Colombia Cuts Ties With Israel, Then Appoints Anti-Zionist ‘Rabbi’
The appointment of Richard Gamboa comes amid a broader shift in President Petro’s foreign and domestic policies toward Jewish institutions
The appointment of Richard Gamboa Ben-Eleazar as director of religious affairs at Colombia’s Ministry of the Interior has sparked significant controversy both nationally and internationally. His self-declared status as a rabbi, lack of recognition by established Jewish communities, and repeated statements against Zionism and the State of Israel have drawn strong criticism from religious, diplomatic, and academic sectors.
Gamboa’s appointment is also the latest flashpoint in an escalating diplomatic crisis between Colombia and Israel. Tensions began in earnest after President Gustavo Petro repeatedly condemned Israel’s military actions in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks that killed some 1,200 people in Israel. Petro compared Israeli actions to those of Nazi Germany, prompting outrage from Israeli officials. Israel recalled its ambassador from Bogotá in protest, and Colombia responded by recalling its ambassador from Tel Aviv. In May 2024, Petro announced the complete severing of diplomatic relations with Israel, making Colombia the only country in Latin America to take that step. The move drew condemnation from Jewish organizations worldwide and marked a break from decades of security, trade, and cultural ties between the two countries.
Against this backdrop, critics view Gamboa’s appointment not as an isolated issue but as a deliberate move by the Petro administration to antagonize Israel and mainstream Jewish institutions.
Questions about Gamboa’s rabbinical credentials lie at the center of the debate. Unlike traditional ordination processes that require years of formal study of the Talmud and Torah at recognized institutions, Gamboa received his certificate from the Esoteric Interfaith Theological Seminary, a Florida-based organization that offers religious titles online for $150, according to its official website.
He claims to represent the “Free and Independent Rabbinical Council of the Americas,” a body with no verifiable presence, and serves as chancellor of the “liberal and independent Jewish Union of Colombia,” a Facebook-based group with fewer than 20 followers. Gamboa also leads the so-called Shéguel Institute, a self-established rabbinical institution without academic or religious accreditation.
Gamboa, in multiple social media posts, has called Israel a “neo-Nazi state,” claimed that “Zionism is an anti-Jewish heresy,” and dismissed Israeli Jews as “genocidal atheists.” He argues this is theological critique, but under the working definition of antisemitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), such language constitutes hate speech.
In January 2025, Gamboa co-authored the “Bogotá Declaration for a Correct Definition of Antisemitism,” a document that openly rejects the IHRA framework and proposes a redefinition of antisemitism aligned with his ideological views. The declaration accuses the IHRA of being “used to glorify, justify, legitimize, and sanctify genocide, apartheid, and other crimes against humanity committed by the State of Israel.” It describes Zionism as “a racist, pro-apartheid ideology” and claims that “denouncing Israeli Nazism using academic arguments and audiovisual evidence, as well as demanding the denazification of the State of Israel, is not antisemitism.”
Religious leaders react with alarm
Rabbi Mauricio Balter, executive director of Masorti Olami and Mercaz Olami, condemned the appointment as a politically motivated act that undermines the credibility of Jewish religious life. “This is not a spiritual appointment; it’s a political one—and a dangerous one,” Balter told The Media Line. “If you want someone to represent a community, you must ask the community who they recognize as their representative.”
This is not a spiritual appointment; it’s a political one—and a dangerous one
He clarified that Gamboa holds no rabbinic legitimacy within any recognized Jewish movement. “Someone who studies online through an organization unrecognized by any major movement cannot be recognized by us as a rabbi.” Balter warned that granting institutional authority to figures like Gamboa not only misrepresents Judaism but “sends a dangerous message—not just to Colombian Jews, but to Jews across Latin America.”
Colombian Jewish community: ‘He offers no guarantees’
According to Marcos Peckel, executive director of the Confederation of Jewish Communities of Colombia, the issue is not just about religious legitimacy—it is about safety, representation, and the rule of law. “This man refers to Zionist Jews as heretics, apostates, and Nazis. That’s how he talks about us,” Peckel said. “A person who speaks this way cannot be entrusted with the religious freedoms of Jewish citizens.”
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He paid $150 for a certificate and is using it as a political trampoline
He further denounced the misuse of rabbinical identity: “The word ‘rabbi’ is sacred. It’s not a costume; it’s a title earned through years of study. He paid $150 for a certificate and is using it as a political trampoline. It offends every Jewish denomination.”
