, in contrast, has offered full-throated support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, and visited Israel in February on his first international trip as president.

The realignment has included defining Hamas as a terrorist group for the first time, as well as formally naming the terror group Hezbollah as culpable for two deadly attacks on Jewish targets in Buenos Aires in the 1990s. Last week, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich disclosed the identity of the Hezbollah chief in Latin America, Hussein Ahmad Karaki. She said he participated in the terrorist attacks in Buenos Aires and continues to lead Hezbollah’s operations in the region, likely from Lebanon. She said she would seek his prosecution.

Werthein, whose only direct diplomatic experience includes his short stint as ambassador, is expected to draw on his years in international sports collaboration and his role in the family business.

That business started in 1904 when an ancestor, an immigrant from Bessarabia in what was then Russia, founded a country store in the agricultural La Pampa province called “The Hebrew.” Today, the Werthein Group has interests in agriculture and livestock, retail, telecommunications, real estate, financial services, wineries and energy. Gerardo Werthein left the company in 2019.

Werthein has competed as an equestrian and was president of the Argentine Olympic Committee from 2009 to 2021, during which Buenos Aires was chosen to host the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. He is also a member of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Broadcasting Services.

He traveled to New York with Milei a year ago to visit the gravesite of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in Queens, one of several demonstrations of Jewish affinity that the Catholic-born Milei, an avowed philosemite, made before and after his election. “It was a special, symbolic and pretty moment,” he said about his visit to the gravesite at the time.

The U.S. ambassador to Argentina, Marc Stanley, is also Jewish and active in the local Jewish community in Buenos Aires.