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Eliane Chantal Karp Toledo ( Karp; ; born 24 September 1953) is a Peruvian
anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...
. She was the First Lady of Peru from 2001 to 2006, as the wife of the erstwhile Peruvian president
Alejandro Toledo Alejandro Celestino Toledo Manrique (; born 28 March 1946) is a Peruvian former politician who served as President of Peru, from 2001 to 2006. He gained international prominence after leading the opposition against president Alberto Fujimori, w ...
. She specializes in the study of Andean indigenous cultures.


Early life and education

Karp was born in Paris, France, to a family of
Ashkenazi Jews Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally speak Yiddish, a language ...
(maternally Belgian-Jewish and paternally
Polish-Jewish The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jews, Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the long pe ...
).Don’t cry for me, Peru – Israel News, Ynetnews
Ynetnews.com (20 June 1995). Retrieved on 2013-02-15.
During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, her father Charles Karp was persecuted by the
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
and later joined the
French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
. She completed her baccalaureate at the Lycée Français in Brussels,
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, and later earned a BA in anthropology in Israel, studying at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...
with a specialization in
Latin American studies Latin American studies (LAS) is an academic and research field associated with the study of Latin America. The interdisciplinary study is a subfield of area studies, and can be composed of numerous disciplines such as economics, sociology, histor ...
. She also holds a Master of Arts in anthropology from
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
. Karp also completed a PhD in anthropology at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
in the United States. Karp has taken courses on
indigenous communities There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
at the
National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...
, and has done graduate work on anthropology and economic development at the
Pontifical Catholic University of Peru Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (, PUCP) is a private university in Lima, Peru. It was founded in 1917 with the support and approval of the Catholic church, being the oldest private institution of higher learning in the country. The Peru ...
.


Marriage and children

At Stanford, she met Alejandro Toledo, whom she married in 1972. Karp first came to
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
in the late 1970s to study its indigenous communities. In 1992 Karp and Toledo divorced and she returned to Israel with their daughter. The couple remarried and returned to Peru before her husband's 1995 campaign.


Career


Political career

In 1980, she began working for international organizations such as OAS,
UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
and
UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
where she conducted impact measurement studies for development projects on indigenous populations. In 1982 she served at the Agency for International Development (USAID) based in Lima, where she was a consultant until 1987. Since November 1987 she started working at the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
in Washington D.C. as a project officer for Latin America and Africa until 1992. Karp also served as an officer for Middle East in
European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the 27 member states. It is the largest multilateral financial institution in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt sol ...
. Karp returned to Israel, and worked at
Bank Leumi Bank Leumi (, lit. ''National Bank''; ) is an Israeli bank. It was founded on February 27, 1902, in Jaffa as the ''Anglo Palestine Company'' as subsidiary of the Jewish Colonial Trust () Limited formed before in London by members of the Zionism, ...
, where she was in charge of developing relationships with foreign banks.


Academic career

Karp recently served as an adjunct professor at the
Elliott School of International Affairs The Elliott School of International Affairs (known as the Elliott School or ESIA) is the professional school of international relations, foreign policy, and international development of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. It is ...
at the
George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
. She is also a former Visiting Professor and Visiting Scholar at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
department of Anthropology. Karp was a distinguished fellow in residence at
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) is an interdisciplinary research institution at Stanford University designed to advance the frontiers of knowledge about human behavior and society, and contribute to the resoluti ...
at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
and has also been a visiting professor at
Salamanca University The University of Salamanca () is a public research university in Salamanca, Spain. Founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX, it is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and the fourth oldest in the world in continuous operation. It ha ...
- Instituto de Iberoamérica.


Tenure as First Lady of Peru

During her husband's 2001 presidential bid, Karp contributed to a campaign which drew deeply on Toledo's indigenous heritage. She donned traditional Andean costume, rallied voters in
Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...
, and demonstrated the couple's commitment to indigenous issues. According to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', "her flaming red hair and fiery speeches made her a popular and controversial fixture at campaign rallies." In 2001, Karp became the first lady of the Republic of Peru when Toledo was elected president, a position she held until 2006. While in office, Karp became the honorary president of the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Communities of Latin America and the
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
.


CONAPA

Shortly after Toledo's inauguration, his administration created the National Commission on
Andean The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...
,
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
and
Afro-Peruvian Black Peruvians or Afro-Peruvians are Peruvians of mostly or partially African descent. They mostly descend from enslaved Africans brought to Peru after the arrival of the conquistadors. Early history The first Africans arrived, as enslaved ...
Communities (CONAPA) of Peru, of which Karp served as president. The agency was meant to establish a development agenda for indigenous communities, provide representation of indigenous interests within the government, and lead the way to constitutional reforms that benefit indigenous peoples. Others lamented the commission's ineffectiveness. Noting its lack of funding and of implementing powers, Diana Vindling called it "no more than a space for dialogue." On the other hand,
Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent non-governmental organizations (NGOs), focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. It began as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief ...
's Martin Scurrah points out that the agency did good work. Noting that in addition to promoting a chapter on indigenous rights in the new constitution, Eliane Karp "intervened on numerous occasions in support of or in defense of indigenous initiatives."''Making Indigenous Citizens''
Maria Elena Garcia, 2005, Retrieved 30 May 2011
Some critics viewed the very creation of the commission as a step backwards for indigenous Peruvians, noting its leadership by a person with no official government position rather than a ministry head. The commission also absorbed the former SETAI (office of indigenous affairs), which reportedly led to a loss of autonomy and dynamism for that agency. Others complained that Karp's leadership of the commission represented a conflict of interest, given her involvement in her own private NGO, Fundación Pacha. In 2003, partly in response to these criticisms, Karp resigned from CONAPA, which was subsequently restructured as a national institute rather than a commission.


