Gérson Bergher

Gérson Bergher (April 9, 1925 – May 30, 2016) was a Brazilian politician. Bergher, the former President of the Brazilian Zionist Organization, was one of Brazil's most prominent Jewish politicians and activists.[1][2] He served in the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro, the Legislative Assembly of Guanabara, and the Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro, the city's legislative council.[2] In 2014, Bergher won his most recent re-election to the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro.[1]

According to reports, Bergher entered politics following the advice and encouragement of Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion.[2]

He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of the state of Rio de Janeiro in 1960.[2] According to the Jewish Telegraph Agency, by 1962 Bergher was one of only five Brazilian Jewish politicians to be elected to higher office in the entire country at the time.[2] He later served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the former state of Guanabara as well.

Bergher served in the Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro during the 1990s and 2000s, including a tenure as President of the Municipal Chamber from 1999 to 2000.[1][2] In 2006, Bergher was again elected to Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro. Most recently, Bergher won re-election to the state Legislative Assembly in 2014.[2]

Bergher dedicated a bust of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in a Rio de Janeiro city park in 1999. The ceremony was attended by Rabin's widow, Leah Rabin.[2] In 2009, Bergher vocally protested the visit of then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Brazil, citing Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust.[2]

Bergher died from heart complications at Hospital Samaritan in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, on May 30, 2016, at the age of 91.[2]

References
  1. "Brazilian Jewish politician Gerson Bergher dies at 91". Times of Israel. 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
  2. "Brazilian Jewish politician Gerson Bergher dies at 91". Jewish Telegraph Agency. 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
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