At Gerardo Werthein's inauguration, President Javier Milei referenced the weekly Torah portion, suggesting it's a divine sign to follow Abraham's lead.
(Nov. 5, 2024 / JNS) Argentine President Javier Milei on Monday officially appointed Geraldo Werthein, a Jewish businessman and former ambassador to the United States, as the country’s foreign minister.
Werthein is a former Argentine ambassador to the United States whose Jewish ancestors escaped persecution in Russia in the early years of the 20th century. He took office at an inauguration ceremony at the Buenos Aires headquarters of the Argentine Foreign Ministry, known as the Cancillería.
Unusually for the predominantly Catholic country, the inauguration featured a Torah, on which Werthein swore to uphold his position faithfully. In another deviation from protocol, Milei quoted from the weekly Torah portion, or Parsha, using the Hebrew term in his short speech.