T
wo weeks ago, events were held in
Buenos Aires, Argentina, to com-
memorate the 30th anniversary of the
bombing of the AMIA (Asociación Mutual
Israelita Argentina) Jewish community center.
Until Oct. 7, 2023, this was the worst attack
on Jews since the Holocaust. In a senseless
truck bombing, 85 people died and more
than 300 were wounded. It was an event that
still shapes Argentine Jewish
history.
Delegates from around
the globe arrived in Buenos
Aires for the 30th anniversary
memorial of the bombing,
and to launch the “Global
Guidelines for Countering
Antisemitism,” a plan of
action for governments and civil/commu-
nal organizations. U.S. antisemitism envoy
Deborah Lipstadt was in attendance, along
with a delegation led by U.S. Senate Foreign
Relations Chair Ben Cardin of Maryland.
Despite years of complaints by the Jewish
community in Argentina — as well as from
Jews around the world — various Argentine
governments have never brought anyone
responsible for the bombing to justice. In
April 2024, an Argentine Court finally ruled
and expressed what was commonly thought
— Iran was behind the AMIA bombing, and
agents of Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy based
in Lebanon, carried out the attack.
Recently elected Argentine President Javier
Milei, a sympathetic supporter of the coun-
try’s Jewish community and Zionism, has
promised to end the decades of slow-walking
investigations into the attack. Moreover, ear-
lier this month, Argentina became the first
Latin American nation to declare Hamas a
terrorist organization. These are promising
moves. We’ll see how it goes.
At the least, however, the 30th anniversary
of the heinous AMIA bombing was front
and center in global news, hopefully raising
awareness of antisemitism. It also piqued
my interest about reporting on Argentina
in the William Davidson Digital Archive
of Jewish Detroit History. I was sur-
prised. Nearly 3,500 pages mention
Argentina; the first references were in
the Chronicle in 1916.
Argentina can claim Jewish residents
as early as the 16th century. After its
independence from Spain in 1816,
its Jewish community began to flour-
ish. As of 2024, the Jewish population
is estimated to be 171,000, the fourth
largest Jewish community in the world
and largest in South America.
Argentina’s record regarding Jews
is uneven. While it stood as a haven
for Jews for several centuries, it also
protected Nazis fleeing Europe after
WWII. For a prime example, one
only needs to reference Adolf
Eichmann, the infamous engineer
of the “Final Solution.
” He had been
living in Argentina’s German com-
munity for many years until captured
by the Mossad and brought to trial in
Israel in 1960.
The JN reported the AMIA bombing.
See the July 29, 1994, issue of the JN
for “Horror in Buenos Aires” or “Blast
Shocks U.S. Jews,
” along with “
Argentine
Jewry Faces Many Changes.
” The most
interesting reading is the lengthy fea-
ture piece in the Nov. 18, 1994, issue:
“
A Heartsick Community Struggles to
Regain Its Footing.
”
BTW — as they have so often in their
history when people are in need, Jewish
Detroiters sent support to the Argentine
Jewish community.
The contemporary reports about the
bombing in the JN show the severe impact
it had upon a longstanding, peaceful Jewish
community. The AMIA bombing was an
utter shock, one that still shapes modern
Argentina, much like the attacks on 9-11 in
America and Oct. 7 in Israel will resonate
forever.
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN archives, avail-
able for free at thejewishnews.com.
Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at thejewishnews.com
A Somber Anniversary
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
54 | AUGUST 1 • 2024
J
N