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The '''history of the Jews of Argentina''' harks back to the days of the [[Spanish Inquisition]] and [[Portuguese Inquisition]] when Jews fleeing persecution settled in what is now [[Argentina]].<ref name=vjht>{{cite web|title=The Virtual Jewish History Tour - Argentina|last=Weiner|first=Rebecca|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Argentina.html|accessdate=2008-01-09}}</ref>
The '''history of the Jews of Argentina''' goes back to the days of the [[Spanish Inquisition]] and [[Portuguese Inquisition]] when Jews fleeing persecution settled in what is now [[Argentina]].<ref name=vjht>{{cite web|title=The Virtual Jewish History Tour - Argentina|last=Weiner|first=Rebecca|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Argentina.html|accessdate=2008-01-09}}</ref>
Many of the Portuguese traders in the [[Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata]] were Jews, but an organized Jewish community developed only after Argentina gained independence from [[Spain]] in 1810. At that time, Jews from [[France]] and other parts of [[Western Europe]] began to settle in Argentina.<ref name=jdc>{{cite web|title=Americas - Argentina; History|publisher=American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee|url=http://www.jdc.org/p_amer_arg_history.html|accessdate=2008-01-09}}</ref><ref name=vjht/> The current Jewish population is 80% [[Ashkenazi Jew|Ashkenazi]].<ref name=nl>{{cite web|title=World Jewish Population|last=LeElef|first=Ner|url=http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/world-jewish-population.htm#_ftnref1|accessdate=2008-01-09}}</ref>
Many of the Portuguese traders in the [[Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata]] were Jews, but an organized Jewish community developed only after Argentina gained independence from [[Spain]] in 1810. At that time, Jews from [[France]] and other parts of [[Western Europe]] began to settle in Argentina.<ref name=jdc>{{cite web|title=Americas - Argentina; History|publisher=American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee|url=http://www.jdc.org/p_amer_arg_history.html|accessdate=2008-01-09}}</ref><ref name=vjht/> The current Jewish population is 80% [[Ashkenazi Jew|Ashkenazi]].<ref name=nl>{{cite web|title=World Jewish Population|last=LeElef|first=Ner|url=http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/world-jewish-population.htm#_ftnref1|accessdate=2008-01-09}}</ref>
==Early history==
After the expulsion from Spain in 1492, [[conversos]], or secret Jews, settled in Argentina, assimilating into the general population. <ref>http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Argentina.html</ref>After Argentina gained its independence from Spain in 1810, Bernardino Rivadavia, Argentina’s first president, officially abolished the Inquisition. A second wave of Jewish immigration began in the mid-19th century, as Jewish immigrants arrived from western Europe, especially France. In 1860, the first Jewish wedding was recorded in Buenos Aires. A minyan organized for High Holiday services a few years later, leading to the establishment of the Congregacion Israelita de la Republica. In the late 19th century, immigrants fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe settled in Argentina in the wake of its open-door immigration policy. These Jews became known as "Rusos." In 1889, 824 Russian Jews arrived in Argentina on the S.S. Weser and became gauchos (Argentine cowboys). They bought land and established a colony named Moiseville. In dire economic straits, they appeal to the French Jewish philanthropist [[Baron Maurice de Hirsch]], who founded the Jewish Colonization Association. In its heyday, the association owned more than 600,000 hectares of land, populated by over 200,000 Jews. Between 1906 and 1912, some 13,000 Jews immigrated to Argentina every year, mostly from Europe, but also from Morocco and the Ottoman Empire. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina.<ref>http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Argentina.html</ref>


