Remembering the Victims of Argentina’s AMIA Bombing

On July 18, 1994, terrorists murdered 85 and wounded hundreds more in a bombing targeting a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires – the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) building. Authorities have since blamed Hezbollah for carrying out the attack on orders from the Iranian regime. To this day, not a single individual has been convicted for what is considered the deadliest bombing in Argentina’s history.

Over the years, the case has been marked by incompetence and accusations of cover-ups. All suspects in the "local connection" (among them, many members of the Buenos Aires Provincial Police) were found to be "not guilty" in September 2004. In August 2005, federal judge Juan José Galeano, in charge of the case, was impeached and removed from his post on charge of "serious" irregularities due to mishandling of the investigation.

To mark the 18^th anniversary of the attack, David Koschitzky, Chair of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the advocacy arm of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and other Canadian Federations, made the following statement:

“Today, we remember the victims of the AMIA bombing, who were targeted for a horrific attack simply because they were Jews,” said Koschitzky. “In honouring their memory, we reaffirm our solidarity with the Jewish community of Argentina – and our commitment to standing with Jewish victims of terror around the world.It is an outrage that after nearly two decades the perpetrators of this atrocity have not yet been brought to justice. Moreover, intelligence and media reports reveal ongoing efforts by Iran and Hezbollah to target Jews around the world – including throughout North America. Today’s anniversary serves as a solemn reminder for Jewish communities to be vigilant in securing our institutions from threats, even in safe, advanced democracies like Canada.”