Jair Bolsonaro

“The use of the expression ‘the work sets you free’ attacks the memory of Holocaust victims and offends the sensitivity of the survivors,” said Rabbi Michel Schlesinger

Leading Brazilian Jewish organizations say that including the flag sends a false message about the Jewish community’s feelings toward the president.

Medical experts say the outbreak of the coronavirus is still far from its peak in Brazil as cases and deaths, already the highest in Latin America, continue to rise sharply.

Bolsonaro has shocked many around the world by persistently playing down the gravity of the pandemic, calling COVID-19 "a little cold" exaggerated by the media and his opponents.

"I'm sorry, some people will die, they will die, that's life," Bolsonaro said in a television interview on Friday night. "You can't stop a car factory because of traffic deaths."

Bolsonaro appeared to shrug off the advice of medical experts suggesting he remain isolated after several members of his delegation to Florida recently tested positive for the virus.

The US president shrugged off a question about whether he was responsible for what many experts have said was slow progress toward expansion of tests to track the virus.

On Wednesday, Bolsonaro said that "other flus kill more than this." He has also reportedly said the concern over the viral outbreak was "oversized."

Trump said he is not concerned that Bolsonaro is being monitored for the virus after he met with him in Florida last week.

"It’s not something extraordinary. It’s supposed to be a natural and normal thing. We want to move to Jerusalem not just for Brazil, but to set an example for all of Latin America,”