Argentina's Jewish history goes back to the 16th century and the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions when Jews fled to Argentina to escape persecution. About 300 miles northwest of Buenos Aires, in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina there is a small town whose population today is about 15% Jewish. The Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe who settled in Argentina were called rusos (Russians) by the local population.. This period in time gave rise to the mythical Jewish gaucho: Jewish cowboys, who earned their living as farmers working the land. The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society secured a promise from the government of Brazil to provide temporary asylum for the 350,000 Jews of Argentina if it became necessary, and in 1976, the US State Department promised Rabbi Alexander Schindler of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations that it would issue 100,000 visas for Argentine-Jewish refugees if it became necessary. Though overshadowed by more massive global ingatherings, the tide of immigration to the Argentine represents an important . The tour also visits the Holocaust Museum, created to commemorate the Holocausts footprint in Argentina, with personal collections, stories, testimonials, documents, and objects pertaining to the survivors who fled to Argentina. As of 2018 Boca Juniors stadium, the Bombonera, has a Bocasher Rabbi-supervised food stand. 405: Bahia Blanca: Chabad Lubavitch: Then, two years later, in July 1994, a truck loaded with explosives drove into the seven-story AMIA building (Argentine Israelite Mutual Association), a focal point of the Jewish community in Buenos Aires. In 1860, the first Jewish wedding was recorded in Buenos Aires. Discover why in Argentina the Ashkenazis are called "rusos . "In 1939 half the owners and workers of small manufacturing plants were foreigners, many of them newly arrived Jewish refugees from Central Europe". The Jewish community began urbanizing and in the decades after the war, there was little sign left of the countrys once flourishing Jewish agricultural communities. Entre Rios is another province where Jewish settlers established themselves, with 11 Jewish colonies in total. The majority of them are Ashkenazi, and about 15 percent are Sephardic. Much of the Great European immigration wave to Argentina came from Western Europe, especially Italy. In the late 19th century, Ashkenazi immigrants fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe settled in Argentina, attracted by its open-door immigration policy. The World Jewish Congress has had a strong connection to the Argentinian Jewish community ever since six Argentinian delegates were among the founders of the WJC in Geneva in August of 1936. When evidence emerged in 1998 suggesting that Iran orchestrated the attack, arrest warrants were issued for six Iranian diplomats, who promptly left Argentina. In March 1992, the Israeli Embassy was bombed, killing 29 people. The former city dwellers continued to struggle, living out of abandoned train wagons, and reaping little from the land. Argentina boasts a number of Jewish periodicals and media outlets, including the Jewish News Agency, Vis a Vis and Itn Gadol. By far the hippest spot for Jewish cuisine in Buenos Aires is the trendy fine dining bistro, Mishiguene (Mishiguene means crazy in Yiddish). [38] On 10 November an ultra-Catholic group wanted to prevent a Jewish-Christian ceremony commemorating Kristallnacht at a Buenos Aires cathedral. Despite the anti-semitism of the time, by the early 1940s Buenos Aires had a thriving Yiddish publishing industry and theater scene. Smaller communities can be found in other parts of the country, especially Rosario, Crdoba and Santa Fe. They languished in Buenos Aires upon finding that the original lands promised were not available. While the population is only a few hundred today, there are three synagogues, but no Rabbi. [60], Today, approximately 180,500 Jews live in Argentina,[1][61][6] down from 310,000 in the early 1960s. They also have a suburban center in Pilar, Province of Buenos Aires. Telephone: +54 11 3724 4500. Keep in mind that because of terrorist attacks of the 1990s, most synagogues will ask for identification before allowing anyone to enter, so dont forget your I.D. In 1992, a terrorist attack targeted the Israeli Embassy, where a suicide bomber destroyed the building and killed 29 people. According to Argentine anthropologist, Judith Freidenberg, author of The Invention of the Jewish Gaucho, the settlements really only thrived for one generation. In Argentina, he was charged with falsifying documents to obtain Argentine citizenship in 1992. Juan Domingo Pern's rise to power in 1946 in Argentina after the war worried many Jews in the country.[who?] Despite antisemitism and increasing xenophobia, Jews became involved in most sectors of Argentine society. Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites allowing the display of ads that are relevant and engaging for the visitor. Argentinas most popular soccer team, the Boca Juniors. Whilst we do not display any advertising on the WJC website, allowing marketing cooking may allow other sites to see that you have visited our site. In 1992 the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 22 people and wounding a further 242. The Latin American Jewish Congress, headed today by Adrian Werthein, is the WJCs regional affiliate. It started at Emanu El Congregation in the early 70s. Many settled in cities, especially Buenos Aires. Old wounds were reopened for the Jewish community and justice again thwarted when the prosecutor in the AMIA case, Alberto Nisman, mysteriously died on January 18, 2015 after spending 13 years investigating the case. In total, 29 people were killed and hundreds were injured. Ajim Deli, right across the street from Empanadara Kosher, at Tucumn 2620, offers shawarma, falafal, shnitzel, hot pastrami sandwiches, hummus, lajmashin and typical Argentine cuisine such as milanesas, steak and even inos envueltos. It is open all day Sunday until Thursday and opens for a typical Buenos Aires late dinner at 9 p.m. on Saturdays. These Jews became known as rusos, "Russians". Also known as the Argentine Jewish Mutual Aid Society AMIA is central to Jewish life in Buenos Aires. Performing as a musician in what was then considered the seedy world of tango was one of a few occupations open to newly-arrived Eastern European Jews to Buenos Aires. de Mayo 701, THE JEWISH POPULATION OF ARGENTINA Census and Estimate, 1887-1947 By IRA ROSENSWAIKE The emergence of the Argentine Jewry as the second largest Jewish community in the western hemisphere is a twentieth century develop-ment. Its work is complimented by the Asociacin Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA), which focuses on religious and cultural activities. [11] The most shocking events to have affected Jewish life in Argentina took place in the early 1990s when the community was the target of the countrys two largest terrorist attacks of the last century. Fundacin Pardes (spiritually-focused Jewish Organization)Currently broken link: pardes.org.arCespedes 3380ChacaritaTel: 4555-1390, Plaza Embajada de Israel (Memorial Plaza)Arroyo and Suipacha StreetsRecoleta. Today shes a TV boxing announcer for Argentinas public television station. We now have a second beautiful Progressive congregation, too: Mishkan. Villa Crespos soccer team, Atlanta, is the traditional club supported by Porteo Jews, highlighting the unique Jewish-Argentine identity that unites religious and non-religious Jews, Sephardic and Ashkenazi. In July 2019, coinciding with the 25th Anniversary of the bombing of the Jewish community center, AMIA, President Mauricio Macri designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. In 2006, Argentine Justice indicted seven high-ranking former Iranian officials and one senior Hezbollah member, charged with participating in the planning and execution of the AMIA bombing. Jews feel very strongly about having played a part in building the country.. They also unite fifty Jewish communities spread throughout Argentina. The pandemic has particularly impacted Argentina's Jewish community as well, and expectations have determined that much of the community will make aliyah, or emigration, to Israel in 2021 due to economic concerns. Two antisemitic graffiti, including the words "Jews out" were found in the country during October. Statistic cookies help us understand how visitors interact with this website, for example seeing which pages are most popular. The intended name for the colony was in Hebrew: Kiryat Moshe (Town of Moses) but the name was Hispanized in official documents. [57], European Jews continued to immigrate to Argentina, including during the Great Depression of the 1930s and to escape increasing Nazi persecution. 'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); ADVERTISE WITH US! Among the many bakeries are Taam Tov Av. By the mid-1930s the 120,000 Jews in Buenos Aires made up 5% of the citys population. Address: Teniente Ibanez 305 Phonenumber: (0261) 425-7790 Link: www.jabadmendoza.orgMail: [emailprotected], Rabbi: Uriel Lapidus Tefilot Times: From Monday to Thursday: 7.45am Friday: 20.45hs Shabat: 10.30hs, 2011 Turismo JudaicoAll rights reserved, [emailprotected] The cost of daily living expenses for his young family soon became unmanageable as they quickly accumulated debt and their future became uncertain. More than half of Argentinas Jewish professional athletes were football players. Williamson, who headed a seminary near Buenos Aires, was ordered to leave for 'concealing true activity' (he had entered the country as an employee of a non-governmental group, not a priest). It was the largest terrorist attack in Argentinian history. Chile is home to the third-largest Jewish community in South America with a population of around 20,000 people. One of the graffiti was "Be a patriot, kill a Jew",[46] and one another had swastika sprayed on the passage leading to the house of the Crdoba rabbi. Despite Argentinas shrinking Jewish population, Weinstein says, Judaism can be felt and lived in so many ways and that is still the case today. Argentina has the largest Jewish population of any country in Latin America, although numerous Jews left during the 1970s and 1980s to escape the repression of the military junta, emigrating to Israel, West Europe (especially Spain), and North America. Not many people reach here for