Jewish former vice president of Costa Rica Rebeca Grynspan is leading the straw poll for the next UN secretary-general. If she successfully replaces Antonio Guterres when he finishes his term on December 31, she will become the first Jewish UN secretary-general in the body’s history.
Grynspan, 70, was born to Jewish parents Manuel Grynspan Burstin and Sara Mayufis Schapiro in San José. Her parents fled Poland in 1936 due to Nazi persecution, while her maternal grandparents stayed behind and were killed during the Holocaust.
Grynspan’s husband – Saul Weisleder – is also Jewish, and they have two children. Her sister, Frida, lives in Israel, and Grynspan has a niece and nephew who served in the IDF. In a 2014 interview with the Tico Times, Frida referred to herself as a “lifelong Zionist.”
After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Costa Rica and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Sussex in England, Grynspan became a professor and researcher at the Economic Science Research Institute of the University of Costa Rica.
She served as vice finance minister from 1986 to 1988, and as the second vice president of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998. She then became the first woman to serve as the secretary-general of the Ibero-American General Secretariat from 2014 to 2021 and then the first woman to become the secretary-general of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 2021. She currently holds this position.
In a video explaining why she chose to run for secretary-general, Grynspan said: “Conflicts are going up, trust in international law in the organization is going down, and time is running out.”
“I am a daughter of peace; my parents were refugees of the Second World War. I know what wars take away and what peace makes possible; that’s why I’m running.”
Grynspan's stance on Israel, Palestine
The Jerusalem Post’s research into Grynspan’s Israel and Palestine stances found that she has not maintained a public stance on either matter.
She did not post to social media on or immediately after the October 7 attacks. Her first post was on October 21, 2023, on X/Twitter, when she wrote, “Horrified by the tragic loss of life in Israel & Gaza. All civilians must be protected & we must work for peace in the region so people can have the future they want for themselves & their children. Hatred, terrorism, violence & war are not the way.”
On November 9, 2023, she wrote on Instagram, “I echo the call made by the highest-level humanitarian coordination forum of the @UnitedNations system: Respect for international humanitarian and human rights law; Immediate and unconditional release of civilians held hostage; Civilians must be protected.”
On 21 November 2023, at a UN Trade and Development Board executive session meeting in Geneva, Grynspan “echoed the call of the UN’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, condemning the horrific loss of civilian lives on both sides, the attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 and the continued bombardment of the IDF hitting civilians, hospitals, shelters, schools, and UN facilities in Gaza.”
“The protection of civilians must be paramount, as you correctly said, dear president, no party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law,” she added.
In 2017, she was the keynote speaker at a B’nai B’rith Uruguay memorial event.
Aside from that, the Post could find very few posts where she mentioned Israel, Palestinians, Gaza, Jews, or any related topics.
Grynspan viewed as relatively Israel-friendly candidate
Under Grynspan, the UNCTAD has adopted a seemingly Israel-critical line, publishing several unfavorable reports on the collapse of the Palestinian economy “as a result of the Israeli occupation and bombings.”
Grynspan is nevertheless seen as a more Israel-friendly candidate, given her family ties and relative public neutrality. She is running against outspoken anti-Israel candidates, such as former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet.
In an interview with Reuters last week, Grynspan said “the UN has become too risk-averse” and said the organization must cut jobs, curb bureaucracy and stop agencies duplicating work.
During Antonio Guterres’s tenure as UN secretary-general, the organization has faced renewed criticism over what Israel and pro-Israel watchdogs have described as its disproportionate focus on Israel.
In 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted 17 resolutions concerning Israel, compared with seven addressing the rest of the world combined, according to UN Watch.
Critics also point to UN bodies’ repeated condemnations of Israeli settlement policy and their scrutiny of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.