‘Eyes of world are on Milei,’ says Stan Polovets, chair of Genesis Prize

President Javier Milei will travel to Israel to receive the Genesis Prize on June 11, in a ceremony to be held at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

The award – known informally as the “Jewish Nobel Prize” – will be presented by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and the chairman of the Genesis Prize Foundation, Stan Polovets. After receiving the award, Milei will deliver a televised speech to Israeli lawmakers.

In an exclusive interview with Perfil, Polovets discussed geopolitics, the reasoning behind Milei’s recognition, the President’s support for Israel and his economic reforms.

“The choice of Milei was based on his firm and unequivocal support for the State of Israel during one of the most difficult times since its founding,” the US businessman and philanthropist explained. “He designated Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations, reversed years of anti-Israel votes by Argentina at the United Nations and committed to bringing to justice those responsible for the attacks on the AMIA [Jewish community centre] and the Israeli Embassy,” referencing two terrorist bombings in Buenos Aires in the 1990s.

Polovets also noted that Milei “strongly advocated for the release of hostages in Gaza [taken on October 7, 2023], declared two days of national mourning in February for Ariel and Kfir Bibas – Argentine-Israeli brothers killed by Hamas – and a further day of mourning following the return of the remains of their mother Shiri and her two children.”

The Moscow-born entrepreneur also highlighted that Milei had “ordered the declassification of intelligence regarding the unexplained death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who led the investigation into the AMIA bombing and the release of nearly 2,000 files on Nazi fugitives in Argentina.”

Polovets further praised Milei’s economic achievements: “Milei reduced inflation from 25 percent a month to 2.4 percent, halted the free fall of the national currency and achieved a fiscal surplus for the first time in decades.”

First non-Jewish recipient

On the decision to award the prize to a non-Jew for the first time in history, Polovets explained: “The committee chose to break with tradition and present the ‘Jewish Nobel Prize’ to Milei due to his unwavering support for Israel and his clear alignment with the Jewish community.”

He added that, although raised Catholic, “Milei has increasingly embraced Judaism since 2021, regularly studies The Torah, attends religious services, placed a mezuzah [parchment inscribed with specific Hebrew verses] on his office door and has expressed his intention to convert to Judaism after leaving office.”

Moreover, “his Cabinet meetings often begin with discussion of the weekly Torah portion and Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein took his oath of office on a chumash,” a printed copy of the holy Jewish book.

Polovets also noted that “Milei appointed his rabbi and spiritual guide, Axel Wahnish, as ambassador to Israel,” and that “last year, Milei revealed that his grandfather discovered shortly before his death that his mother was Jewish and that his great-grandfather was a rabbi who passed on Jewish education and values to his children and grandchildren.”

Crucially, the Genesis Prize chairman underlined the significance of Argentina’s foreign policy shift:, describing the nation’s “new geopolitical stance under Milei’s leadership” as “a major asset to Israel for several reasons.”

He expanded on this: “By offering diplomatic support, Argentina helps counteract Israel’s regional isolation and sets a powerful example for other Latin American and global nations.”

During Milei’s visit to Israel, he is expected to announce new direct flights between Buenos Aires and Tel Aviv. “This is more than symbolic,” said Polovets. “These flights will boost tourism, investment, and trade between the two countries.”

A “memorandum of cooperation in the fight against terrorism” will also be signed, as “terrorism can only be defeated through close collaboration between security agencies and law enforcement worldwide,” he added. “This is a global challenge, and it is important for Israel to work alongside as many countries as possible in combating it.”

Relations with Latin America

On Israel’s regional ties, Polovets was blunt: “Unfortunately, they are very weak. With the exception of Argentina under Milei, virtually all South and Central American countries have overwhelmingly anti-Israel voting records at the UN.”

He detailed: “Eight major Latin American countries – with populations over three million – have voted against Israel more than 90 percent of the time, while Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Chile have done so 100percent of the time over the past decade.”

“Argentina and Paraguay are the only Latin American nations to have designated Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations. Hamas deliberately targets civilians, uses violence to achieve political and religious ends, repeatedly violates international humanitarian law, and is committed to Israel’s destruction, as stated in its founding charter. It is vital that other Latin American countries follow this example,” argued Polovets.

Milei has declined the accompanying US$$1-million prize, Polovets said: “The Genesis Prize Foundation announced this week that, in honour of Milei, we will fund programmes encouraging heads of state across Latin America to follow Milei’s and Argentina’s example and build stronger ties with Israel. We aim to show these leaders that friendship with the State of Israel is not only morally right but will also yield significant economic, technological, environmental and public health benefits for their citizens.”

He went on to explain that “we will sponsor fully funded trips to Israel for influencers, journalists and lawmakers from the Spanish-speaking world. We will also partner with evangelical organisations that support Israel and fund educational programmes for Latin American youth.”

Interests in the region

Polovets went on to outline Israel’s objectives in Latin America: “As The Bible says, Israel seeks to be a ‘light unto the nations.’ One way it does this is by providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief around the world, including in Latin America.”

“Israel sent relief missions after earthquakes in Mexico in 1985 and 2017, in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala after Hurricane Mitch in 1998, in Brazil following a dam collapse in 2019, and in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016,” said Polovets.

Israel also “provides technological, scientific and medical innovations that benefit many countries, including those in Latin America,” and will seek to “counter diplomatic isolation at the United Nations, expand trade and economic opportunities, export agricultural, water desalination, irrigation and cybersecurity technologies, and strengthen strategic security partnerships – particularly by countering Iran’s influence in Latin America.”

Finally, Polovets added: “Argentina can serve as a ‘spearhead’ to deepen ties with other nations in the region. It is one of Latin America’s most influential countries, a leader in CELAC and MERCOSUR. The eyes of the world are on Argentina and on Milei.”

He concluded: “As a staunch supporter of Israel, Argentina can help build diplomatic bridges, expand regional trade, and lead by example in demonstrating that anti-Semitism has no place in modern society.”

“As the President said when we announced our philanthropic programme in his honour, the work of the Genesis Prize Foundation in Latin America will foster ‘a deeper dialogue and cooperation across the region, based on shared values of freedom, democracy and mutual respect,’” he ended, quoting Milei directly.