Argentina is a very large country on the southeast of South America, running from the polar south to the tropical north. The population is very European in ancestry, with roughly half being pure-European in background, and another large section being mostly European in background.
It has a large Arab population (9±%), but which is intermarried and assimilated into the country’s larger demographic This is because it is heavily Maronite (Catholic) Lebanese who assimilate well.
Interestingly, Argentina has around 180,000 Jews – the seventh largest Jewish population in the world – and they can be politically active.
Remember that the Pope (born: Jorge Mario Bergoglio) is an Argentine, born in Buenos Aires. Hence this does bear on the subjects of Arabs and Latin America.
Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to excerpts released Sunday from an upcoming new book ahead of the pontiff’s jubilee year.
It’s the first time that Francis has openly urged an investigation of genocide allegations over Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip. In September, he said Israel’s attacks in Gaza and Lebanon had been “immoral” and disproportionate, and that its military had gone beyond the rules of war.
The book, by Hernán Reyes Alcaide and based on interviews with the pope, is entitled “Hope Never Disappoints: Pilgrims Towards a Better World.” It will be released on Tuesday ahead of the pope’s 2025 jubilee, a yearlong celebration that’s expected to bring more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome.
Needless to say: pro-Jewish, pro-Israel advocates are furious, as seen from these other sources.
(Click Here) for a rebuke opinion piece at the Times of Israel.
Also see the Comments section at another Times of Israel (Click Here) article, where one commenter (see picture below) calls the accusation of genocide to be a new blood libel against the Jews.
This whole site is dedicated to a discussion of the Arabs and Arab culture in Latin America. They are an amazing people.
But there is one group which is an outlier in South America: The Jews.
Now, every country in Latin America has some Jews, but Argentina has LOTS OF JEWS.
And it is Argentine Jews in particular which just fascinate me no end. The have survived and prevailed in a part of the world where one would not even expect them to be.
At roughly 180,000, Argentina has the seventh largest concentration of Jews in the world, and the largest concentration in the Latin World.
At one point, the percentage of Jews in Argentina’s population rivaled that of the United States.
Posted on YouTube: December 24, 2023
By TRT (a normally anti-Israel, Turkish news agency),
but this snippet of history is basically true.
Theodore Herzl even considered purchasing a province in Argentina as a homeland for the Jews. A province! mind you. Not the whole country.
Source: The Jewish State [Der Judenstaat] (1896)
Theodore Herzl, via the Jewish Virtual Library – Section II
PALESTINE OR ARGENTINE?
Shall we choose Palestine or Argentine? We shall take what is given us, and what is selected by Jewish public opinion. The Society will determine both these points.
Argentine is one of the most fertile countries in the world, extends over a vast area, has a sparse population and a mild climate. The Argentine Republic would derive considerable profit from the cession of a portion of its territory to us.
The idea of a Jewish homeland in Argentina was not as crazy as one might think, today.
A Jewish philanthropist, Baron Maurice de Hirsch, had already purchased and set up a Jewish settlement called Moisés Ville (Moses-ville) earlier, in 1889, out on the pampas, in the province of Entre Rios, north of Buenos Aires.
Argentina is a large country, about 1/3rd the size of the United States, and had only 3.4 million people living there in 1890. Large sections of the country were literally uninhabited or scarcely settled.
So the idea of buying an empty Argentine province made sense. Jewish settlement in Argentina had already started, even before Herzl wrote The Jewish State.
Though at the first Zionist Congress in 1897, the possibility of Argentina was discussed, the more orthodox Jews insisted on a return to the Holy Land.
While some Jewish immigration to the Holy Land had started by that point, the area was still under Ottoman (Muslim) control, and it was not developed, and there were instances of hostility to Jewish settlement.
But Argentina was wide open.
So, from the time of the Czars to the time of Hitler, many Jews fleeing pogroms in Europe though that moving to Argentina was a wonderful idea.
And, at the time, it was. Argentina was just beginning to open up, as settlement of the American West was closing down. It was another America in the making, and the government allowed for European immigration.
So yes, there were Jewish agricultural settlements, set up in the pampas, with Jewish gauchos.
