Dear Friends, 

There are certain days when I particularly appreciate living in a nation guided by the rule of law, ... days when I am particularly aware at how thin the line is between societal order and chaos.  Today is one of them. 

In today's New York Times, it was reported that Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the president of Argentina, reversed herself.  The other day, she had pointedly insisted that Alberto Nisman, the Argentinian prosecutor investigating the 1994 bombing of the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, had committed suicide. Yesterday, she stated that he indeed had been murdered, as part of a plot to discredit her government.   As one opposition Argentinian congresswoman put it, both statements had something in common: they were efforts to deflect attention from the government, and to "blame ... the victim." 

Alberto Nisman (1963-2015)

This sad, sad tale reminds us how vital it is for people to have faith in their society's justice system -- and in those sworn to uphold it. 

When faith in a society's justice system falters, that society's unity diminishes. 

We are seeing this happening in America, with the tremendous outcry throughout the country in response to the repeated failure of local grand juries to indict police officers accused of shooting unarmed black men.  This is a good place to remind everyone that Judge Peter Krupp and U.S. Attorney Corey Flashner will share their thoughts on grand juries in a "Kiddush Conversation" following services tomorrow (Jan. 24th).  Please join us.

Whether Alberto Nisman's death was a suicide (which seems increasingly unlikely) or murder, he is being described as the 86th casualty of the devastating 1994 bombing. 

According to the Times, Mr. Nisman has long accused Iran of planning and financing the 1994 attack, which left 85 people dead, and of working with Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, to carry it out.  More recently, Mr. Nisman was investigating whether Argentina's government conducted secret negotiations with Iran in an effort to suppress the investigation of Iranian officials in exchange for shipments of oil to Argentina. 

This is a terrible reminder of the dark side of globalization.  Jews in Argentina, targeted by Iran and Hezbollah?  Clearly, in the highly connected world in which we live, a grievance felt in one place can be expressed in another, thousands of miles away.  Anti-Semitism is world-wide.  And the ongoing war between Israel and her neighbors has many fronts, and we Jews, wherever we live, and whatever our political perspectives, may find ourselves involved. 

I hope that we will all follow closely the investigation into Mr. Nisman's untimely death.  Ms. Viviana Fein, a long-time associate of Mr. Nisman, is leading the investigation.

I can't think of a better tribute to Mr. Nisman's commitment to justice, courage, and tenacity than for his work to continue.  Freedom-loving people everywhere, and Jews in particular, have a stake in the outcome. 

Several tributes to Mr. Nisman and his work have recently been published, and I urge you to read them.  Start with David Harris of the AJC.  You might also want to read a recent article published in Forbes magazine, by clicking here.  

I hope that Ms. Fein will continue Mr. Nisman's work and will be permitted to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into his death. 

Most of all, I pray that, at the end of the day, we will be able to say that Mr. Nisman neither lived, nor died, in vain. 

Yehi zichro barukh. May Alberto Nisman's life's work and memory be a blessing to all of us.

Very truly yours,