In December 2024, an evangelical organization erected a tall metal Chanukah menorah near the waterfront in Puerto Montt, southern Chile, to commemorate the holiday. In Chile’s anti-Israel post-Oct. 7, 2023, atmosphere, the gesture sparked immediate backlash.
Social media in the city of 250,000 residents, which houses a small Jewish community and serves as a popular destination for Israeli backpackers, erupted with furious posts.
“Remove this symbol of death from here,” Sen. Ivan Moreira Barros, who represents the Los Lagos scenic lakes region where Puerto Montt serves as capital, declared on X. He addressed Chilean President Gabriel Boric directly, stating, “You support Palestinian rights in the face of genocide, so make sure this happens.”
Following the digital campaign came physical action. Unidentified vandals sprayed the menorah with red paint, scrawled “Murderers” across it in bold letters and damaged its foundation.
Only a handful confronted this vandalism and blatant antisemitism. The nation’s Jewish community filed protests while Israeli Ambassador to Chile Gil Artzyeli condemned Moreira Barros and other politicians participating in the incitement.
Among Chilean politicians, virtually only Rodrigo Wainraihgt, Puerto Montt’s mayor, who assumed office on Dec. 6, openly opposed these manifestations of hatred and bigotry.
“I clearly supported Jews’ right to celebrate Chanukah peacefully and quietly, which is why I sharply criticized this act and those responsible for it,” Wainraihgt told Israel Hayom during his visit to Israel as part of a Latin American mayors’ delegation that attended the Muniexpo 2025 local government conference at Expo Tel Aviv on July 15-17.
Following the menorah vandalism, leftist forces in his city and nation have branded Wainraihgt an “Israel supporter,” labeling him “pro-Zionist,” “genocide supporter,” “friend of the Jews” and worse.
“I’m neither pro-Israeli nor pro-Palestinian,” he said. “I consider myself neutral. Unlike others, I listen to both sides before forming opinions about a country I don’t truly know and a problem where I lack expertise. This is precisely why I wanted to come here and witness reality firsthand.”
Wainraihgt faced intense criticism for his decision to tour Israel (he was the sole Chilean accepting the invitation), yet he remains undeterred. “There were numerous personal attacks from various people on social media, but I’m acting for my city’s benefit and my people’s welfare. For this purpose, I remain courageous and unmoved by those who merely sit on the sidelines and criticize.”
In 2025, Chile, neutrality constitutes taking sides. Under Boric’s populist leftist leadership, the nation has embraced aggressive anti-Israel policies. In early June, the president announced he was withdrawing the country’s military attachés from Israel, considering military import suspensions, supporting legal proceedings against Israel in The Hague, backing arms embargoes and banning imports from Judea and Samaria.
Previously, he recalled Chile’s ambassador from Israel, reducing diplomatic relations between the nations to near-complete suspension.
“The president repeatedly claims there’s ‘genocide’ in Gaza while ignoring Hamas’s actions, a murderous terror organization seeking not only Israel’s elimination but the entire Western world’s destruction,” Wainraihgt, a Renovación Nacional (National Renewal) party member from Chile’s center-right, asserted.
“He ignores the murders, rapes and Israeli suffering. Through his statements and actions, he severely damaged relations between the two countries that previously maintained very friendly ties based on extensive technological, military and academic cooperation.
“I hope our next president will restore Chile-Israel relations,” Wainraihgt said. The country faces general elections in November 2025. Constitutional restrictions prevent Boric from seeking another term, while his support ratings have plummeted following his unpopular social and economic policies.
The Gaza war won’t dominate the presidential campaign, yet regardless of the next president’s identity, Israel will likely remain a target of government criticism.
A primary factor is the political influence of Chile’s Palestinian minority, which numbers approximately 500,000 people (out of a population of some 20 million)—the highest Palestinian concentration outside the Arab world.
This large, vocal and assertive minority significantly impacts the young South American democracy’s internal politics.
Major Chilean cities have witnessed numerous turbulent anti-Israel demonstrations, both before Oct. 7, 2023, and especially in the wake of the Gaza war that followed the Hamas massacre. Anti-Israel rhetoric is extreme, aggressive and deliberately conflates “Israel,” “Zionism,” “Jews,” “imperialism,” “occupation,” “genocide” and other code words that Latin America’s extreme left frequently employs to inflame emotions.
Santiago’s Club Deportivo Palestino soccer club from the country’s premier league exemplifies this phenomenon, transforming every match into a public anti-Israel display, including featuring a “Liberated Palestine” map on players’ jerseys.
The combination of Palestinian lobby activities with Marxist and anti-American ideology that has consistently flourished in Chile, both before and after Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, created an explosive mixture, making Boric’s administration the continent’s most extreme symbol of anti-Israeli policy.
“The Palestinian community contains an extreme minority wanting to drag us into confrontation with Israel,” Wainraihgt said. “But we cannot permit this. We must not abandon dialogue and joint efforts. I hope post-election Chile will renew good relations with Israel, which are important and stronger than any single president’s politics.”
Wainraihgt described how alongside his visit’s human dimension, including touring the Supernova music festival memorial site and kibbutzim severely damaged on Oct. 7: “As a father of three children, my emotions were overwhelming. I witnessed bloodstains where they murdered a father before his children’s eyes and heard testimonies about the horrific acts innocent young people endured who simply wanted to dance.”
His primary objective involves establishing connections with Israeli companies and organizations to help his city advance technologically.
“We have much to learn from Israel,” he said. “You possess extensive knowledge, tools and experience in technological and innovative initiatives that transformed and improved your economy and society.
“This inspires admiration. Puerto Montt and the Los Lagos region host major industries such as salmon exports, but we want to advance other important sectors too, requiring us to embrace innovation concepts, advanced academic research and current technology. Without these elements, we cannot truly progress,” he said.
“I believe shared interests can bridge any dispute,” he added. “From the Israeli side, I observed tremendous willingness to help and cooperate, despite the problematic situation between our governments. I’m departing with an extensive list of contacts and experts who offered assistance—this alone provides reason for optimism.
“If state-level problems exist, then local government and citizen levels can restore relations. This approach can repair what was nearly broken—and I hope during my next visit here, peace will return, the world will address extreme groups like Hamas, and genuine coexistence will emerge. Until then, I hope my city advances and Chile returns to normalcy,” said Wainraihgt.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.