Mexico City: Colorful, Crowded LEWIS ERIC LACHTER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • STAGE Deli • Dining Catering Summertime Salad Days at the STAGE! • South of the border, down Mexi- co way is the capital city with its 18 million people ... about 50,000 of whom are Jewish. The Jewish people came to Mexico City as early as 1521. Some came as soldiers with the explorer Cortez. Most of the ear- ly settlers were involved in trade and commerce. They came from Spain and Portugal and were called Crypto-Jews or Conversos because they practiced their reli- gion secretly and illegally after 1492. Modern Jewish settlement be- gan in the 1820s, when a small group of German Jews arrived in Mexico City. Emperor Maxmillian ruled from 1864-1867 and he brought with him from Europe Jews from Belgium, France and Austria. Also in his entourage was his personal physician Samuel Basch. Jews from Russia and Galicia entered the city in the late 19th century. Syrian Jews began ar- riving in the 1890s. Jewish merchants in the ear- ly 20th century introduced to Mex- ico the system of buying on credit, a system that raised the living standard of the lower classes. Ban- co Mercantil, founded by Jews in 1929, financed many Jewish busi- nesses and paved the way to Mex- ican-Jewish prosperity. Diego Rivera, master artist, said, "My Jewishness is the dom- inant element in my life. From this element has come my sym- pathy with the downtrodden masses which motivates all of my work." Be sure to see Rivera's huge, dramatic murals in the Na- tional Palace. Today's Jewish population in Mexico City is quite wealthy. Over 75 percent of the community's chil- dren attend one of the city's eight Jewish day schools. Separate synagogues serve the people who came from Poland, Germany, Hungary, Syria and the United States. The only temple at which services are in English is the Beth Israel Community Cen- ter. The synagogue is located in Virreyas in the Lomas section of the city. Most members of the con- gregation are American or British. The temple has a religious school, for children and with a full-time rabbi. Bringing the various national groups together is the Centro Se- portivo Israelita or Jewish Sports and Cultural Center. A combina- tion country club and community center, it is one organization to which virtually every Jew in Mex- ico City belongs. On any given MEXICO CITY page 108 •• • • • • • • . • • • Big Deal Small Price. Mazel Cool off with a new offering each week This week featuring: Toy! Whatever the occasion - wedding, bar mitzvah, anniversary, or holiday - the WALDORF SALAD • • • • • • /"Th • • • • • 6873 Orchard Lake Rd • On the Boardwalk • (248) 855-6622 • Open to 11:00 P.M. on Weekends • • • • • • • • • • • OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Southfield Hilton Garden Inn has a great deal for you! We'll give your visiting guests a spacious room. 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