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Embassy of Israel in Brazil

The embassy of Israel in Brazil is the official diplomatic representation of the State of Israel in the Federative Republic of Brazil, located in the Brazilian capital, Brasília.

Mr. Yossi Avraham Shelley is the current ambassador, and is serving since 2017. Israel also has a Consulate General, located in São Paulo, in which Mr. Alon Lavi is the General Consul.

First years

The embassy was initially established in the former capital of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, and was headed by ambassadors David Shantiel (1952); Arieh Aroch (1956); Yosef Tekoa (1960); Arieh Eshol (1962).

In 1964, about to be transferred to Brasilia, then headed by the Israeli ambassador, Yossef Nahmias, he received from the city hall of Brasília the lot 38 in "Avenida das Nações" for the construction of the future embassy headquarters.

In 1971, he moved to Brasília, settling temporarily in the Gilberto Salomão Building, in the Southern Commercial Sector, already headed by Ambassador Itzhak Harkavi, until 1973.

On August 9, 1973, led by Ambassador Mordechai Shnnerson, the foundation stone of the Israeli embassy in Brasilia was laid, with the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Mr. Abba Eban, and the governor of the Federal District, Colonel Hélio Prates da Silveira. The construction of the Israeli embassy and the ambassador's residence began in 1974 and was completed in 1977, under the leadership of Ambassador Moshe Erel, who ended his mission in 1980. ^[1]

Construction of the embassy

The plan for the construction of the embassy, a centrally planned structure with only one floor, is inspired by the shape of the Greek cross (with four equal arms), placed at a slight angle on top of another Greek cross. The ambassador's residence is a building modern with two floors, horizontal and with right angles. Despite its sealed facade, it conveys a feeling of openness and lightness originating from open balconies and patios.

The responsible for the project is the architect David Reznik, an Israeli born in Brazil in 1924. He was hired, still a student, by Oscar Niemeyer's company, "the greatest Brazilian architect of the 20th century." Reznik worked alongside Niemeyer for four years, claiming that during that time he learned the modernist principles of Niemeyer's architecture, whom he describes as a "revolutionary and a genius".

David emigrated to Israel in 1949, when he worked with Zeev Rechter. In 1958 he opened his own office designing numerous works, such as the Institute of Engineers and the Association of Journalists, both in Jerusalem, completed in 1966. Other works are the Hebrew University, on Mount Scoupus, and the Center for Eastern Studies in Jerusalem , capital of Israel.

The two constructions are different, but complementary, conveying a sense of harmony. Unlike what could be expected from a compound that represents modern Israel, the architectural project was inspired by the Brazilian modernist heritage in which the architect was created.

Remarkable events

The Israeli representation, since it was installed in Brasília, has lived memorable moments with the visit of numerous Israeli authorities and artists. In 2009, former president and winner of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize, Shimon Peres, paid a visit to Brazil, the first visit by an Israeli head of state in more than 40 years^[2]. That same year, Shimon Peres received the title of Honorary Citizen of Brasília, in a solemn session of the Legislative Chamber of the Federal District.

More recently, between December 2018 and January 2019, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Brazil and the embassy. The visit marked the first official of an Israeli prime minister to Brazil. Netanyahu first landed in Rio de Janeiro, where he met President-elect Jair Bolsonaro and future government ministers at Fort Copacabana^[3]. In Brasília, he was one of the world leaders to participate in the inauguration of Jair Bolsonaro as president^[4].

The Israeli Embassy actively participates in the city's social and cultural life, promoting concerts, exhibitions, social actions, lectures and activities aimed at the Brazilian public. Thanks to this joint effort, the local public had the opportunity to honor concerts with great names of Israeli classical music in cooperation with the Brasília Symphony Orchestra, in addition to exhibitions on space exploration at the Planetarium in Brasília, and cultural fairs for students from public schools in the city.

In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel, the internal wall of the embassy received the graffiti colors of four local artists: Pedro Sangeon (the Gurulino), Daniel Toys, Mikael Omik and Camilla Siren. The murals, inspired by Israel and its diversity, can be enjoyed by visitors to the embassy.

