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the synagogue, Doctor Rubinstein, a
voice from inside asked who we were
and why we were there.
The heavy door unlocked automat-
ically. We were, understandably, asked
to show identification, our passports
to be precise, to the Spanish and
Yiddish-speaking doorman.
Spanish-speaking Doctora
Rubinstein had an interpreter with her.
Both were guarded with what they had
to say about anti-Semitism in
Argentina, in particular Buenos Aires.
But it is common knowledge that since
the last bombing in 1992 of the Israel
Embassy and another in 1994 of the
Asociacion Mutua Israelita Argentina
(AMIA) which left 86 people dead and
razed the Jewish cultural center, there
has been even more security.
Jews are not newcomers to this
South American country. As far back
as 1862 (there were Jews living in
Argentina prior to this) several Jews
gathered to see if they could build a
community for themselves. This com-
munity was strictly Ashkanazy at that
time. The Sephardics came later.
From 1868 on, they moved their
prayer halls to different places. The first
hall was called the Jewish Community
of Buenos Aires then changed to Jewish
Community of Argentinian Republic.
Churches then were the official place
for registering births, marriages and
deaths; but finally in 1888 the group
who didn't consider this an option, were
able to register through the synagogue.
(The first massive migration to Buenos
Aires of Jews was in 1899. Most trav-
elled to the provinces.)
In 1897, a large synagogue was
built and rebuilt in the 1940s keeping
the original facade, the same where we
sat and spoke with Dr. Rubinstein.
Much of the colonization of the
Jews in Argentina has to be credited to
German born Baron Maurice Von
Hirsh. A man with great business acu-
men who had amassed and inherited a
great fortune, he also had a sense of
integrity and generosity. His concern
in the late 1800s was about the fate of
Jews from Eastern Europe and Russia.
He recognized the oppression under
which they lived. These were specific
areas where they were being oppressed
by restrictive laws and deprived of
political rights. In 1891 he established
the Jewish Colonization Association
which "assisted and promoted the
immigration of poor and needy Jews
from any part of Europe or Asia".
The congregation of 400 families,
is very active but even in non-holiday
times, security remains tight. El

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