Journalist Noga Tarnopolsky noted that El País, which she described as Spain's equivalent to The New York Times, reported that Hellerstein is "a highly regarded jurist 'despite being a recognized member of the Jewish community.'"

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, responding to the article, asked what antisemitism readers must tolerate from the Spanish outlet. Italian journalist Luciano Capone shared the El País piece with the comment "What a shame," while journalist Eddy Wax noted that a writer at the Spanish newspaper had characterized the judge as impartial "despite his Jewishness."

@El_Pais, widely considered The New York Times of Spain, reports that Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who will preside over the Maduro trial, is a highly regarded jurist "𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲." https://t.co/Y2lpMDFGAL

— Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي (@NTarnopolsky) January 6, 2026

The passage from El País that drew the backlash stated: "Hellerstein, who studied law at Columbia University, began his career as a clerk at the court he now presides over. Throughout his career, he has issued well-reasoned rulings and has a reputation for impartiality despite being a prominent member of the Jewish community. He has written that the way in which a judge decides a case should not depend on his religious education, religious identity or religious values."

The post El País criticized for antisemitic judge framing in Maduro case appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.