tourism, but anyone who does will typically be given a key to the synagogue and library. Discover Mendoza, Argentinas largest wine region, nestled in the foothills of the Andes and famous for its Malbec red wine. Today, 90% of Argentine Jews live in Buenos Aires. [3] In 1889, 824 Jews piled onto the SS Wesser bound for Argentina to escape the pogroms. [36], In 2013 there was number of antisemitic incidents throughout Argentina, most of them were verbal assaults on Jews and vandalism. A moving memorial for the victims of the 1992 suicide attack on the Israeli Embassy. In 2010, under the leadership of President Cristina Kirchner, Argentina announced its intention to join Brazil in recognizing an independent Palestinian state, provoking strong criticism from Israel. While the preferred resting place for better-off Buenos Aires Jews is the Jewish-only Liniers cemetery, Argentina has 45 Jewish cemeteries in total. [51] On the beginning of March a Jewish center and a cemetery was desecrated with antisemitic graffiti in Rosario. [6] Argentina has the largest Jewish population of any country in Latin America, although numerous Jews left during the 1970s and 1980s to escape the repression of the military junta, emigrating to Israel, West Europe (especially Spain), and North America.[3]. By continuing to use this website you accept our use of cookies. It is the oldest and largest Jewish Temple in the country. This growing secular group typically embraces their culture heritage, including the food, music and literature of Judaism while leaving the religious aspects aside. One of the citys most popular options for a kosher asado (barbecue meat) experience is the recently revamped Parilla Al Galope, one block from the Empanadara Kosher, at Tucumn 2633. The Zwi Migdal organization established in the 1860s in Buenos Aires operated an international network of pimps exploiting Jewish girls from Eastern Europe. Eighty-five, mostly Jewish people, died and around 300 were injured. The other was 1930s Austrian table tennis champ Erwin Kohn, who fled to Argentina in 1938 to become the countrys reigning champion until 1952. Originally founded in 1935 as the Club Nutico Israelita, (Israelite Rowing Club) today the sports here also include basketball, bocce, football, golf, tennis, field hockey and other sports. Argentina is home to nearly 200,000 Jews, making it the largest community in Latin America and the seventh largest in the world. As the situation unfolded, we came to understand the unique nature of this pandemic and the specific challenges that arose from it, and we quickly mobilized and worked with our partners to meet those needs.. A smattering of Jewish settlers came to Argentina very early on, to evade the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitions. Tours of ground floor exhibition should be arranged in advance, through local friends who are members, or certified tour agencies. Jewish life is particularly lively in Buenos Aires, where 8.2% of the population is Jewish. But there is something special about Buenos Aires: it is home to the only kosher McDonalds outside of Israel. P.O. This enabled Moiss Ville to grow, and in turn the community built four synagogues, Jewish schools, and Argentinas first Jewish cemetery. Today isFri. They were accompanied by around 5,000 former Nazis who escaped Europe with the aid of former Argentine President Juan Peron, whose government established escape routes through Spain and Italy. [50] In the next month, antisemitic posters were found in a Jewish neighborhood in Buenos Aires. In Buenos Aires, there is also a Jewish museum, three libraries, and four Jewish book-stores. Find an upcoming event hosted by Jewish organizations across the world, or explore our on-demand section to view recordings of past events. Next door is the Jewish Museum.Libertad 785Once, Buenos Aires, Templo Camargo A Sephardi orthodox synagogue with Buenos Aires largestkehillah in the Villa Crespo neighbohood.Camargo 870Villa Crespo, Comunidad Dor Jadash Another congregation with over one hundred years of history, founded in 1912 by Lithuanin, Polish and Russian immigrants. Corrientes 5436, a traditional gathering place for Jewish intellectuals in Villa Crespo. Under President Julio Argentino Roca, a policy of mass immigration was encouraged; it provided relief to refugees fleeing the violent pogroms in the Russian Empire from 1881 onwards. By mid-century, Jews from France and other parts of Western Europe, fleeing the social and economic disruptions of revolutions, began to settle in Argentina. Twenty years ago, Sandra Werner and her family were living comfortably in Argentina when the country suddenly experienced an historic economic collapse, causing her business to falter and her husband to lose his job. Return to democracy and the terrorist attacks, Mario Diament, "Argentina & Jews reveals little-known history,". Some of the Russian Jews who arrived via the Wesser in 1889 carried instruments among their few belongings, and the influence of klezmer music on tango is noticeable to the trained ear. This information is collected anonymously and helps us improve the site by making the most sought after information easy to find. [37] On 9 August 2013 the words "Fuck Jewish" were found spray