Argentina's new president, Javier Milei, is shaping up his government as one of the most pro-Israel in Argentina's history. In a predominantly Catholic country, the far-right has been open about his forays into Judaism.
Before taking office on Sunday, on a stage set up behind Congress, Milei, 53, embarked on what he called a spiritual journey to New York City to attend the tomb of influential Hasidic Jewish leader Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known to his followers simply asthe Rebbe.
The symbolic gesture came during his first foreign trip as president-elect, illustrating his commitment to Israel at a time when other Latin American nations have spoken out against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's strategy to root out Hamas through an intensifying military campaign in Gaza.
His affinity with Orthodox Judaism is striking since Milei is not Jewish, but was raised as a Catholic. According to Argentinian media outlet La Nación, Milei studied at the Cardenal Copello Christian school, and until the end of 2021, he was still Catholic, at least in public.
However, during his campaign there is a significant shift. Milei has repeatedly insulted Pope Francis — also an Argentine — calling him an "imbecile," "deplorable," and "a representative of the evil one on earth," according to The New York Times.
[Far-right Javier Milei takes over Argentina's presidency, promises "a new era"]
Argentina's outgoing President Alberto Fernandez congratulates Javier Milei after handing him the presidential sash at Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023.Natacha Pisarenko/AP
Milei visited the tomb of the prominent rabbi before any other meeting with U.S. officials or the International Monetary Fund in Washington, according to Bloomberg, which also notes that the new Argentine president intends to convert to Judaism, according to one of his spokesmen quoted by the outlet.
The new head of state has also reiterated on several occasions that he studies the Torah exhaustively. "I don't go to church, I go to the temple. I have a rabbi at the head of the rabbi. I study the Torah. I am internationally recognized as a friend of Israel. I'm about to be Jewish, the only thing missing is the blood pact," he said in an interview on LN+ in September, quoted by La Nación.
Milei has also said, repeatedly, that he plans to move the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
An unorthodox president
His legions of fans call him the madman and wig because of his ferocity and unruly clump of hair, while he refers to himself as the lion. He believes that sex education is a Marxist plot to destroy the family, considers his cloned mastiffs to be his "four-legged children," and has raised the possibility that people should be allowed to sell their own vital organs.
In just two years, Milei went from being a quirky, outspoken economist who reviled the political class on television to one of the most voted presidents in Argentina's recent history.
The leader of the Freedom Advances party was a beacon of hope for those who want a drastic political and economic change that will tackle annual inflation of more than 140%, growing poverty that affects more than 40% of the population and growing crime.
In a ceremony in Congress, Milei swore in the constitution for a four-year term before outgoing Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who governed from 2007 to 2015.
The legislative assembly was attended by right-wing world leaders such as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and the head of the Vox party, Spain's Santiago Abascal.
Before taking the oath of office, Milei signed "Long live fucking freedom" in the book of honor of the Congress of Presidents, the slogan with which he ends his political messages.
At the close of his first day as president of Argentina, Milei will attend a gala at the Teatro Colón. Local media reported that the far-right asked the orchestra to perform Balada para un loco, the tango composed by the legendary bandoneonist and composer Astor Piazzolla.