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Ivan Enrique Pardes Pichinao has spent the past two years working with Israel’s Embassy in Chile on projects aimed at reducing hostility toward Jews.
By Shula Rosen
A senior Mapuche figure from southern Chile traveled to Israel in an effort to reverse growing antisemitic sentiment within his community and to highlight what he describes as deep cultural ties between the two peoples.
Ivan Enrique Pardes Pichinao, president of the Kupal Pichinao community, told the Jerusalem Post that his first visit to the country reinforced concerns about foreign actors shaping Mapuche attitudes toward Israel.
Pichinao has spent the past two years working with Israel’s Embassy in Chile on projects aimed at reducing hostility toward Jews.
He said the problem has become severe enough that “Mapuche children, adults, and elders are seen at various gatherings carrying flags expressing hate for Israel,” and that some tourist establishments in Mapuche regions now display signs reading, “No Israelis allowed.”
He said those trends convinced him to expand cooperation with Israeli diplomats. “This visit to Israel is due to the work I have been doing with the Israeli Embassy in Chile, where we are collaborating to reduce antisemitism in Mapuche communities,” he said.
During meetings in Jerusalem and Haifa, Pichinao said he began drawing direct parallels between Mapuche traditions and the Jewish people’s historical experience.
He described both as ancient nations defined by a bond to their land, a shared reverence for ancestors, and strong family ties. “Clearly, there is a supernatural connection between our peoples despite the distance between us,” he told the Jerusalem Post.
He also argued that online imagery linking Mapuche activists with Palestinian flags distorts his people’s story and allows outside movements to appropriate their identity.
Pichinao said he fears Mapuche heritage is again being pulled into conflicts far removed from South America.
He noted similar concerns regarding technology, pointing to artificial intelligence systems that misrepresent Mapuche appearance. He called this “digital colonization.”
Pichinao’s initiative, the Mapuche-Jewish Fraternity Bond, seeks to produce documentaries, cultural programs, and direct exchanges between the two communities.
He hopes those efforts will help dispel imported prejudices and create long-term partnerships.
“I offer my Mapuche community and myself as a bridge for the Jewish world to find a real space for dialogue and peace,” he said. “The most important message I want to convey to Jews and Israelis is that the Mapuche are a people of dialogue, not hate.”
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