==Agricultural settlement==
==Agricultural settlement==
The number of Jews immigrating to Argentina increased in the late 19th century due to the efforts of the French Jewish philanthropist [[Baron Maurice de Hirsch]]. After the death of his son and heir, de Hirsch devoted himself to Jewish philanthropy [[Image:Baron hirsch.jpg|thumb|120px|left|Baron Maurice de Hirsch (1831-1896)]]
The number of Jews immigrating to Argentina increased in the late 19th century due to the efforts of Baron Maurice de Hirsch. After the death of his son and heir, de Hirsch devoted himself to Jewish philanthropy [[Image:Baron hirsch.jpg|thumb|120px|left|Baron Maurice de Hirsch (1831-1896)]]
and alleviating Jewish suffering in Eastern Europe. He came up with a plan to bring Jews to Argentina as autonomous agricultural settlers. <ref name=autogenerated1>''Argentina and the Jews: A History of Jewish Immigration'' Haim Avni, University of Alabama Press, 1991 ISBN 0-8173-0554-8</ref> This plan meshed with Argentina's campaign to attract immigrants. The 1853 constitution guaranteed religious freedom, and the country had vast, unpopulated land reserves. Under President Domingo F. Sarmiento, a policy of mass immigration was introduced that coincided with the violent pogroms in Russia in 1881. <ref name=autogenerated1 />
and alleviating Jewish suffering in Eastern Europe. He came up with a plan to bring Jews to Argentina as autonomous agricultural settlers. <ref name=autogenerated1>''Argentina and the Jews: A History of Jewish Immigration'' Haim Avni, University of Alabama Press, 1991 ISBN 0-8173-0554-8</ref> This plan meshed with Argentina's campaign to attract immigrants. The 1853 constitution guaranteed religious freedom, and the country had vast, unpopulated land reserves. Under President Domingo F. Sarmiento, a policy of mass immigration was introduced that coincided with the violent pogroms in Russia in 1881. <ref name=autogenerated1 />
⚫
[[Image:Buenos Aires - Barracas - Sociedad Unión Israelita Sefaradí Or Torah.jpg|thumb|140px|Sephardic Temple, Barracas district, Buenos Aires]]
==''Congregación Israelita de Buenos Aires''==

⚫
[[Image:Buenos Aires - Barracas - Sociedad Unión Israelita Sefaradí Or Torah.jpg|thumb|140px|Sephardic Temple, Barracas district, Buenos Aires]]
==Buenos Aires Jewish community==
The Buenos Aires Jewish community was established in 1862, and held its first traditional Jewish wedding in 1868. The first synagogue was inaugurated in 1875.<ref>Argentina & Jews reveals little-known history, ''Miami Herald,'' Mario Diament, 1991</ref>
The Buenos Aires Jewish community was established in 1862, and held its first traditional Jewish wedding in 1868. The first synagogue was inaugurated in 1875.<ref>Argentina & Jews reveals little-known history, ''Miami Herald,'' Mario Diament, 1991</ref>
The Ashkenazi Jews from [[Eastern Europe]] who settled in Argentina became known as "''rusos''" ("Russians") by the local population.<ref name=vjht/> Some settled in the major cities, but many acquired land through the [[Jewish Colonization Association]]<ref name=vjht/> and established small [[agricultural colonies in Argentina|agricultural colonies]] ("''comunas''") in the interior of the country, especially in the provinces of [[Santa Fe Province|Santa Fe]] and [[Entre Ríos Province|Entre Ríos]].<ref name=autogenerated2>Argentina 1516-1987 by David Rock - Chapter V</ref>
The Ashkenazi Jews from [[Eastern Europe]] who settled in Argentina became known as "''rusos''" ("Russians") by the local population.<ref name=vjht/> Some settled in the major cities, but many acquired land through the [[Jewish Colonization Association]]<ref name=vjht/> and established small [[agricultural colonies in Argentina|agricultural colonies]] ("''comunas''") in the interior of the country, especially in the provinces of [[Santa Fe Province|Santa Fe]] and [[Entre Ríos Province|Entre Ríos]].<ref name=autogenerated2>Argentina 1516-1987 by David Rock - Chapter V</ref>

Between 1906 and 1912, Jewish immigration increased at a rate of about 13,000 immigrants per year, with most from Eastern Europe but others from [[Morocco]] or the [[Ottoman Empire]]. By 1920, approximately 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina.<ref name=vjht/>