painted on the Temple Libertad synagogue in Buenos Aires, and on 17 August 2013 Swastikas were found painted on monuments, walls and private homes in Maip. [15], During the 1982 Falklands War, around 250 Jewish soldiers served in the Falkland Islands and strategic points in Patagonia. The following day Nisman was to present evidence in a closed-door congressional hearing implicating then-President Cristina Fernndez de Kirchner and other officials for allegedly participating in a cover-up for Iranian officials suspected in orchestrating the attack, in exchange for much-needed oil. The most lively part of the tour is a visit to the neighborhood of Once and Abasto, the citys heart for Buenos Aires Jewish community. Some Jewish activists fled the country. Many ideologically-involved Argentines chose to go to Israel to help build the country, says Weinstein. Alfonsn enjoyed the support of the Jewish population and appointed many Jews in high positions. [11] Six million Jews died in Europe during the Holocaust. Book a Private Jewish Heritage Tour online now, Read more about how Jews have influenced Argentine culture: Jewish Landmarks, Food & Tours in Argentina, Blue Dollar/Western Union Currency Converter, Get Focused with Argentinas Favorite Healthy Drink: Yerba Mate, The Best Argentine Movies & Series to Stream Online, Argentina Meat Ordering Guide & Common Cuts, City of Books: The 10 Best Novels Set in Buenos Aires, Common Buenos Aires Scams & How to Avoid Them, Money Exchange & Hustles on Florida Street, Wander Argentina 2023. For a more interactive and personalized Argentine food experience in the Palermo neighborhood, sign up for an afternoon or evening with the Argentine Food Experience to learn how to make empanadas, eat steak like an Argentine (with plenty of Malbec of course) and prepare and drink the traditional tea, yerba mate. 2002-2023 My Jewish Learning. About 70% of the total Jewish population of Argentina is Ashkenazi, from Central and Eastern Europe, while 30% is Sephardic, from Spain, Portugal, Morocco, the Balkans, Syria, Turkey and North Africa. About. !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? [28][29] In response to the deadly attack, Miguel ngel Pichetto, then Senator from the Peronist Front for Victory (FpV) and later running mate of Mauricio Macri in the 2019 presidential election, said that "real Argentines and Jewish Argentines" were killed, a saying reflecting the attitude towards Jews in the country in those days. Business & Professionals; Community Relations Council This boutique walking tour led by a local starts at 10:30 a.m. in the Once neighborhood. The IFT Theater (Boulogne Sur Mer 549) is a small independent theater troupe born out of the Yiddish theater tradition in 1932 under the name Idramst, Yiddish for theater.. We invite you to enjoy this journey of seeing Argentina and all its complexity through the uniquely Jewish lens. Tour the wineries and vineyards, hear from a local wine expert, and learn about the history and personal family story with Julio Camsen & Ana Manulis de Camsen, active members of the Jewish community and founders of the Huentala Winery in Mendoza. A synagogue founded in 1911. Despite being less than 1% of the population, Jews made up around 12% of the victims of the military regime. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries some came as conversos or secret Jews, those whose families had converted or feigned conversion in the face of religious repression. Those staying Palermo can stock up at Palermo Kosher supermarket at Ugarteche 3033 or Open Kosher supermarket at Molde 2455. [39], In July 2014 there were at least two cases of antisemitic graffiti: In Mendoza, where swastikas had been painted on the front of the local Jewish Cultural Center,[40] and in Buenos Aires during a pro-Palestinian rally. I REALIZE THE KIND OF SUPPORT JDC PROVIDES IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL., We didnt know if this was going to be 2001 all over again if it would be better, if it would be worse, said Sergio Widder, JDCs regional director for Latin America. During President Menem's term in the 1990s, a law was passed that made antisemitism illegal. [41] Another racist incident occurred in Cordoba, where two flags, Israel's and the United States's, were covered with swastikas and were placed in the city's central square[42] Later that month the newspaper "La Plata" published a caricature presenting a stereotype Jewish old man speaking out against Israel's actions during Operation Protective Edge, with distortion of the actual reality in Israel. Disclaimer This likely reflected international tensions between Israel and Arabs, including Palestinians. Celebrating Jewish Life in Mendoza, Argentina | My Jewish Learning Date: Thu. The next year, another Jewish colony, Colona Mauracio was set up in Buenos Aires province. Argentina's Jewish Population Today Argentina is home to around 250,000 Jews, making it the sixth largest Jewish community in the world, and the biggest in Latin America. While security has become a focal point at both buildings, the citys synagogues, and Jewish community organizations, the events have led to improvements in the occasionally strained relationship between Jews and the population as a whole.