However, within one generation, most of the sons and daughters of those Jewish immigrants cum gauchos were moving to Buenos Aires, where they had a massive effect on the culture.
In the rest of South America, Jews were prosperous, but in Argentina, they were trendsetting.
Posted on YouTube, Nov 13, 2023
The Ottomans imposed restrictions on Jewish immigration to the Holy Land before 1917. The British did during the Mandate. And there was hostility from the Arabs.
Even the United States limited immigration starting in the 1920s.
However, Argentina was still welcoming.
Unfortunately, in 1938, the government changed its policy and shut down Jewish immigration because Jews were trying to escape Europe, and Argentina was one of the few open countries … and the government did not want to be flooded with refugees – which was a real possibility at that time.
Of course, there was a degree of antisemitism in the decision. After all, this was just before WWII, when antisemitism was publically acceptable. However there is more to the story. It was not just antisemitism.
In 1938, there were only 13.7 million Argentines, and a flood of a million or more Jews fleeing Europe would have massively changed the demographic profile of Argentina overnight. The Great Depression was in full force, and Argentina could not afford such a large influx.
AND THEN THERE WERE THE GERMANS IN ARGENTINA
Yes, about 8% of Argentina was German at that time, but a lot of those Germans were assimilated second- and third-generation Argentines, with newer German arrivals having fled Nazi Germany.
Many of those German-Argentines were anti-Nazi.
Though sadly, it has to be admitted, there were some Nazi sympathizers who held a rally in Buenos Aires’ Luna Park in 1938.
But, apparently, there were some anti-Nazis as well, who attacked the Nazis after the rally and won the street battles.
Source: Nazi rally in Buenos Aires through rare photographs, 1938
Rare Historical Photos
Although forbidden to do so, the Federacion Universitaria Argentina (FUA) and socialist youth groups held a counter-demonstration in nearby Plaza San Martín; the demonstration spilled over into adjacent streets; German flags were burned; German banks and the Instituto Cultural Germano-Argentino were stoned.
The Argentina government had to apologize to Germany for what was considered a diplomatic insult.
Source: Nazi rally in Buenos Aires through rare photographs, 1938
Rare Historical Photos
A few days later, Manuel Alvarado, interim chancellor of the Foreign Ministry, apologized publicly to Chargé d’Affaires, deploring a “certain press” offensive to German nationality that failed to “take into account the cordial relations between the two nations”.
Most Argentines were NOT the Nordic Aryan ideal, and everyone knew it. In fact, some of the military elites feared that Germany might try to lop off a bit of South America to start a German colony. Those officers would have resisted Nazism.
Argentina was never in danger of going Nazi.
What Argentina did have was a large influential Catholic Church which had a history of antisemitism, but while the Catholic Church influenced the culture, they could not totally control it. It also had an elite class of rich ranchers and businessmen, who were sympathetic to fascism, though not necessarily Nazism.
These elitists were sympathetic to the Axis, but the public-at-large was sympathetic to the Allies. What the elite was able to do was delay Argentina’s break with neutrality until near the end of the war.
Yes, a Nazi rally had occurred in 1938, but those Nazi sympathizers did not endanger the state.
Most Argentines were just NOT Nazis.
How could they be? Most were Spanish or Italian, about half of those Latins had a small degree of Indian blood in them. Even Perón boasted of a distant Tehuelche ancestor.
Argentine could never have been a fertile ground for Nazi supremacism.
Jewish immigration resumed to Argentina after WWII.
At that time …
THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 400,000 JEWS IN ARGENTINA.
Close to 3% of the population, a little bit less that the percentage of Jews in America at that time.
Juan Perón and José Ber Gelbard
Even Juan Perón had a Jewish advisor for economics, José Ber Gelbard.
Source: Wikipedia: History of the Jews in Argentina
Juan Domingo Perón’s rise to power in 1946 in Argentina after the war worried many Jews in the country.[who?] As Minister of War, he had signed Argentina’s declaration of war against the Axis Powers, but as a nationalist, he had earlier expressed sympathy for them. He was known to admire the Italian Fascist leader, Benito Mussolini. Perón introduced Catholic religious instruction in Argentine public schools; he allowed Nazis fleeing prosecution in Germany to immigrate to the country. Perón also expressed sympathy for Jewish rights and in 1949 established diplomatic relations with Israel. Perón’s government was the first in Argentina to allow Jewish citizens to hold office.
