Argentina’s president Milei wins “Lover of Israel” award in New York

• The visit came during his trip to New York for the UN General Assembly, where he also joined the "Shield of the Americas" event
• Footage released by his office showed him dancing and celebrating with students after his speech.

Argentine President Javier Milei received the Ohev Yisrael Award, Hebrew for "Lover of Israel”, on Tuesday during a visit to Yeshiva Darchei Torah, an Orthodox Jewish boys' school in Queens, New York. 

The award and speech took place as part of Milei's official visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. That same day, he also took part in the "Shield of the Americas" international event organized by the United States as part of the UN gathering. The honor recognized what organizers described as his global leadership in defending the Jewish people. 

Milei's remarks at Yeshiva Darchei Torah ran more than half an hour. He opened by thanking the institution's leadership, saying he took pride in being recognized by "such a prestigious institution."

He went on to frame the award not as flattery but as a personal obligation, saying he would treat the recognition as a commitment he would not abandon for the rest of his life.

Footage from the event, released by the Argentine president's own office, captured Milei dancing and celebrating with students following his address, images that quickly circulated among Argentine and international outlets covering the visit. 

It wasn't the first time cameras caught him in that kind of moment with the Jewish community in New York: in March 2026, video went viral of Milei dancing to Hebrew songs with Orthodox Jews at the Algemeiner's annual J100 gala, where he received a separate honor, the "Warrior for Truth Award," for his alignment with the ‘Israeli’ government. 

Discurso del Presidente Javier Milei en la institución educativa Yeshiva Darchei Torah, en Nueva York, tras recibir el Premio Ohev Yisrael. pic.twitter.com/285Jvf4hhz

— Oficina del Presidente (@OPRArgentina) September 23, 2026

Milei's broader support for ‘Israel’

The Yeshiva Darchei Torah visit is part of a consistent pattern that has defined Milei's foreign policy since taking office. 

In 2025 he became the first South American, first sitting head of state, and first non-Jewish recipient of the Genesis Prize, largely on the strength of pledges to move Argentina's embassy to Jerusalem, back ‘Israel’ at the UN, and pursue justice for the 1990s AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires. 

He later redirected that prize money to launch the Isaac Accords, an initiative modeled on the Abraham Accords and formally unveiled in Jerusalem in April 2026 alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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