64 Friday, June 21, 1980
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
'Jews of Latin American Republics' Pioneering Work
The advocates of immi- nity's Jews regardless - of American Jews were re-
Novos (forced baptized
garded as "illegitimate in-
their ethnic origin. "Histor-
gration
prevailed.
Jews).
truders" and "corrupters of
ically,"
the
author
notes,
Incisive
is
Prof
Elkin's
The Inquisition's victims
the national spirit."
included a governor, church examination of the Argen- "the kehilla played a coher-
Furthermore, Jewish
ing
role
in
Jewish
life,
the
tine
agricultural
colonies,
officials, army personnel, .a
_participation
in American
kehilla
in
Latin
America
pig breeder, juggler, established by the Jewish
culture was facilitated by
fencing-master, monk and Colonization Association, arguably operated as a divi- institutions like the public
founded by Baron Maurice sive force."
seamstress.
school, universal military
Among the more famous de Hirsch.
In the book's final
She begins her apprai- chapter the author de 7 service, the labor movement
victims of the Inquisition
and the "the consignment of
were the surgeon Francisco sal by relating the tragic scribes the historic ex- religious belief to the pri-
Maldonado de Silva of experience of the group periences of the Jews
sector."
Tucuman and Antonio Jose of Russian Jews who ac- North and South" vis-a- vate
"In Latin America," the
quired
land
in
the
Sante
da Silva. The former, de-
vis their host societies.
author affirms, "Jews
nounced by his fanatical sis- Fe province in 1889 for
have been confined to an
In
the
North,
mainly
in
starting
a
farm.
Unfortu-
ter, circumcised himself in
By ALLEN A. WARSEN
almost exclusively eco-
his cell; the latter, a poet nately, their enterprise the United States, she ob-
Judith Laikin Elkin's and playwright, "was turned out to be a disas- serves, "participation of nomic role."
Yet, ecumenical efforts by
Jews in the life of their
"Jews of the Latin Ameri- burned at the stake while ter.
clerics
toward rapproche-
country
has
regularly
been
can Republics" (The Uni- one of his plays was being
Luckily, their plight was
versity of North Carolina performed at a local thea- brought to the attention of welcomed as a sign that ment are being made. "But
Press), is a major contribu- ter."
Baron Hirsch who became they were becoming the end toward which they
strive — the reception of
tion to the history of Latin
The author describes suc- concerned with their mis- Americanized."
In contrast, the Latin Jews into a brotherhood
cinctly the history of the fortune. "Thus," writes the
short-lived Jewish com- author, "began one of the
munities of Mauricia and most remarkable adven-
Recife. In the latter, the tures in immigration the
settlers managed, in the world had seen to date."
included for the first time in
(Special to The Jewish News)
Baron Hirsch, the great
course of their community's
the 1981 Maccabia Games.
-
(Editor's
Note:
David
brief existence, to build a , idealist and philanthropist, Bale, author of this arti-
Aside from an Israeli
synagogue and engage as aimed at reconstructing cle, is the son of Mr. and team, at least four other
their spiritual leader, Isaac Jewish life through farming Mrs. Joseph Bale, well softball teams from
da Fonesca Aboab (1605- and handicraft, had hoped known Detroiters. For North and South
1693), the New World's first that 3,250,000 Jews would the past three years he America as well as Au-
settle on the Argentine
rabbi.
has been a reporter for stralia are expected at
Incidentally, Rabbi pampas in the course of 25 the English language next July's Maccabia in
Aboab participated in years. Actually, the highest service of Kol Israel Israel.
the excommunication of number of Jewish farmers Radio, in Jerusalem.
Transplanted along with
in Argentina never ex-
Baruch Spinoza.
the American pastime to Is-
ALLEN WARSEN
First
going
to
Israel
in
Unfortunately, in 1654 ceeded 33,000. At present 1973 on the Sherut La'Am raeli soil has been some of
American Jewry and fills a the Portuguese retook thft. only 2,373 remain.
the game's tradition. In the
gap in Jewish historiog- colonies, and the Jews were
The author concludes: program, he remained in absence of the American
Israel
for
a
year
and
a
raphy.
forced to flee. Twenty-three "Today, colonists \ and their
Pregident to throw in the
The aim of the book as of the refugees sailed for descendants constitute a half. He returned in 1975 ceremonial first ball of the
and made aliya in 1976
stated by the author in the New Amsterdam, now New sort of aristocracy among and has lived in Israel season, the job has been
preface reads: "My purpose York, where they estab- Argentine Jews and :are a
symbolically carried out
in writing this book was to lished the first Jewish visible reminder that Jews since then as an oleh.)
both this year and last
By DAVID BALE
stake tiletthe relatively new community in what is now participated in building the
JERUSALEM — Terms , the U.S. Ambassador in is-
-, field of Latin American the United States.
nation. The relatively high like "homerun," "play ball" rael, Samuel Lewis.
