The Diplomat
The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE, for its acronym in Spanish) has elected David Obadía as the new president of this organization for the next four years, replacing Isaac Benzaquén, who has led the institution since May 2020.
Obadía’s appointment took place this past Sunday on the occasion of the holding of elections within the FCJE, the institution that officially represents Spanish Jews.
David Obadía, Spanish, son and grandson of Spaniards, was born in Beer Sheva (Israel) in 1961. He spent his childhood and adolescence in Melilla and currently lives in Torremolinos, where he has developed his life as a businessman in the real estate sector and his career policy. He is married, has three children and three granddaughters.
In 2015 he entered politics with José Ortiz, former mayor of Torremolinos, who appointed him personal advisor. With the Ciudadanos party, he held the positions, in the Torremolinos City Council, of deputy mayor, councilor for Development, Urban Planning, Infrastructure, Commercial Activities, Public Roads and Heritage and spokesperson for his political group. In 2023, Ciudadanos named him a candidate for Mayor of Torremolinos, but he decided to retire from politics.
In addition, Obadía has a very extensive community experience, which he began in 1980 as a collaborator in the Yosef Obadía synagogue in Melilla, founded by his great-grandfather, of the same name.
To date, he has held the positions of president of the Jewish community of Torremolinos – of which he is currently honorary president – for eight years, vice president of the FCJE as responsible for Spanish Jewish youth and, currently, president of the Jewish community of Malaga and the community of Jewish communities of Andalusia. Likewise, he has received numerous recognitions for his extensive career in the service of Spanish Jewish life over these 40 years.
In his first statements as president of the FCJE, David Obadía has appealed to dialogue, coexistence, diversity and multiculturalism as central axes of his work on behalf of Spanish Jews.
