Economist Uses Jewish Principles In Fight Against Latin Poverty by Larry Luxner Itís easy to pick out Bernardo Kliksberg from among the 1,400 or so staffers working at the Washington-based Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Heís the only one wearing a yarmulke, the traditional Jewish headpiece. Kliksberg, 64, heads up the bankís Inter-American Initiative on Social Capital, Ethics and Development. And his Orthodox Jewish faith has given him an unusual air of respectability in an organization dominated by Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Catholics and Protestants. "As the manager of a very important program that deals with ethics and development, I bring to the IDB a Jewish approach because the Jews have always put a priority on how to apply ethics to economic issues," he said. The Argentine-born Kliksberg, who was interviewed in his fourth-floor office at the IDB headquarters, is fluent in English, Spanish, Hebrew, Yiddish and Portuguese. Heís been with the IDB for 10 years, having been appointed to his current job by the bankís chief, Enrique V. Iglesias. Before that, the economist spent 25 years heading a United Nations anti-poverty prog ram in Latin America. Since its founding in 1959, the IDBóthe principal source of multilateral financing for economic, social and institutional development projects in Latin America and the Caribbeanóhas loaned more than $106 billion toward projects valued at more than $263 billion. The bank has 46 member countries, including Israel. "At the bank, we are trying to sensitize the leadership of Latin America to develop economic policies with a human faceóan economy for everyone, not just the elite," Kliksberg told The Washington Diplomat. The Initiative on Social Capital, Ethics and Development is partially funded by the Norwegian government. Its board is comprised of leaders as diverse as former Chilean President Patricio Aylwin AzÛcar; President of Brazilís Comunidade Solid·ria Ruth Cardoso; Cardinal Oscar AndrÈs RodrÌguez Maradiaga, the archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Rabbi Israel Singer, chairman of the New York-based World Jewish Congress (WJC). "The initiativeís mission is to act as a catalyst in promoting the areas of ethics, development and social capital in governments, political parties, trade unions, universities, religious communities, NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] and organizations working for the collective well being of societies throughout the region," Kliksberg said, noting that one of his chief goals is to "promote the analysis and discussion of ethical challenges and dilemmas, and ensure that chief decision-makers take them into account." Besides being a top IDB official, Kliksberg is also president of the board of advisers of AMIA, Argentinaís largest Jewish organization. In addition, heís a noted academic, having written 33 books on social issues, poverty and economic development. His latest book, titled "Social Justice: A Jewish Perspective," draws on Jewish sources going as far back as Moses to argue against the grossly unfair distribution of wealth in Latin America, particularly in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru. "Social Justice" is composed of eight theses with titles such as "Judaism Believes Poverty Must Be Eradicated," "Society Must Actively Solve Social Problems" and "Judaism Educates the Heart for Solidarity." Kliksbergís bookówhich has already gone through four Spanish editions and one English editionóreferences a wide range of sources from Moses Maimonides and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson to UNICEF and the World Bank. The WJCís Singer, who helped arrange funding to publish Kliksbergís treatise, said the book is a "must-read for all those who want to change the world, who do not accept it as it is, but dream of it as it ought to be." In it, Kliksberg urges international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund as well as individual governments to adapt the Jewish principles of tzedaka (the traditional Hebrew word for charity), volunteerism and other mitzvot, or commandments, to help solve seemingly intractable problems such as income distribution inequality. Kliksberg pointed out that "the joint assets of the three richest people on the planet presently exceed the [gross national product] of the 48 least developed countries as a whole. If each of the 200 wealthiest people made a yearly contribution of 1 percent of their assets, it would be possible to ensure access to primary education for all the children in the world." Interestingly, Kliksbergís work has been cited by a number of Catholic leaders in Argentina, including Bishop Justo Laguna of Buenos Aires, who said, "I have read this book four times. It has moved me. It calls us urgently to action." On Sept. 5, Kliksberg will lead a world congress against poverty in Buenos Aires, with the participation of Caritas and other international Catholic organizations. "The involvement of AMIA and other Jewish organizations in the general fight against poverty has greatly improved the communityís image," Kliksberg said. "The Jews are also suffering, and AMIA has done a lot to communicate this to the Argentine people." Kliksberg said one of his biggest challenges is convincing American Jewish leaders that Argentinaís 220,000 Jews still need outside assistanceódespite a projected 10 percent growth in the countryís gross domestic product this year. "Jewish communities in the United States have the impression that the situation has been overcome, that thereís no more need for help," he said. "Weíre hearing from Jewish community leaders that Argentina is no longer on the endangered list. This is a very dangerous impression." In fact, he said, at the end of 2003, poor people represented 48 percent of Argentinaís total population of 36 million, down from 58 percent a year earlier. Poverty means earning less than $250 a month. Even so, "the great majority of the population earns less than $150 a month," Kliksberg said, while unemployment and underemployment still total 31 percent. "Some 35,000 Argentine Jews survive thanks to the communityís social safety network. Each day, AMIA feeds 4,000 people. Without this food, they wouldnít eat at all," he said. "There are also 2,000 homeless Jewish people, and an increasing number of Jewish street children. This is unprecedented in modern Jewish history." The economist added, "At least 40,000 Argentines go through the garbage, and most of them were middle-class people just a few years ago. They were economically destroyed during the 1990s, during the Menem presidency." Kliksberg isnít shy about criticizing Argentinaís former president, Carlos Menem, who led the country for 10 years and is widely blamed for driving Argentina into the worst economic crisis in its history after the unsuccessful attempt to adopt the U.S. dollar as the countryís official currency. "Dollarization was a big mistake. In the case of Argentina, it was especially dramatic because Argentina lost its competitiveness and its potential to export," said Kliksberg, who is also an adviser to Alicia Kirchner, Argentinaís new minister of social development and the sister of President Nestor Kirchner. "Menem did very bad things to the Jews. He put many obstacles in the way of the AMIA investigation," Kliksberg said in a reference to the still-unsolved 1994 car bombing that killed 86 people and left more than 300 injured. "I donít think Menem was personally involved, but for money he was ready to do anything. During the Menem administration, the elite was corrupt, and 95 percent of the Argentine population was against him." In contrast, he said, "Kirchner is absolutely clean, and 85 percent of the population approves of him." Larry Luxner is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.