Machu Picchu Artifacts

Throughout Toledo's presidency, Karp participated in negotiations with
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
for the return to Peru of over 350 indigenous artifacts. The museum pieces were excavated from
Machu Picchu Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a mountain ridge at . Often referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is the most familiar icon of the Inca Empire. It is located in the ...
around 1915 and sent to Yale on a twelve-month loan. On this matter, Peru had the support of the
National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, natural sc ...
and Senator
Christopher Dodd Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is the longest-serving senator in Connecticut's history. ...
of
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
. Negotiations stalled when the university refused to acknowledge Peru as the sole owner of the artifacts, but resumed under the García presidency. In a ''New York Times'' op-ed, Karp accused Yale of waiting out "Peru’s first elected indigenous president, until Peru had a new leader who is frankly hostile to indigenous matters." She also criticized the agreement between Peru and Yale that was finally arrived at in 2008. Under the terms of this agreement, Peru would have to build a museum and research center near Machu Picchu to Yale's specifications before it could receive a portion of the articles for display and study. Most of the artifacts would remain with Yale.


Pacha Foundation for a Change

In 2001, Karp started Fundación Pacha, a non-profit organization that oversees development projects for indigenous Peruvians. The foundation "places special emphasis on the design of sustainable development projects based on traditional and communal organizations and the development of productive skills to promote the comparative economic advantages of the Peruvian biodiversity and its rich potential for
ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...
." Karp remained the head of the organization until 2006. Pacha's micro projects have included giving Amazonian peoples vaccinations against yellow fever,
hepatitis B Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the '' hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and chronic infection. Many people have no symptoms during an initial infection. ...
and
malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
, building basic community institutions, and providing equipment for basic medical care centers in rural areas with indigenous populations. In 2002 Karp reached out to billionaire philanthropist
Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend ...
in order to fund a vaccination program for the Candoshi tribes people. Gates was unwilling to help, and instead began humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and China. Since then Karp has criticized Gates for his unwillingness to help and acknowledges she felt it unfair to ignore Peru when conditions in rural Peru are just as dire as in other impoverished areas.


Current activities


Indigenous and women's rights

Karp has shown support in favor of a push for more women in the
Peruvian congress The Congress of the Republic of Peru () is the unicameral body that assumes legislative power in Peru. Due to broadly interpreted impeachment wording in the Constitution of Peru, the President of Peru can be removed by Congress without cause, ...
, and she acknowledges quotas as a means of achieving this. In March 2012 Karp returned to Peru to pursue a teaching position at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, and in the fall she returned to teach anthropology in the Andean studies postgraduate program. She has also announced she will undertake a book which examines the role of indigenous populations as they integrate into the democratic political process. In May 2012 Karp participated in a human rights conference organized by the Program on Human Rights and the Center for Latin American Studies of Stanford University, in which she called for a debate about the rights of indigenous peoples in Peru. Karp expressed "We propose that social inclusion and equal citizenship are key factors for good governance... The indigenous worldview has to be respected and integrated in public policies." In October 2012 Karp recounted her meeting with
Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. She served as State Counsellor of Myanmar and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Myanmar), Ministe ...
, saying that it was inspiring and that she was impressed that Suu Kyi was able to stay so calm while being imprisoned for 15 years. Karp likened the situation to when she met the
Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣 识一切 瓦齐尔达喇 达赖 喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...
, who is living in exile, and urged support for a petition going through the United Nations to help combat human rights violations.


Self-exile in Israel

On 12 May 2023, after her husband was extradited to Peru from the United States, Karp fled to Israel from the U.S. using her Israeli passport to avoid arrest on money laundering charges from the Peruvian justice. Peru does not have an extradition treaty with Israel. On 18 May 2023, Peru's Prosecution Office opened an extradition request to Israel, with a deputy assistant to the prosecution saying that even though Israel and Peru do not have an extradition agreement, Karp's extradition "is not impossible", and that new paths for the proceeding to take place will be considered.


Published works

*Karp de Toledo, Eliane. ''Los pueblos indígenas en la agenda democrática: Estudios de caso de Bolivia, Ecuador, México y Perú''. Corporación Andina de Fomento, 2006. *Karp de Toledo, Eliane: ''Allin Kausaynapaq, Interculturalidad y participación: Para vivir mejor con nosotros mismos''. Office of the First Lady of the Nation. Lima, 22 May 2006. *Karp de Toledo, Eliane: ''La Diversidad Cultural y los ciudadanos del Sol y La Luna – Propuestas para la inclusión social y el desarrollo con identidad de los pueblos originarios del Perú''. Office of the First Lady of the Nation. Lima, 30 November 2004. *Karp de Toledo, Eliane; Lema Tucker, Linda (eds.): ''El Tema Indígena en Debate. Aportes para la Reforma Constitucional''. Presented in the Congress of the Republic of Peru. Office of the First Lady of the Nation. Lima, April 2003. *Karp de Toledo, Eliane: ''Hacia una nueva Nación, Kay Pachamanta''. Office of the First Lady of the Nation. Lima, July 2002. Second Edition, October 2002. Third Edition, June 2003.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karp, Eliane 1953 births Living people French emigrants to Israel 20th-century French Jews Peruvian Jews French emigrants to Peru Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Stanford University alumni First ladies of Peru Dames Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Peruvian anthropologists Israeli anthropologists Peruvian women anthropologists Jewish anthropologists Jewish women scientists Peruvian women scientists World Bank people Indigenous rights activists Peruvian women activists Vaccination advocates