When Argentina’s president Javier Milei was named in mid-January as the recipient of this year’s Genesis Prize, it marked the first time the $1 million annual award, sometimes called the “Jewish Nobel,” was given to someone who isn’t Jewish.
Stan Polovets, co-founder and chairman of the Genesis Prize Foundation, recently sat down for an interview to discuss this seemingly unorthodox choice, the dramatic changes Milei is making to his country’s ties with Israel and Milei’s own relationship with Judaism.
Why are you giving this high-profile Jewish prize to a Catholic?
We realize this laureate choice may come across as unusual. It’s the first time the selection committee has awarded the prize to a non-Jew, or to a head of state.
But there’s a uniquely compelling case to make for President Milei. He’s been publicly, unequivocally supportive of Israel at this difficult time, steering Argentina on a firmly pro-Israel course even as Israel came under international criticism for its response to the October 7th attack.
Although President Milei was raised Catholic, he has strong personal Jewish connections. He studies Torah regularly, attends prayer services, placed a mezuzah on his office doorpost, and has made four visits to the grave of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to pray for guidance.
Milei has said that he plans to convert to Judaism after leaving office, as the challenges of observing Shabbat while serving as president make it impossible to do now. He also has Jewish roots: In a 2024 visit to a Miami synagogue, President Milei revealed that his grandfather learned late in life that his mother was Jewish, and that Milei’s great-great-grandfather was a rabbi.
Okay, but why skip over other Jewish world leaders, such as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?
Given Israel’s pressing challenges on the diplomatic front, the Prize Selection Committee felt it was important to honor a remarkable non-Jew who is an extraordinary supporter of Israel. It’s imperative that non-Jews who are outspoken in their support for Jews and Israel be recognized and celebrated by the Jewish world.
Argentina is a relatively minor player in world affairs – and certainly when it comes to the Middle East. Why are Milei’s positions on Israel significant?
President Milei’s support for Israel isn’t just a political issue, but a moral one: He believes Israel’s existential struggle is a clear-cut fight between good and evil. So do I.
Early in his term, Milei engineered a drastic change in Argentina’s policies on Israel, reversing decades of overwhelmingly anti-Israel votes at the United Nations. He traveled to Israel during the first year of his presidency and, together with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, paid tribute to October 7 victims at the devastated Kibbutz Nir Oz. Milei designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, called for the immediate release of the hostages in Gaza and announced plans to move Argentina’s embassy to Jerusalem.
On the domestic front, Milei gave a powerful new impetus to the investigations of the 1990s-era terrorist bombings of the AMIA Jewish community center and Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, which killed a total of 114 people. Investigations of those bombings essentially had been swept under the rug by previous governments.
Finally, under Milei, Argentina has emerged as an important strategic ally of Israel in Latin America, a region where the Jewish state currently has very few friends. Since October 7, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Bolivia all have downgraded their diplomatic ties with Israel, and Venezuela has been a harsh critic of Israel for years.
Milei’s fresh approach opens new opportunities for meaningful strategic cooperation between Israel and Argentina. In December, Argentinian Defense Minister Luis Petri went to Israel to sign a multi-year cooperation agreement focusing on joint projects in cyber defense, drones, border protection, satellite communications and more.
As you mentioned, Argentina repeatedly has failed to bring the real perpetrators of the 1994 AMIA and the 1992 Israel Embassy bombings to justice. What exactly is Milei doing to rectify this?
In April 2024, Argentina’s Criminal Cassation Court ruled that Iran and Hezbollah had engaged in “crimes against humanity” for their role in organizing the AMIA bombing. That was a major step in a country whose government in 2013 signed a memorandum of understanding with Tehran that would have had Iran and Argentina jointly investigate the AMIA bombing. The Argentinian president who signed that document, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, is now on trial for her role in that farce.
Last October, Argentina asked Interpol to arrest Iran’s former interior minister, Ahmad Vahidi, as the alleged mastermind behind the AMIA bombing. Argentina’s security minister also has identified Hezbollah’s head of Latin American operations as being behind the two bombings. President Milei has proposed a bill allowing in-absentia trials of the suspects and has promised to beef up the country’s intelligence system to prevent future attacks.
Argentina’s government is also advancing an investigation into the 2015 murder of Alberto Nisman, the special prosecutor who was assassinated just before he was scheduled to present key evidence in his investigation of the AMIA bombing. Kirchner sabotaged that investigation during her presidency and her successors also declined to pursue it.
As Milei has said, “The era of impunity has ended in the Argentine Republic.”
How are Milei’s dramatic policy changes on Israel and the bombing investigations, and his very public embrace of Jewish symbols, being received in Argentina?
During my visit to Buenos Aires in December, I met with over 30 Jewish business, community, philanthropic, and religious leaders, as well as prominent members of the media and education community, including university students. There was broad approval of Milei’s strong support of Israel and his promises to get to the bottom of the bombing investigations as well as appreciation for his sincere personal interest in Judaism.
While a few people expressed concern that economic pain felt by segments of Argentina’s population could lead to the emergence of antisemitism in a country where antisemitism is almost non-existent, most did not share this view. In fact, there was a broad consensus that Milei’s policies will lead to an improvement in the lives of most Argentinians and that his embrace of Israel and Judaism is a net positive for the Argentinian Jewish community.
I share this optimism. When I met President Milei and his close advisers in Buenos Aires, I saw a leader with a very strong and competent team who has a popular mandate for change; a leader who has a vision for a prosperous Argentina and is passionate about making it a reality.
The Genesis Prize comes with a $1 million award. What does Milei plan to do with it?
President Milei has announced that he – like all other Genesis Prize Laureates – will forgo the $1 million financial award and instead will work with our foundation to direct the funds to organizations that advocate for freedom and liberty in Argentina and around the world.
We will coordinate closely with the president and his team to identify such organizations and will seek to leverage Genesis Prize funds with additional contributions from other philanthropists. The idea of promoting freedom and liberty is on the top of Milei’s agenda and we will do whatever we can to support this important initiative.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with The Genesis Prize Foundation, which aims to foster Jewish identity, inspire Jewish pride and strengthen the bond between Israel and the Diaspora. This article was produced by JTA’s native content team.
More from The Genesis Prize Foundation
