'I Have No Right to Be Silent' - The Human Rights Legacy of Rabbi Marshall T. Meyer

The Meyers’ departure from Argentina left many dismayed and heartbroken. However, Marshall did not leave his activism and human rights work behind.

After a short stint at the University of Judaism, the Meyers moved to New York City where Marshall became the Rabbi of B’nai Jeshurun. As he had done in Buenos Aires 35 years before, he reinvigorated and nurtured a dwindling congregation into a strong, Zionist, politically active community. From 1985 until his death in 1993, Marshall worked tirelessly to advocate for the homeless, HIV/AIDS victims, and gay rights. He also spoke out against the wars in Central America, settlement policies of the Israeli state (he was an early advocate of a Palestinian state), and he continued to help bring high-ranking Argentine military officials to justice.

Rabbi Marshall Meyer was called to testify as an expert witness in a 1988 case brought by Débora Benchoam and Alfredo Forti against General Carlos Guillermo Suárez Mason, who had fled to the United States. Suárez Mason was one of the more notorious military officials who had established and directed at least 20 secret detention centers. Marshall’s testimony helped secure Suárez Mason’s extradition to Argentina, where he was convicted, amnestied by President Carlos Menem in 1990, and rejailed before his death in 2005.