Jews in Argentina came to play an important role in Argentine society, but [[anti-Semitism]] reared its head from time to time. In January 1919 in Buenos Aires, [[pogrom]]s fomented by the police as a response to a general strike targeted the Jews and destroyed their property.<ref name=vjht/> In the strike's aftermath civilian vigilante gangs (the [[Argentine Patriotic League]]) went after '' agitators'' ("''agitadores''"), claiming scores of victims, mostly Russian Jews who were falsely accused of masterminding a Communist conspiracy.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> In 1939 half the owners and workers of small manufacturing plants were foreigners, many of them newly arrived Jewish refugees from Central Europe.<ref>Argentina 1516-1987 by David Rock - Chapter VI</ref>
Jews in Argentina came to play an important role in Argentine society, but [[anti-Semitism]] reared its head from time to time. In January 1919 in Buenos Aires, [[pogrom]]s fomented by the police as a response to a general strike targeted the Jews and destroyed their property.<ref name=vjht/> In the strike's aftermath civilian vigilante gangs (the [[Argentine Patriotic League]]) went after '' agitators'' ("''agitadores''"), claiming scores of victims, mostly Russian Jews who were falsely accused of masterminding a Communist conspiracy.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> In 1939 half the owners and workers of small manufacturing plants were foreigners, many of them newly arrived Jewish refugees from Central Europe.<ref>Argentina 1516-1987 by David Rock - Chapter VI</ref>

Revision as of 12:14, 29 December 2008

Argentine Jews
File:Jorgeguinzburg.PNG
Notable Argentine Jews:
Miguel Najdorf · Lalo Schifrin · Jorge Guinzburg
Regions with significant populations
Predominantly in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Province, Cordoba Province, Santa Fe Province, and Entre Rios Province.
Languages
Predominantly Spanish. Minority speak Yiddish
Religion
Judaism

The history of the Jews of Argentina goes back to the days of the Spanish Inquisition and Portuguese Inquisition when Jews fleeing persecution settled in what is now Argentina.[1] Many of the Portuguese traders in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata were Jews, but an organized Jewish community developed only after Argentina gained independence from Spain in 1810. At that time, Jews from France and other parts of Western Europe began to settle in Argentina.[2][1] The current Jewish population is 80% Ashkenazi.[3]

Early history

After the expulsion from Spain in 1492, conversos, or secret Jews, settled in Argentina, assimilating into the general population. [4]After Argentina gained its independence from Spain in 1810, Bernardino Rivadavia, Argentina’s first president, officially abolished the Inquisition. A second wave of Jewish immigration began in the mid-19th century, as Jewish immigrants arrived from western Europe, especially France. In 1860, the first Jewish wedding was recorded in Buenos Aires. A minyan organized for High Holiday services a few years later, leading to the establishment of the Congregacion Israelita de la Republica. In the late 19th century, immigrants fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe settled in Argentina in the wake of its open-door immigration policy. These Jews became known as "Rusos." In 1889, 824 Russian Jews arrived in Argentina on the S.S. Weser and became gauchos (Argentine cowboys). They bought land and established a colony named Moiseville. In dire economic straits, they appeal to the French Jewish philanthropist Baron Maurice de Hirsch, who founded the Jewish Colonization Association. In its heyday, the association owned more than 600,000 hectares of land, populated by over 200,000 Jews. Between 1906 and 1912, some 13,000 Jews immigrated to Argentina every year, mostly from Europe, but also from Morocco and the Ottoman Empire. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina.[5]

Agricultural settlement

The number of Jews immigrating to Argentina increased in the late 19th century due to the efforts of Baron Maurice de Hirsch. After the death of his son and heir, de Hirsch devoted himself to Jewish philanthropy

