Mexico City has elected a Jewish woman mayor Sunday, which represents two firsts for the largest city in North America. A woman was been appointed interim mayor in 1999 but Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo is the first woman to be publicly elected to the office. The city has also never had a Jewish mayor.
Sheinbaum is the granddaughter of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and Bulgaria. She is a scientist by trade, with doctorates in engineering and physics. She previously served as Mexico’s secretary of the environment.
In a recent speech, Sheinbaum mentioned that she celebrated the Jewish holidays while growing up.
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