MADRID – The American Jewish Committee and 15 Jewish communities from across Iberoamerica issued The Madrid Declaration, calling on regional governments to protect local Jewish communities from a growing atmosphere of targeting and fear and to prioritize rebuilding diplomatic relations with the State of Israel.
The declaration was released at AJCโs Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs Strategic Forum in Madrid, where more than 100 Jewish communal leaders met for three days to review security, education, and diplomatic challenges facing Jews in the region.
The Madrid Declaration warns that an environment of hostility has produced heightened fear among Jewish communities and that public officials must act to ensure safety. It asks governments to adopt concrete protection measures for Jewish institutions, improve hate crime reporting, and strengthen law enforcement responses. The declaration also urges a restoration of diplomatic engagement with Israel as a matter of regional stability and communal reassurance.
AJC said the declaration represents a coordinated call to action from community leaders across Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The text highlights the joint concern that antisemitic speech and actions, when left unaddressed, can escalate into threats against individuals and institutions. It encourages national and local authorities to adopt clear public stances that name and condemn antisemitism.
Dina Siegel Vann, director of AJCโs Belfer Institute, has led AJCโs Ibero-American outreach and framed the forum as an opportunity for Jewish leaders to press for practical government responses. AJCโs public posts and press materials emphasize the forumโs focus on security, public policy, and diplomatic repair after a period of strained relations in parts of the region.
The declaration lists specific recommendations for governments. They include stepping up protection for synagogues, schools, and community centres; improving the collection and publication of hate crime data; funding educational programs that teach about antisemitism and the Holocaust; and resuming or strengthening diplomatic ties with Israel to reinforce political support for Jewish communities.
Regional Jewish leaders said they will use the declaration as a basis for dialogues with foreign ministries, legislators, and law enforcement agencies. The coordinated approach seeks both immediate security measures and longer-term policy changes to reduce the vulnerability of Jewish populations and to counter the delegitimization of Jewish national self-determination.
Observers said the Madrid Declaration underscores a shift in Jewish communal strategy in Iberoamerica, from isolated local appeals to a unified regional push for government accountability and diplomatic normalization. For Jewish communities that are small in number but high in public visibility, advocates say national-level actions are essential to deter threats and reassure families and institutions.
The AJC forum in Madrid followed earlier AJC initiatives that brought Latin American Jewish leaders together to discuss security and public affairs, and it built on AJCโs ongoing engagement with regional governments. The Madrid Declaration will be distributed to government officials and community partners across the region as signatories press for immediate implementation.
The forum organizers said follow-up will include bilateral meetings with foreign ministries and the tracking of government responses to the declarationโs recommendations. Jewish communal leaders said they will report back to AJC and to one another on progress and any continuing threats to community safety.
This article is based on verified information from the American Jewish Committeeโs Madrid Declaration page, the AJC news release summarizing the forum, AJC social media posts about the Strategic Forum, and AJC press materials on the Belfer Institute.