BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (JUNE 5, 2026) — The first plenary meeting of the Argentine Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) began with a Preliminary Conference organized by the Simon Wiesenthal Center on May 31, attended by 250 delegates from 42 countries, together with representatives from the judiciary, academia, and civil society.
IHRA is the only international organization in which countries and experts work together to preserve the memory of the Holocaust, promote its education, and develop tools to combat antisemitism and its new manifestations.
The conference focused on the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Working Definition of Antisemitism, the Alliance’s most widely used resource, and on its application and implementation in Argentina, where it has been broadly adopted by different sectors of society.
Divided into three panels, experts presented practical applications of the Definition in the fields of justice, universities, and civil society. Participants included members of high courts, academic authorities, religious leaders, editors, and representatives of sports organizations.
Speakers also included Dr. Ariel Gelblung, Simon Wiesenthal Center Director for Latin America, and Fernando Lottenberg, Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism of the Organization of American States (OAS). Dr. Gelblung focused on the complementarity achieved between Argentina’s anti-discrimination legislation and the IHRA Definition, resulting in pioneering advances worldwide. Mr. Lottenberg, in turn, provided an overview of the situation in Latin America.
On June 1, during the opening of the Plenary, the President of the Argentine Republic, Javier Milei, referred to the need to sustain the fight against antisemitism and highlighted the motto of Argentina’s IHRA Presidency: “Expanding the Frontiers of Memory.”
Dr. Dario Pendzik, Assistant Director of the Latin American Office, stated: “We support the determination of Argentina’s IHRA Presidency to expand the organization’s influence throughout Latin America by promoting the participation and commitment of new countries.”
The experts’ work advanced in the development of resources aimed at addressing the rise of antisemitism on university campuses and Holocaust denial. In particular, they will focus on creating a tool to expose the phenomenon known as Holocaust inversion.
Dr. Gelblung commented: “This is a perverse accusation that turns victims into perpetrators. In this way, the message seeks to vindicate the Nazis and show disrespect for the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Shoah.”
Discussions also addressed ethical standards for the use of artificial intelligence in Holocaust education, as well as the challenges posed by these new technologies in preventing their misuse for the dissemination of antisemitic and discriminatory content.
Prior to the second Argentine plenary meeting in November, the experts will continue developing their work, of which we are proud to be a part.
For further information, please email Dr. Ariel Gelblung at agelblung@wiesenthal.com or Aram Goldberg at agoldberg@wiesenthal.com. Join the Center on Facebook, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your X feed.
About the Simon Wiesenthal Center
The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) is a global Jewish human rights organization that combats antisemitism, defends the State of Israel, and uses the lessons of the Holocaust to teach tolerance and combat hate. It holds consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS and the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO). Headquartered in Los Angeles, the SWC operates in key centers of Jewish life including New York, Chicago, Florida, Toronto, Jerusalem, Vienna and Buenos Aires. To learn more, visit www.wiesenthal.org.