Baron Maurice de Hirsch (1831-1896)

and alleviating Jewish suffering in Eastern Europe. He came up with a plan to bring Jews to Argentina as autonomous agricultural settlers. [6] This plan meshed with Argentina's campaign to attract immigrants. The 1853 constitution guaranteed religious freedom, and the country had vast, unpopulated land reserves. Under President Domingo F. Sarmiento, a policy of mass immigration was introduced that coincided with the violent pogroms in Russia in 1881. [6]

Sephardic Temple, Barracas district, Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires Jewish community

The Buenos Aires Jewish community was established in 1862, and held its first traditional Jewish wedding in 1868. The first synagogue was inaugurated in 1875.[7] The Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe who settled in Argentina became known as "rusos" ("Russians") by the local population.[1] Some settled in the major cities, but many acquired land through the Jewish Colonization Association[1] and established small agricultural colonies ("comunas") in the interior of the country, especially in the provinces of Santa Fe and Entre Ríos.[8]

Jews in Argentina came to play an important role in Argentine society, but anti-Semitism reared its head from time to time. In January 1919 in Buenos Aires, pogroms fomented by the police as a response to a general strike targeted the Jews and destroyed their property.[1] In the strike's aftermath civilian vigilante gangs (the Argentine Patriotic League) went after agitators ("agitadores"), claiming scores of victims, mostly Russian Jews who were falsely accused of masterminding a Communist conspiracy.[8] In 1939 half the owners and workers of small manufacturing plants were foreigners, many of them newly arrived Jewish refugees from Central Europe.[9]

Holocaust and anti-Semitism

Argentina kept its doors open to Jewish immigration until 1938. After that, new regulations were imposed by the government and the flow was severely curtailed at the very moment when the Jews sought a safe haven from the Nazis. [10]

Jewish-Argentine Mutual Association (AMIA), Buenos Aires, rebuilt after 1994 terrorist attack

In the 1950s and 60s, the Tacuara Nationalist Movement, a fascist organization with political ties, began a series of anti-Semitic campaigns with street fights and vandalism of synagogues and Jewish cemeteries.[11]

Central Synagogue of Buenos Aires

In the 1990s, the Jewish community was the target of two major terrorist attacks, both of which remain unsolved: the Israeli Embassy was bombed in March 1992, killing 32 people, and in July 1994 the Jewish community center (AMIA) in Buenos Aires was bombed as well, killing 85 people and wounding over 200. During the economic crisis of 1999–2002, approximately 4400 Argentine Jews made aliyah to Israel.[12]

Today

Today, approximately 185,000-250,000 Jews live in Argentina,[13][14][3] down from 310,000 in the early 1960s.[3]. Most of Argentina's Jews live in Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Rosario.[15] Argentina's Jewish population is the largest Jewish community in Latin America, the third-largest in the Americas (after that of the United States and Canada), and the sixth-largest in the world.[13][3] (See Jewish population) By law, the Jews are allowed two days of vacation on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the first two and last two days of Passover.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Weiner, Rebecca. "The Virtual Jewish History Tour - Argentina". Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  2. ^ "Americas - Argentina; History". American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  3. ^ a b c d LeElef, Ner. "World Jewish Population". Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  4. ^ http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Argentina.html
  5. ^ http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Argentina.html
  6. ^ a b Argentina and the Jews: A History of Jewish Immigration Haim Avni, University of Alabama Press, 1991 ISBN 0-8173-0554-8
  7. ^ Argentina & Jews reveals little-known history, Miami Herald, Mario Diament, 1991
  8. ^ a b Argentina 1516-1987 by David Rock - Chapter V
  9. ^ Argentina 1516-1987 by David Rock - Chapter VI
  10. ^ Argentina & Jews reveals little-known history, Miami Herald Mario Diament, 1991
  11. ^ Template:Es icon Tacuara salió a la calle, Página/12, May 15, 2005
  12. ^ Argentina Status Report on Aliyah
  13. ^ a b The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute; Annual Assessment, 2007
  14. ^ United Jewish Communities; Global Jewish Populations
  15. ^ http://www.jdc.org/p_amer_arg_pop.html
  16. ^ Fiestas judías no laborables - Edición Nacional

See also

External links

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