July 16, 2026
This column appeared in the Jewish Exponent.
As the American Jewish Committee Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey’s Latino Jewish Coalition gathered to plan this year’s commemoration of the bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires, we asked ourselves: How do we tell this story again in a way that still reaches people’s hearts?
The scope of the death and destruction from this heinous event is still hard to fully comprehend. On July 18, 1994, Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists drove an explosive-laden truck into the AMIA center, killing 85 people and wounding more than 300. Nobody has been charged for what remains the deadliest antisemitic attack outside Israel since the Holocaust.
However, I worry that the passage of time lessens the impact of that terrible day. AMIA still matters but there are other things happening in the world today to worry about. Many clergy and community leaders are focused on the Middle East, not Latin America. Reaching out once again about AMIA might even seem, to some, disconnected from the concerns of this moment.
But the demand for truth, justice and accountability still matters — not only to Argentina’s Jewish community, but to all who believe that terrorism, antisemitism and hate must never be normalized. Our gathering was a statement that we will always refuse to let the world time stand in the way of remembering this attack, which pierced the heart of the world’s sixth-largest Jewish community and the largest in Latin America.
Several of my AJC colleagues, including CEO Ted Deutch, traveled to Buenos Aires in 2024 to mark the 30th anniversary of the bombing. On that chilly day — July is wintertime in Argentina — the wail of a memorial siren went off at 9:53 a.m., the time when the bomb went off in 1994. The 10,000 people gathered for that moment then raised photos of the 85 people who were murdered that day.
Argentina has not faltered in its pursuit of justice. In 2024, the nation’s highest federal court officially held the Iranian regime — as the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism — responsible for the bombing. The government of Argentine President Javier Milei this year designated the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization. Milei, who has closely aligned himself with Israel, has called Iran an “enemy of Argentina.”
Milei’s support is welcomed by the estimated 250,000 Jews in Argentina, whose resilience after AMIA was nothing short of remarkable. They did not retreat after the bombing. Instead, they rebuilt. They remembered. They moved ahead. That is why our theme for the July 16 commemoration in Philadelphia is resilience, because memory alone is not enough unless it inspires action, solidarity and renewed commitment.
Over the years, we have used personal stories to talk about AMIA. They sustain memories across generations, humanize large-scale tragedy and remind us that every life lost was a world unto itself. AMIA is a nonsectarian agency serving the broader community, and the attack wounded not only Jews, but all of Argentine society. Remembering is something all of us must do, not just Jews.
While there has been a delay in justice, Argentina has not shrunk from its commitment to its Jewish citizens and alliance with Israel.
Milei this year received the Genesis Prize — often dubbed the “Jewish Nobel Prize” — in recognition of his staunch support for Israel. He donated the $1 million award to launch the Isaac Accords, a diplomatic, security and economic initiative to strengthen ties between Israel and Latin American nations.
That includes coordinated action to fight antisemitism and Iranian-backed terror networks like the one which carried out the AMIA bombing.
On June 30, Milei urged other Latin American nations to join the Isaac Accords, declaring that neutrality is not an option — and never has been — in existential struggles. That message matters.
It reminds us that the pursuit of justice for AMIA is part of the urgent moral work of the present. In a world confronting antisemitism and extremism, remembering AMIA is a call to accountability, and a promise that we will remain resilient as we stand together against hate.
Marcia Bronstein is Director of AJC Philadelphia/Southern N.J.
