Old City of Jerusalem
Photo: AFP
Chilean envoy's ashes to be scattered in Jerusalem
In life and death, Ambassador Joaquin Montes Larraín, who recently died of cancer, maintained close bond with Jewish state
Chilean Ambassador to Israel
Joaquin Montes Larraín, 61, died after losing a battle with cancer
over the weekend. Before his death, Larraín had asked that his body be cremated and its ashes be scattered in Jerusalem.
Larraín, who served as Chile's ambassador to Israel since January 2011, was well respected in the diplomatic community. Diagnosed with a rare type of leukemia, he underwent aggressive treatment in Chile and was sent back to Israel, where he was admitted at the medical center in Tel Hashomer last month, at the advice of his Chilean doctors.
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There, he underwent a bone marrow transplant, with his sister acting as donor. While the operation was declared a success, Larraín's body was not strong enough to recover from the ordeal and one by one his organs began to fail. He passed away on Saturday.
During his time in Israel, Larraín grew very attached to the country and had expressed his wish to have his remains scattered both in Jerusalem and Chile.
A mass in his honor is scheduled to be held at a church in Jaffa on Wednesday. The remainder of his remains will be flown to Chile later that day.
Foreign Ministry Chief of Protocol Talia Lador-Fresher said, "We lost a dear man who fought his illness courageously. The ambassador worked tirelessly to promote Chile-Israel relations and became very attached to our country and its people."
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