To Peckel, the appointment also fails to meet Colombia’s civil service standards. “This is not a symbolic post. The Office of Religious Affairs handles real public policy. Gamboa doesn’t have the legal or academic qualifications for this position,” he warned.
There were, Peckel confirmed, some initial contacts with Gamboa prior to October 7, 2024. But after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, “he radicalized completely,” Peckel said. “Any dialogue is now meaningless. He crossed a line.”
International watchdogs raise red flags
Ariel Gelblung, director for Latin America at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, framed the appointment not as an isolated controversy but as part of a broader political strategy. “Let’s not miss the forest for the trees. This is another maneuver by President Petro to act against Israel and the Jewish community,” he said. “He’s using Gamboa as a political facade—someone he can present as Jewish to push an antisemitic agenda.”
Replacing the IHRA definition with the Bogotá Declaration would have far-reaching consequences, Gelblung warned. “It’s ideological inversion—weaponizing the definition of antisemitism to justify antisemitic policies,” he said. “Just like a fraudster denies a scam or a rapist blames the victim, an antisemite won’t admit it. So they rewrite the definition.”
He wrote publicly that he wants to ‘hunt down Zionists.’ That’s not metaphor. That’s persecution.
Further, he added that Gamboa’s institutional authority poses a real threat. “He now oversees registration for religious entities. He could revoke the legal status of Jewish organizations. This isn’t theoretical—he wrote publicly that he wants to ‘hunt down Zionists.’ That’s not metaphor. That’s persecution.”
As for Gamboa’s qualifications, Gelblung was direct: “He has no studies, no community, and no scruples. He bought a $150 certificate from a U.S. website. During a live interview, the host actually bought the same title on air. That’s how absurd this is.”
Orthodox leadership: ‘He is a loose wheel—Petro is the real problem’
Chief Rabbi Alfredo Goldschmidt of Bogotá’s Jewish community also voiced deep concern. “His rabbinical certificate is absolutely invalid, as is his so-called conversion,” he told The Media Line. “It all comes from the same office in Florida. He has no followers, no congregation, no structure. He is totally unfit to lead that office.”
Years ago, Goldschmidt recalled, Gamboa had attempted to engage with the community. “He used to come to synagogue, said he wanted to convert. Then he vanished and suddenly reappeared leading a bizarre Judeo-Catholic congress,” he said. “This is someone who tries to find a place to belong but ends up inventing roles for himself.”
Defining himself as part of the modern Orthodox stream, Goldschmidt emphasized the damage done by legitimizing unqualified figures. “We’ve had very good experiences with past religious affairs directors, usually evangelical leaders who respected all faiths. Gamboa has no such support—not from Jews, evangelicals, nor Catholics. He’s had clashes with all.”
Still, he believes the real danger lies not in Gamboa himself but in his political enablers. “The problem is not Gamboa—it’s Petro. Without the president, no one would pay attention to this man. But now that Petro is using him to mask his agenda, he suddenly has a platform.”
And according to Goldschmidt, the broader community didn’t even need to speak out first. “The press spoke up before we did. There was no defense of this appointment from anywhere—not from the public, not from religious circles, and certainly not from the Jewish community.”
Official backing raises further concern
One image, published on Gamboa’s official Instagram account, shows him at the presidential palace alongside representatives of the ultra-Orthodox anti-Zionist group Neturei Karta and other religious leaders, participating in an official meeting with the president of Colombia. In his caption, Gamboa described the gathering as an act of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, denouncing what he called the “use of religion to justify extermination” and invoking Colombian penal code articles on incitement to genocide. The photo was labeled as an official release from the Press Office of the Presidency, a detail that has drawn concern over the government’s legitimization of extremist rhetoric.
Unified rejection across Jewish denominations
Remarkably, the backlash against Gamboa has unified Colombia’s fragmented Jewish landscape. “Even the newly converted communities—who often have different views—are in full agreement,” said Peckel. “This appointment offends everyone.”
Orthodox and Masorti leaders, as well as emerging Jewish communities across the country, have joined in the denunciation. “He doesn’t represent anyone,” said Balter. “He represents a political strategy—one that instrumentalizes religious identity to push a hostile narrative.”
With calls intensifying for Gamboa’s removal, the Colombian government now faces a stark choice: stand by a polarizing figure whose legitimacy is disputed across every major Jewish institution—or reverse course in a case that has already sparked national and international concern.