What is NOT mentioned is that Perón later ran into conflict with the Catholic Church. He did NOT grovel before the clerics. He was not a classic democrat, but neither was he a neo-nazi.
If after the war, Juan Perón invited in German war criminals, he did so for their supposed technical and scientific expertise, not their politics. Perón himself thought that the Germans were too stiff.
While there were some ugly instances of antisemitism in Argentine history, it was not that strongly embedded in their culture. Usually, whatever antisemitism that did occur was a spillover from government actions against leftists.
During the Tragic Week of 1919, the government cracked down on very violent leftist strikers who were shooting the police. Some of this spilled over to local Jews who had come over from Eastern Europe, and were seen as leftist agitators.
During the Argentine Dirty War (1974-83) leftist Jews were arrested, but for their political activities, not their religion. Unlike Christian Argentines, they were allowed to leave Argentina for Israel. So they got off easier than the Christians.
This is not to excuse government excess, but it was not usually born of religious hatred, but misapplied ideological hatred.
But that is not what the media tells us.
The media likes to portray Argentina as a post-WWII Nazi enclave, which is a gross exaggeration.
A few famous Nazis fled there, but most Argentines were NOT Nazi; and the few Nazis who arrived were allowed in for economic or technical reasons.
Argentina was not a center of German culture, though it had a noticeable (8%) German population.
However, because of unstable presidencys, followed by right wing repressive governments, bad economics, corruption, and the AMIA bombing of 1994 (an Iranian operation), many Jews have left Argentine for Israel.
However, there are still roughly 180,000 Jews in Argentina – 250,000, if you count those with a degree of Jewish ancestry, but who are not considered officially Jewish.
Argentina still has the seventh largest Jewish population in the world.
Why?
Because Argentina is not intrinsically antisemitic. It is intrinsically messed up, but not antisemitic. Many Jews still like Argentina. Governments come and go, some friendly to Jews, some not; but the people of Argentina themselves are not antisemitic.
Posted on YouTube: July 10, 2024
BUT HERE IS THE ODD PART
The Jews in Argentina have affected Argentine culture far more massively than the Germans ever did.
Source: Chabad.org — 19 Facts about the Jews of Argentina
By Eli Levy and Miriam Szokovski
Argentina has produced five Nobel prize winners, including Jewish doctor Cesar Milstein, son of a Jewish Ashkenazi family from Bahia Blanca, who (with others) developed the hybridoma technique for the production of monoclonal antibodies. He was awarded the prize in 1984.
While Argentina Christians invented Tango, a lot of Jews picked it up and wrote their own tangos.
TANGO: A HISTORY WITH JEWS – Trailer
Posted on YouTube: August 6, 2011
One of the most famous restaurants in Latin America is in Buenos Aires and is called Mishiguene (Meshugganeh) which is Hebrew for Crazy. It servers Jewish cuisine, though it is not officially kosher.
Posted on YouTube: November 27, 2011
Posted on YouTube: August 25, 2014
To be sure, there is a lot more, beyond the scope of this blog article.
And, of course, Argentina’s President Javier Millei, dabbles in Judaism.
This is not to say that Argentina does not have other subcultures, and influences; but rather that Argentina’s culture is heavily influenced by Jews. They are NOT a passing curiosity, as one might see in other Latin countries.
The Arabs in Argentina are often of Maronite Catholic or Syrian stock, intermarried for many generations, and not the fire-breathing anti-Zionist Palestinian-Chileans one might see in Chile.
This partly explains why Chile’s and Argentina’s governments take different views on the Mideast.
When I started this blog, about twelve years ago, it was more of a curiosity to me. I just wanted to explore the subcultural impact of Arabs in Latin America. I wanted to show the world the food, the music, and the dance that Arabs had brought to Latin culture.
AND IT WAS IMPRESSIVE!
