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The public address will mark the 42nd Yortzeit of the Rebbe's father
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson (1878-1944).
RABBI MENACHEM M. SCHNEERSON
MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 1986
9:30 P.M.
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Friday, August 22, 1986
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
that is moderate despite its
name, Argentina now has a
Jewish planning secretary a
Jewish finance secretary,
about 10 Jewish congressmen
and a Jewish Supreme Court
Justice. In fact, the govern-
ment is often jokingly refer-
red to as the 'Radical
Synagogue.
Until recently few Argen-
tine Jews participated in
politics, although many, like
pianist Daniel Barenboim
and Nobel biology prize win-
ner Cesar Milstein, had
achieved prominence in the
arts and sciences. Jewish
reluctance to participate in
politics stems from Argen-
tina's persistent anti-Semit-
ism.
Never the official policy, it
has been pervasive enough to
persuade most Jews to main-
tain a low political profile.
Over the years, anti-Semitic
acts have included bombings
of empty synagogLies, the
desecration of Jewish graves,
and the publication of anti-
Semitic literature. These acts
are 'perpetrated by small
groups of ultra-nationalists
usually found in the military
and in the right-wing of the
Catholic Church.
Most Argentine Jews have
reacted by denying their
Jewish identity, becoming
secular and, eventually,
assimilating. Only a small
minority of Argentine Jews
have asserted their Jewish
identity.
What will be the effect on
Argentine Jewry of their in-
creasing acceptance in the
political arena? Will it, as
some fear, hasten the already
galloping process of assimila-
tion, or will Jews seize this
emerging tolerance to estab-
lish a new, strong identity as
`Argentine Jews'?
Limited statistics on the
Argentine Jewish community
make predictions difficult.
The most precise data on
Argentina's Jewish popula-
tion Stem from the country's
10-year census; yet, even
those figures fluctuate so
much that they are viewed
with skepticism. Before 1960,
it was estimated that there
were 500,000 Jews living in
Argentina. A decade later,
perhaps as a result of more
accurate census statistics,
this figure had dropped to
350,000. By 1980, there were
only 233,000 Jews left in the
country.
A low birth rate among the
middle class, high emigration
in the 1970's, and rapid
assimilation contributed to
this sharp decline in Jewish
population. Even the most
optimistic projections in-
dicate that by the year 2000,
the number of Jews living in
Argentina will have fallen
below 200,000.
`The assimilation of Jews in
small towns is perfectly un-
derstandable," said Rabbi
Mordechai Levin, head of
inter-community relations at
Argentina's Latin American
Rabbinical Seminary and
assistant rabbi at a suburban
temple. "The Jewish popula-
tion in the country-side is so
small that the number of
eligible Jewish marriage part-
ners has become very limited.
But, assimilation is occurring
just as rapidly in Buenos
Aires, the home of over three-
quarters of Argentina's Jews."
Rabbi Levin believes that
the increase in assimilation is
a direct result of Argentine
Jews' secularization. Even to-
day, he said, only the more
secular Jews are acceptable
as politicians. •
"Jewish politicians are
mostly non-practicing Jews
who do not belong to a con-
gregation and who often don't
even represent Jewish inter-
ests," said Rabbi Levin.
Rabbi Baruch Plavnik, of
Buenos Aires' Conservative
Bet El Congregation pre-
sented a brighter perspective.
An identity crisis, he said, is
at the root of Argentine Jews'
assimilation.
"The Argentine Jew," said
Rabbi Plavnik, "feels that
there is a contradiction be-
tween being a Jew and being
an Argentine, so he must
choose between one identity
or the other. There is only one
way to save Argentine Jewish
youth from total assimilation—
teach them that to be Argen-
tine and to be Jewish are not
mutually exclusive."
Rabbi Plavnik said that
now, at a time of greater
Jewish acceptance, this
lesson becomes far easier to
teach.
Throughout its history,
Argentina has had an am-
biguous attitude towards
Jews. Jews have been ad-
mired and accepted as suc-
cessful businessmen and in-
tellectuals. Yet, Argentinians'
own insecurity about their
identity -has led to the crea-
tion of intensely nationalistic
groups that have resented
Jews' success and who have
claimed it occurred at the ex-
pense of Argentina. This has
put Jews in the awkward posi-
tion of being accused of na-
tionalist, communist ideas if
they are poor and for betray-
ing their country through
capitalist-imperialist ideas if
they are rich.
Basically, Jews have re-
acted in three ways to this
ambiguity. Some Jews prefer
to identify strictly as Argen-
tines and to minimize their
Jewish heritage. Some opt for
a totally Jewish identity. And
some reject their Jewish and
Argentine identities in favor
of a distinctly "European"
identity.
Many Jews who settled in
the Barrio Once, the Jewish
neighborhood of Buenos
Aires, still speak Yiddish and
send their children to