THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Weisbrot's Timely History of Argentine Jewry
By ALLEN A. WARSEN
"Argentine Judaism may
therefore be considered a
vital and yet creative in-
heritor of the East Euro-
pean Jewish heritage. The
secular utopian ethos nur-
tured for over three-
quarters of a century in
Argentina represents both a
major and a distinctive con-
tribution to the develop-
ment of Jewish culture in
the Diaspora."
Thus, Robert Weisbrot
wrote in the introduction to
"The Jews of Argentina,"
subtitled "From the Inquisi-
tion to Peron" (The Jewish
Publication Society of
America). •
The author commences
his narrative with an ac-
count of the lives, achieve-
ments and contributions of
the New Christians in
Argentina. He relates the
history of the Holy Office of
the Inquisition in the New
World, details its methods
of interrogation and records
the reasons for apprehend-
ing suspected heretics.
The reasons included
"frequent allusions to the
Old Testament; refusal to
consult the New Testa-
ment; failure to call upon
Jesus and Mary for help;
failure to take rosary,
hear Mass, confess or re-
ceive sacrament; criticiz-
ing the celibate state of
monks."
The Inquisition's first
martyr in Argentina, the
author writes, was Diego
Padilla de Cordoba. Others
were the physician Fran-
cisco Maldonado de Silva
and the Archbishop Fran- -
cisco de Vitoria.
Weisbrot then describes
the experiences of the early
Argentine Jewish settlers,
and recounts their struggle
for basic civil and religious
rights. Prior to 1860, Jews
UN Official Defends UNIFIL
TEL AVIV (JTA) — A top
UN official has defended the
United Nations Interim
Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
against recent charges by
Foreign Minister Moshe
Dayan that it served as an
umbrella for terrorists in
south Lebanon.
According to Brian Ur-
quhart, UN undersecretary
gejleral for special political
affairs, UNIFIL has been
the target of unfair charges
by both sides in the
Lebanese conflict. "Of
course, it depends which
side you talk to," he said in
an Israel Radio interview.
"On the other side there is
a mirror image of that
(Dayan's) argument. In fact,
we are stuck in the middle.
All forces in the area have to
be reagarded as realities
whether you approve of
them or not. UNIFIL is
there to try to establish a
zone of peace and it is a very
difficult job. I don't agree
with the argument,
whichever side it comes
from, that we are a shelter
for hostile acts."
Urquhart is in Israel to
superintend the with-
drawal of the United Na-
tions Emergency Force
(UNEF) from Sinai. The
first contingent of 142
Swedish soldiers de-
parted from Ben-Gurion
Airport last week. The
UN official arrived here
from Lebanon and Egypt.
He conferred with De-
fense Minister Ezer
Weizman on the UNEF
pull-out and its replace-
ment, for the time being,
by unarmed UN truce ob-
servers.
There are still some 3,000
Swedish soldiers in Sinai,
making up the bulk of the
4,015-man force and their
evacuation will be gradual
to allow time for political
discussions that will
finalize arrangements to
replace them permanently.
Israel has objected
strenuously to the Security
Council's decision to replace
UNEF with a United Na-
tions Truce Supervisory
Organization (UNTSO)
force.
could not marry according
to Jewish religious law.
Their marriages had to be
solemnized by Roman
Catholic priests.
"Religious tolerance," de-
clared the chief justice of the
Superior Tribunal of Justice
in Buenos Aires, "referred
exclusively to Christians
and not to a sect that still
awaits the coming of the
Messiah."
The first Argentine
rabbi was married to a
Catholic woman (she
later converted) and
"participated in the ritu-
als of that faith." Incred-
ibly, this man was or-
dained by Lazare Isidor,
the grand rabbi of Paris,
and approved by the
General Consistory of
France, the representa-
tive body of French
Jewry.
The arrival of 824 Rus-
sian Jews in 1889 in Argen-
tina marked a turning point
in the history of the Jews of
that country. Unlike the
earlier settlers, the new-
corners "came with the in-
tent to purchase farmland
and to establish new roots in
Argentina."
Within two years! as-
sisted by the Jewish Coloni-
zation Association, founded
by Baron Maurice de
Hirsch, they established the
first Jewish colony,
Moiseville. Shortly thereaf-
ter, more colonies were
founded.
