The Israel-Brazil Innovation Ecosystem

The Israel-Brazil Innovation Ecosystem

This is your opportunity to learn about the history of the Israel-Brazil relationship. You will also gain insight into the current diplomatic, economic and research relationships that the two countries enjoy. The following are among the issues discussed during this fascinating podcast:

• Was Brazil supportive of Israel gaining statehood?
• To what extent does antisemitism exist in Brazil? How strong is the BDS movement in Brazil?
• How will Brazil’s pro-Palestinian Authority president affect relations between Israel and Brazil?
• How large is the Jewish community in Brazil? To what extent is there intermarriage?
• Which Brazilian companies have situated research facilities in Israel?
• Which of Brazil’s industries are of most importance to Israel? Which Israeli technology is of most interest to Brazil?
• Which Israeli universities have research alliances with Brazilian universities and companies?
• How frequently does Brazil vote with Israel at the United Nations?
• How should Israelis negotiate with Brazilians?

Marcia Zeitoune Janzen, Founder, Zeitoune Janzen Legal

Marcia Zeitoune Janzen is a senior business lawyer with a master’s degree in Corporate Law from the University of Bonn. Marcia has more than 25 years of work experience in Brazil, Germany, and Israel in the areas of corporate, international commercial contracts, fintech, high-tech, finance and banking. She has worked in-house for banks and in the international department of law firms in the areas of industry such as High-Tech, Chemical, Insurance, Oil & Energy, Import-Export, Maritime, Engineering, Printing, and more.

Innovation Ecosystem

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Zeitoune Janzen Legal

I would say until the sixties seventies maybe eighties, there was not so much into marriage as today, but still there are many clubs in Rio de Janeiro, there were already 3 clubs before. He left Brazil many, many schools and synagogues. I come from Rio, but the biggest, the largest community comes from Sao Paulo, where people we see in fact that also here in Israel, the communities, the Brazilian Jews here from Brazil. Together, especially the ones from Sao Paulo that are living in banana. And we definitely couldn’t say that the Jewish community is a community in Brazil.

Ok. And I read that at least ten years or so ago, Brazil was doing very well in terms of having low risk of anti-Semitism. You know, it was a, you know, it was a safe country. They scored very well compared to other countries. I’m not sure. Is that still the case or are there concerns about anti-Semitism? This is very relative. I felt better living in Germany as a Jew than in Brazil honestly, because the Brazilians don’t even feel when they are being anti-Semitic because it’s inside the mentality, they don’t notice it. But I think in the last years, last few years there is increase definitely. That was not there before. Brazil was always considered to be a country.. Converted Jews came as Christians to Brazil and hoping to be able in Brazil to to. To profess the religion in a secret secret way. The the same that happened in in Portugal with the Marranos, right and. These they tried to have hidden synagogues, to teach Torah, and somehow this people. Best some traditions to their children and descendants. And today you there is in Brazil an awareness that around 4000000 Brazilians are descendants of this Jews in the beginning. Yes they are. Code banet, inosine and. They are now some of them are even converting. I heard about 30.000 thousand converting and in the seventeenth century some the Dutch conquered Brazil and rolled Brazil for some years. And then they brought the freedom of religion.

I am sure they also came, but not that Brazil tried to attract them, not. It’s good that that’s a good distinction. This a little bit about that aggression. But some years ago I saw a movie about maybe it was Argentina, but right after World War Two, there were lots of cities in South America which there were former Nazis and Jewish refugees living in the same city together. And they knew, they knew that they were former Nazis. The Jewish knew that these people are former Nazis that not former Nazis knew these people are Jewish. It was interesting movie about the tension of of living peacefully together.