After the expulsion from Spain in 1492, Conversos—secret Jews—settled in Argentina. Most of these immigrants assimilated into the general population and, by the mid 1800’s, few Jews were left in Argentina.
Argentina gained its independence from Spain in 1810. Bernardino Rivadavia, Argentina’s first president, gave support to policies that promoted freedom of immigration and respect for human rights. He officially abolished the Inquisition. In this atmosphere of tolerance, a second wave of Jewish immigration began in the mid-19th century with Jewish immigrants arriving from Western Europe, especially from France.
In the late 19th century, a third wave of immigration took place. Fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia, and other Eastern Europe countries, many Jews moved to Argentina. These Jews were known as “Rusos” and became active in Argentinian society.
In 1889, 824 Russian Jews arrived in Argentina on the S.S. Weser and became gauchos—Argentine cowboys. The gauchos bought land and established a colony, which they named Moisesville. Due to lack of funding, the gauchos appealed to Baron Maurice de Hirsch for funds and the baron subsequently founded the Jewish Colonization Association. During its heyday, the Association owned a great deal of land which was populated by more than 200,000 Jews. While many of these cooperative ranches are now owned by non-Jews, Jews continue to run some of them.
Between 1906 and 1912, Jewish immigration increased at a rate of 13,000 immigrants per year. Most of the immigrants were Ashkenazi Jews from Europe, but a number of Sephardic Jews from Morocco and the Ottoman Empire also settled there. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in the country.
Anti-Semitic attacks were infrequent in Argentina before World War I. Following the Russian Revolution, between 1918 and 1930, anti-revolutionary feelings developed into full-blown anti-Semitism against the Rusos. In 1919, a general strike in Buenos Aires lead to a pogrom against the Jews. Many were beaten and had their property burned and looted.
Despite anti-Semitic actions, Jews became involved in most sectors of Argentine society. They were not allowed to work in the government or military and so many became farmers, peddlers, artisans and shopkeepers. Cultural and religious organizations flourished. There was a Jewish hospital and a number of Zionist organizations.
Juan Peron’s rise to power in 1946 worried many Jews because he was a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings. Peron halted Jewish immigration to Argentina, introduced Catholic religious instruction in public schools and allowed Argentina to become a haven for fleeing Nazis.
On the other hand, Peron also expressed sympathy for Jewish rights and established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1949. Since then, more than 45,000 Jews have immigrated to Israel from Argentina.
Peron was overthrown in 1955, which was followed by another wave of anti-Semitism. In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from a Buenos Aires suburb. The Eichmann trial in Jerusalem in 1961 aroused further anti-Jewish sentiment in Argentina.
Between 1976 and 1983 Argentina was under military rule. During this period, Jews were increasingly targeted for kidnapping and torture by the ruling junta; about 1,000 of the 9,000 known victims of state terrorism were Jews. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli government had a special agreement with the Argentine government to allow Jews arrested for political crimes to immigrate to Israel. Once the military’s power waned in Argentina, anti-Semitic attacks also declined.
In 1983, Raul Alfonsin was democratically elected president of Argentina. Alfonsin enjoyed the support of the Jewish population and placed many Jews in high positions.
His successor, Carlos Saul Menem was elected president in 1989. Menem’s Arab origin and support of Peron worried the Jews. However, he did not follow in Peron’s footsteps. Menem appointed many Jews to his government, visited Israel a number of times and offered to help mediate the Israeli-Arab peace process. After a Jewish cemetery was desecrated in Buenos Aires, Menem immediately expressed his outrage to the Jewish community and, within a week, apprehended those responsible.
President Menem also ordered the release of files relating to Argentina’s role in serving as a haven for Nazi war criminals. A law against racism and anti-Semitism passed in the Argentine parliament in 1988.
Despite Menem’s sympathetic policies and a democratic regime, the Jews of Argentina were targets of two major terrorist attacks. The Israeli Embassy was bombed in April 1992, killing 32 people. Then in 1994, the Jewish community headquarters (AMIA) in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 87 people and wounding more than 100 others. The community’s archives were destroyed in the bombing and the event left many emotionally scarred. Though Iran was suspected of involvement, with the help of Argentine police, the culprits have never been found. In 2005, an Argentine prosecutor said the AMIA bombing was carried out by a 21-year-old Lebanese suicide bomber who belonged to Hezbollah.
Today, Argentina’s Jewish community numbers more than 250,000; of that 200,000 live in Buenos Aires, 20,000 in Rosario, 9,000 in Cordoba and 20,000 in other small, rural communities, including some areas in the Santa Fe province. There are also significant numbers of Jews in the cities of Concordia, La Plata, and Mar del Plata. The majority of these Jews are Ashkenazi, about 15% are Sephardic. Nearly all the Jews speak Spanish.
In Buenos Aires, the heart of Jewish life can be found in Once (Onsay), site of one of its more prominent synagogues, Yesod Hadat. Once is also home to Argentina’s oldest synagogue, Congregacion Israelita de la Republica Argentina. Another source of pride for the community is its Jewish cultural center, which features concerts, lectures and a high school. Jews are still active in all sectors of Argentine society and many are prominent figures in the arts, film, music and journalism. Throughout Argentina’s history, Jews have held a large stake in the country’s fur, textile, chemical, electronics and auto industries. Both Banco Mercantile and Banco Comercial were founded by Jews. On the other hand, Jews are still absent from the high ranks of the military, foreign ministry and judiciary.
Poverty in Argentina is on the rise, affecting Argentina’s middle class, which is losing its small and medium sized businesses. Many Jewish business owners have lost their shops and are unable to pay membership or tuition fees to local Jewish institutions and synagogues. These communal institutions now face declining membership and budgets to maintain their activities and services. A much larger percent of the budgets of these organizations now has to go to emergency economic relief. In response to the economic decline and lack of funds, the Joint Distribution Committee and the Jewish Agency are training new, young lay leaders to rebuild the community and run the local institutions.
Due in part to the emigration of its younger population to other countries and to Israel in light of the dire economic crisis facing the country. The economic situation has caused about 10,000 Jews to leave Argentina in the last few years. About 6,000 emigrated to Israel. Jewish community leaders are hoping that the election of a new president will bring economic stability and cease emigration.