Jewish studies and thus to
Soon after the Latin degree of integration of and "batter up" are the
Ambassador Lewis knows
encourage the entry of new American countries won in- Jews into Argentine life in newest additions to conver- enough about the game to
scholars in it. The desired dependence and the in- my view is due to the fact sational Hebrew. Baseball, accurately assess the im-
result is twofold: to estab- famous Inquisition was that the colonies satisfied or softball rather, has made proved standard of play.
lish the Latin American abolished, individual Jews both the Jewish and the it to Israel. What began The fierce competition and
Diaspora as a distinct and small groups of Jews Argentine belief that forg- about five years ago as in- media coverage have at-
branch of world Jewry, and began to trickle into the ing a nation is a job that fdrrnal choose-up games be- tracted more serious
to render visible the Jewish newly established repub- must begin on the land. The tween a few American players than before. How-
component of Latin Ameri- lics. No woneder, the Latin colonies' major contribution kibutz volunteers has ever, exactly how rapidly
ca's complex racial and American Jewish com- to the Argentine nation was evolved into, the Israel the game is catching on in
ethnic scheme."
i
munities trace their historic the colonists themselves."
Softball League, now in its Israel is debatable.
Not surprisingly, the beginnings to these
Thorough is the second official season.
The relative slow pace of
author commences her nar- pioneers.
author's evaluation of
This year's expansion the game, the four pillow-
rative by reconstructing the
Informative is the Jewish life in Latin from 10 to 15 teams has like bases, the idea of hit-
final years of Jewish history author's analysis of the America, central to clinched a place for softball ting a ball with a stick all
in the Iberian Peninsula, pro-and-con immigration which is the !'kehilla."
among the 30 or so sports seem totally alien to Israelis
including the forced conver- debates in Latin America in
Modeled after similar in- branches accredited by both who know soccer as their
sions of Jews, the attitude of the middle decades of the stitutions in Europe, the the Israel Sports Federation number one sport. The ay-
the ruling classes and the 19th Century.
kehilla was founded by East and the Sports Authority, erage Israeli youngster de-
Church toward the Conver-
Advocating immigra- European Jews, and is gov- which are the, two chief velops greater dexterity in
ses and the introduction of tion were the positivists, erned by a board of directors sports bodies in the country. his feet than in his hands.
"limpieza de sangre" followers
the elected by its "constituent
of
The biggest boost for the The adjustment from kick-
("cleanliness of blood"), a rationalist philosophy of organizations according to a softball movement came re- ing to throwing is awkward
policy Hitler adopted 450 Auguste Comte. The pos- system of proportional re- cently when the game was at,first.
years later that led to the itivists favored importa- presentation that was per- officially approved as one of
Nevertheless, an in-
murder of six million Jews, tion of European labor, fected` within the World four additional sports to be creasing number of Is-
including a million chil- capital
and Zionist Organization."
The kehilla's principal
dren.
entrepreneurial skills.
The Inquisition im- They maintained that functions included main=
, ported "limpieza de these commodities would taining schools, operating a
sangre'! into the West In- hasten the economic de- cemetery, sponsoring cul-
dies and the other velopment of the Latin tural programs and provid-
ing social services.
Catholic colonies early in American Republics.
The kehilla, it is 'impor-
Opposing immigration
the 16th Century and
immediately proceeded were elements within the tant to point out, has its
to persecute and prose- Catholic Church and people merits and demerits. Its
cute crypto-Jews, Con- "tied morally and mentally' ' main weakness being its in-
ability to unify the commu-
versos and Cristaos to the past.
(Editor's Note: Judith
Laikin Elkin, author of
the book reviewed by
Allen Warsen, is the
daughter of the late Mr.
and Mrs. Benjamin
Laikin, who were for
three decades active in
the Detroit Jewish com-
munity and were leaders
in Labor Zionist ranks.
Reviewer Warsen was
associated with the
Laikins in Yiddish cul-
tural circles.)
formerly restricted to
Catholics — represents a
difficult break with the
past."
"Jews in the Latin
American Republics" is a
scholarly work, eloquently
written, skillfully con-
structed, and provides in-
sights into the forces that
helped shape Jewish life in
Latin America.
The book is fully anno-
tated, contains a com-
prehensive bibliograpi ---
numerous photograk:
and a good index.
Judith Laikin Elkin
authored "Krishna Smiled:
Assignment ,in Southeast
Asia." Currently she is ad-,
junct professor of history
and political science at Alb-
ion College ;
Softball Makes a Hit in Israel
raeli Sabras are giving in
to their curiosities and
are experimenting with
ball and bat if for no
other reason than to see
just what it is about the
game that has turned on
so many Americans. -
The result: an increasing
number of native Israelis
interested in the 15 league ,
teams which are predomin-
antly composed of North
and South American im-
migrants; the appearance_
on sporting goods shelves of
baseball gloves, bats, and
softballs; and the increased
interest among local
entrepreneurs to advertise
by sponsoring one of the
teams.
Most of the teams are
from kibutzim and some are-
sponsored by institutions
like the Ainerican Interna-
tional School in Kfar
Shmaryahu, by the coun-
try's sports clubs like Mac-
cabi;by the universities, or
by private business con-
cerns like Bernie's Bottle
Club in Tel Aviv or
Jerusalem's Bestsellers
bookstore.
The team sponsors have
been instrumental in ob-
taining equipment by
supplying uniforms and
importing such rarities as
catchers' masks, bases,
home plates, and other such
items that one doesn't
exactly find in Jerusalem's
Old City market. Sponsors
generally foot the transpor-
tation bills for travel to
away games.
-
Members of the Israel Softball League and former Detroiters, are, from left:
Larry Schwartz, Gerry German, Lenny Rubin and David Bale.