Maccabi Games -
Held in England
LONDON (JTA) — The
biggest-ever European
Maccabi Games were held
in Leicester this week. A re-
cord number of 13 countries
competed, involving a total
of nearly 500 athletes.
Israel sent a team of 51
and Britain, the host coun-
try, had 66. The Belgians
In Washington, Republi- with 74 headed the list in
can Presidential candidate terms of numbers.
George Bush charged that
Competing for the first
President Carter's "insis- time was Spain, a reflection,
tence in placing unarmed the organizers believe, of
and undependable United the more relaxed and liberal
Nations troops into the atmosphere in post-Franco
Sinai between Egyptian Spain. The other competing
and Israeli forces is the nations were Finland, Swe-
latest failure by the United den, Denmark, West Ger-
States to live up to the many, Austria, Holland,
commitments that we make Switzerland, Italy and
to our friends." -
France.
There were no gymnas-
tics. Most of the events were
Remembrance — The Holocaust
team competitions, includ-
ing volleyball, handball,
By MARTY ODGERS
-
(Editor's note: Miss Odgers, a local Get tile basketball, football and
woman, has contributed poems frequently to he three sports in which there
Jewish News. "Remembrance — The Holocaust" was will be team as well as indi-
inspired by a photograph published in The Jewish vidual competitions: tennis,
News showing Jewish children being held captive by table-tennis and badmin-
ton.
the Nazis.)
I look at your sweet face, And my heart can stand no more! I
cannot see, for the tears blind my eyes, my heart is
broken! And I cry out, "Oh God, why? Why? Why?
Where were you, God? Why did you let it happen?"
They tell me that now the flowers bloom wherever you are
buried. A mass of flowers for all the world to see! We
must never let the world forget you, never!
I didn't know you, or any of the Six Million, then, but I know
you now. And wherever you are, I want you to know that
I love you, and care for you, and that I'll fight, if need be,
to keep your memory alive! For the world must never,
ever forget your suffering, agony and death!
The Holocaust!
Ladino Dictionary
JERUSALEM — The In-
stituto Benito Arias Mon-
tano in Madrid has, pub-
lished a Ladino dictionary
compiled by the late
Salonika Jewish historian
Joseph Nehama in collab-
oration with J. Cantera.
The dictionary is a part of
the institute's program for
the study of the life and lit-
erature of the communities
founded by Jewish exiles
from Spain.
In time, these colonies in-
troduced diversification
into Argentine farming,
raised new crops, including
garlic and sunflower seed.
The latter became the prin-
cipal source of edible oil and
a major export item.
Years later, for diverse
reasons, the Jewish far-
mers abandoned their
farms and moved to
larger towns and cities,
primarily Buenos Aires.
These changes gave rise
to the sarcastic saying,
"Jewish farmers sow
wheat and reap doctors."'
The concentration of Jews
in Buenos Aires resulted in
the formation of the
"kehilla" and the Associa-
tion Mutual Israelita
Argentina (AMIAA),
Argentine Jewry's principal
social organization.
Unfortunately, the popu-
lation increase in Lluenos
Aires also produced the can-
cerous guild of white slavers
that had plagued Argentine
Jewry for more than a
quarter-of-a-century. This
criminal gang, known as
Zevi Migdal (named after
its leader), had the audacity
to demand that it be recog-
nized by the kehilla as a
legitimate Jewish organiza-
tion.
Instead, the kehilla or-
ganized the Jewish Associa-
tion for the Protection of
Girls and Women
(JAPGW). Originating in
London, England, it rescued
hundreds of women "from a
life of forced prostitution."
The Zevi Migdal, the
scourge of Argentine Jewry,
came to a miserable end
early in the 1930s.
The epilogue concludes
Weisbrot's comprehen-
sive study of Argentine
Jewry, Comparing the
Jews of Argentine to a
burning bush, it states,
"Observers and its own
leaders have long pre-
r
dicted its imminent con-
sumption ... Yet this
community has contin-
ued to exist and even to
grow in the midst of all its
perils."
"The Jews of Argentina"
is vibrantly written, assidu-
ously researched, and fills
an important gap in Jewish
historiography.
Robert Weisbrot, a
graduate of Brandeis Uni-
versity is presently a teach-
ing fellow at Harvard Uni-
versity.
Friday, August 10, 1919 23
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