In 2018, the Israeli embassy was the first diplomatic representation to open its square in the Botanical Garden of Brasilia, presenting the local community and visitors with an oasis from the Middle East amidst the lush savannah landscape. In the so-called "Biblical Garden", the main species of plants mentioned in the Bible were planted, such as date palms, vineyards, olive trees, fig trees and pomegranates. Mosaics depicting biblical themes, produced by Israeli and Brazilian artists, decorate the space. After this pioneering initiative, other embassies followed its example.

In May 2019, President Jair Bolsonaro attended the celebration at the embassy of Yom Haatzmaut, Israel's Independence Day. It was the first time that a Brazilian president has participated in Israel's National Date throughout history^[5].

Missions of humanitarian aid

Troughout the years, the Israeli embassy in Brazil has coordinated humanitarian aid missions with the Israeli government to assist Brazilians.

In January 2019, Israel helped Brazil in one of the biggest disasters in Brazilian history, the rupture of the Brumadinho dam in Minas Gerais. The country was the only one to offer assistance at the time. The tragedy killed 270 people and caused great environmental and property losses. Israel's ambassador, Yossi Shelley, personally accompanied the searches. In four days of operation, the Israeli mission located 35 missing people, with no survivors^[6].

In September of the same year, Israel sent a team of eleven firefighters specialized in forest fires to Brazil to assist in the work against fires in the Amazon. The mission received in Brasília by the President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, helped the Brazilian teams that were on the front line of the fires in Rondônia. Under the command of Israel's military attaché Oded Knaan, the professionals disembarked in Porto Velho and participated with 39 Brazilian soldiers in the firefighting actions^[7].

In 2020, with the coordination of the Israeli embassy in Brazil and the support of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, a complex operation was carried out to remove Israeli, Brazilian and other nationals who were held in Bolivia after the country's borders were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was the first group of foreigners authorized to leave Bolivia since the Covid-19 crisis began.

Consular services

Registration of Israeli citizens in Brazil
Consularization of documents (Notarial acts)
Issuing and extending the validity of Israeli travel documents
Registration of children born in Brazilian territory who are children of Israeli citizens
Issues related to military service in Israel
Requests for information regarding the State of Israel Population Register and the Israeli Police
Notifications to the Ministry of Interior about changes in marital status, death and change of names of Israeli citizens:
Waiver of Israeli citizenship
Questions about the rights of returned citizens
Visas

The embassy and its ambassadors

David Shantiel (1952/1955)

Arieh Aroch (1956/1959)

Yosef Tekoa (1960/1962)

Arieh Eshol (1962/1964)

Yossef Nahmias (1964/1966)

Shmuel Divon (1966/1968)

Itzhak Harkavi (1968/1973)

Mordekhai Shneerson (1973/1976)

Moshe Erel (1977/1980)

Shaul Ramati (1980/1983)

Rahamin Timor (1983/1986)

Itzhak Sarfaty (1986/1989)

David Ephrati (1989/1992)

Shlomo Bino (1992/1995)

Yaakov Keinan (1995/2000)

Daniel Gazit (2000/2004)

Tipora Rimon (2004/2008)

Giora Becher (2008/2011)

Raphael Eldad (2011/2014)

Reda Mansour (2014/2015)

Yossi Shelley (2017 - Present)

References

[1] ttps://embassies.gov.il/brasilia/AboutTheEmbassy/Pages/About-the-embassy.aspx

[2] ttp://english.cctv.com/20091111/103647.shtml

[3] ttps://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/internacional/noticia/2018-12/netanyahu-expects-new-era-brazil-israel-ties

[4] ttps://mfa.gov.il/MFA/PressRoom/2019/Pages/PM-Netanyahu-attends-inauguration-of-Brazilian-President-elect-Bolsonaro-1-January-2019.aspx

[5] ttps://www.timesofisrael.com/in-first-brazils-president-celebrates-israeli-independence-day/

[6] ttps://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-to-send-rescue-team-aid-to-brazil-following-dam-collapse/

[7] ttps://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-sends-group-to-help-brazil-battle-amazon-fires/

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