Why Argentina’s Javier Milei Gifted Benjamin Netanyahu a Picture of the Rebbe
It is a longstanding diplomatic tradition for heads of governments to exchange presents when meeting. And so when President Javier Milei of Argentina visited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Tuesday, he naturally came bearing a gift. This one was particularly unique.
Milei presented Netanyahu with a meticulously crafted drawing of the prime minister during one of his many encounters with the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.
Netanyahu first met the Rebbe in 1984, when he was Israel’s newly appointed ambassador to the United Nations, joining the Rebbe’s Simchat Torah festivities at 770 Eastern Parkway. The scene that met the 34-year-old ambassador was one he has never forgotten.
“[T]he Rebbe’s meeting hall was packed with thousands of [Chassidim],” Netanyahu wrote in his 2022 autobiography. “Singing and dancing on the bleachers and on the floor, they formed heaving hills and valleys of the faithful.”
Netanyahu was led through the crowd and delivered to the platform in the front of the synagogue upon which the Rebbe stood. “Rebbe,” Netanyahu said. “I came to see you.” “Just to see?” he remembers the Rebbe responding, with a twinkle in his eyes. “Not to talk?”
It was during the 45 minute conversation that followed that the Rebbe told the young ambassador that he was entering a “House of Lies,” referring to the UN. “Remember,” Netanyahu recalled the Rebbe saying, “that even in a hall of total darkness, if you light just one candle, its precious light will be seen far and wide … .”
Seeing the gift from Milei, a visibly delighted Netanyahu explained to the Argentine president the background of the scene, which came in 1988, at the end of his term of service at the United Nations.
Netanyahu was at the time a newly elected member of the Knesset. “Surely, you will not be intimidated,” the Rebbe told him, referring to political pressure within Israel to compromise on the security and integrity of the Land of Israel, “because G‑d is on this side.”
“This,” Netanyahu told Milei as he gestured toward the artwork, “is very dear to me.”
The Argentine president shared how, during his own address to the UN in September 2024, he had shared the Rebbe’s message about the UN from the dias.
“He was a prophet,” Netanyahu said through a translator. “Profeta,” a nodding Milei agreed. The artwork was drawn by Argentinian chassidic artist Daniel Benyanon, and coordinated by Rabbi Tzvi Grunblatt, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Argentina, and Rabbi Chaim Oirechman.
Milei is currently on a short trip to Israel to show his support for the Jewish people. His first stop on Monday evening was an emotional visit to the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem, where he tearfully prayed. Then, after visiting the prime minister, he met with President Isaac Herzog at an official reception at his residence on Tuesday. “The great Rebbe of Lubavitch said that the small actions that we do on a daily basis turn two people from being ‘you and me’ to being ‘us’,” Herzog said in his welcome speech.
On Wednesday evening, Milei will receive the Genesis Prize and address Israeli lawmakers at the Knesset. He will also give a lecture at Hebrew University on Thursday before returning to Argentina.
‘The Rebbe’s Worldview’
While it might be surprising to some to see the Roman Catholic president so visibly inspired by the Rebbe, it comes as no shock to those who have been observing the unconventional political outsider since he swept to the top of Argentine politics a few years ago.
Milei has a long and exceptionally warm connection with Judaism and the Jewish community, stemming from his deep admiration of the Rebbe.
The president frequently cites the Rebbe’s teachings and ideas from the Torah and famously burst into tears when visiting the Western Wall in Jerusalem last year. On his first international stop after being elected president, Milei traveled to New York and made a point of praying at the Ohel, the resting place of the Rebbe. It was Milei’s fourth visit to the holy site. A previous visit—made just months before his election—saw the former media personality fly to the United States, pray at the Ohel and tour the headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement at 770 Eastern Parkway.
Wearing his trademark kippah, Milei also participated in Chabad of Argentina’s annual Chanukah event in 2023, only days after his inauguration, proudly declaring Argentina’s support for Israel and sharing the Rebbe’s teaching that the lesson of Chanukah is that “light prevails over darkness.” The ceremony was attended by thousands and broadcast on national TV.
While swearing in Gerardo Werthein, who is Jewish, over a Chumash as the South American country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs in November 2024, Milei shared a dvar Torah on the parshah of “Lech Lecha,” and concluded with “As the Rebbe would often say, we wish you blessings and success.”
“It’s a blessing to have a president who is a believer and values the timeless teachings of the Torah. We as a movement remain entirely apolitical, but it’s clear that this is positive for the nation,” Rabbi Grunblatt, told Chabad.org at the time. “While there are many leaders from various parties who also hold strong beliefs, what sets this president apart is his courage and natural ability to speak openly about his faith. He believes it’s the right thing to do, and he isn’t swayed by public opinion. In a time where so much is driven by what’s popular, he speaks about his faith because he genuinely believes in it, not for any political gain.”
This was reflected in July 2024 when Milei made a low-key appearance at a Buenos Aires event marking 30 years since the Rebbe’s passing. Arriving with no entourage or fanfare, Milei sat anonymously in the bleachers and stayed for the entire two-hour event, paying tribute to the Rebbe not as president of Argentina, but as a humble student and admirer of his life and work.
“The teachings of the Rebbe have had a profound impact on the president’s spiritual perspective and vision for the world,” Rabbi Grunblatt added. “There’s no question about it—although he draws wisdom from many Torah sources—the Rebbe’s message is deeply significant and central to his worldview.”
