By Jacob Wetrogan, Staff Writer
On March 9, Argentine President Javier Milei visited Yeshiva University as part of the “Great Conversations” series hosted by university President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman. The event, an open discussion between Milei and Berman, was held in Yeshiva University’s Lamport Auditorium. The discussion series has previously hosted figures such as former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and subsequently hosted U.S. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
Milei has served as Argentina’s president since December 2023. Before entering politics, he worked as a professor of economics, frequently appearing on television to discuss economic policy. Milei first ran for public office in 2021 and won a seat in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Argentina’s legislature. Two years later, he won Argentina’s 2023 presidential election. His campaign emphasized reducing government spending, opposing what he describes as “wokeness,” such as supposed “LGBTQ+ agendas,” and strengthening Argentina’s relationships with Israel and the United States. He has aligned himself with U.S. President Donald Trump through the “Shield of the Americas” coalition meant to strengthen cooperation between nations in the Western Hemisphere to fight drug trafficking.
In recent years, Milei has developed a strong personal connection to Judaism as well. He has repeatedly visited the Ohel, the grave of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson in Queens, and has publicly expressed interest in converting to Judaism. Combined with his vocal support for Israel, this has made him particularly popular within many Jewish communities. His visit to YU was advertised as a discussion on “ideas that shape nations: economics, faith, and values.”
Milei arrived at the university accompanied by members of his staff, including his sister Karina Milei, the general secretary of the presidency of Argentina. After a brief introduction by Berman, Milei took the stage to enthusiastic applause, including chants in Spanish from some of YU’s Latin American students. His conversation with Berman focused on economic policy and its moral foundations. Milei described Western values as “non‑negotiable,” saying “when you are just, miracles can happen,” and emphasized the importance of private property rights and other core conservative principles.
Explaining his approach to policymaking, he said, “First come moral and ethical values; then comes economic prosperity.” Milei harshly criticized political behavior that goes against public good, referring to political utilitarianism as “the garbage of politics.” Milei was also highly critical of socialist economic policies. “If you overregulate the economy, you kill economic growth,” he said. He described socialist policies as immoral, adding, “It might be legal but it is not legitimate.” Following the lecture, Milei answered questions from several YU students.
Milei presented a perspective unique among world leaders, speaking less like a politician and more like an academic in the way he framed economic policy as the backbone of national success and closely linked it to ethics and Torah‑based values. He also described himself as “the most Zionist president in the world.” Milei’s visit to New York included meetings with business leaders..
“It was amazing to see a well-known Spanish speaking figure at YU,” Salvador Serfaty (SSSB ‘26), a YU student from Venezuela, told the YU Observer. “It was amazing to see a well-known Spanish speaking figure at YU. As a Spanish speaker myself, it made me feel proud and motivated. He added, “Beyond that, his understanding of economics really stood out and was greatly appreciated.”
Photo Credit: Yeshiva University