However, there were times that events intruded into the exploration of the subculture. The continuing wars in Gaza always left a mark. But the present Gaza War is of an altogether different character.
Unlike much of the world, and much of the internet, my own sympathies tend to lie with Israel, but I am an American.
Latin America has tens of millions of citizens of Arab ancestry, and while almost all of those Arab-Latins are Christians, some have a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel view. Chile, for example, has a massive Palestinian population which is very politically powerful, very hostile to Israel, and very influential. Oddly, these Chilean Palestinians are 99% Christian, yet sympathetic to the Islamic cause of Palestine in the Mideast.
To be sure, I am NOT putting down Latin-Arabs, most of whom are nice, but the media focuses on the loud protestors. And the Christians in Latin America forget that their ancestors often left the Mideast due to Muslim persecutions against Christians.
Thankfully, as a rule, Latins of Lebanese Maronite Christian ancestry do remember the predations of Islam; and they tend to avoid an anti-Israel sentiment. They can be a moderating force among other Latin-Arabs.
One has to remember that the pro-Palestinian elements may be loud and organized, but in Latin America there is a growing base of Evangelical Christians who are very pro-Israel. These will not make the headlines … but they vote and politicians have to take that bloc into account.
Posted on YouTube: November 13, 2023
Israel Receives Massive Support from Christians
(Can be auto-translated)
And what you have to also remember is that the general media often lies to you.
I am not saying Israel is perfect. WHAT NATION IS?!
But Hamas is a dark, vicious, terror group.
For example: This is floating on Twitter (X):
Estudiantes de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, participan en el movimiento estudiantil global para exigir el fin del genocidio en la Franja de Gaza. pic.twitter.com/6GAQLCIxNr
Some students in Argentina are pro-Palestinian. So what?!
The tweet does not tell the whole story concerning Argentina.
The President of Argentina, Javier Milei, is very pro-Israel, but the tweet does not mention that. Neither does the tweet mention that a large part of Argentina’s elite is Jewish.
Unlike the rest of Latin America, Argentina had a massive wave of Jewish immigration. It has greatly affected their culture.
So a few pro-Palestinian students in Buenos Aires are insignificant.
Likewise, Brazil’s Presicent Lula may be against Israel, but he knows his position is weak. He got elected by a questionable vote. His opponent was Jair Bolsonaro, a strong pro-Israel supporter. Massive sections of Brazil are Christian-Zionist.
So media reports from South America may be out of sync with the underlying public opinion. While you may see supporters for Gaza in South America on the media, remember that these reports may be biased.
Posted on YouTube: December 9, 2022 Note: There were some Muslim immigrants, but not a half million.
Muslims tend to exaggerate.
The largest immigrant strains were:
1) The Italians (who ended up speaking Spanish, because the Spanish got there first)
2) The Spanish
3) The French
4) The Germans
5) Arabs (most of whom were Christian, and usually the Muslims among them dropped out of Islam)
5) Other Europeans like the Ukrainians, and yes, British, Irish, and Scandinavians
Officially – on paper – there are lots of Muslims in Argentina: supposedly half a millions (by descent, not immigration). However, most of those Muslim Argentines tend to intermarry into a branch of Christianity, or drift into non-observance, or convert themselves.
Such people may not officially change their affiliation on paper.
This video explains it.
(The video is set to the right time.) This imam admits that the official figure
of half a million Muslims in Argentina is ridiculous.
Argentina assimilates/converts Muslims very well.
Posted on YouTube: September 22, 2015
Islamic clerics like to boast of higher numbers than they really have. If someone was born to Muslim parents, they are counted as Muslim even if they never attended a mosque, or if they converted out.
Arab immigration to Argentina was quite considerable in the late 19th century, after World War I and up to the mid-20th century , having become its third most important immigration wave. Of these immigrants, 40% are estimated to have been Muslims or children or grandchildren of Muslims.
Forty percent of Argentina’s Arabs had one Muslim ancestor, yet Argentina’s Arabs are only about 10% Muslim today, if even that. Even then, most Argentine Muslims are not practicing at all. This means a steady translation over to Christianity, whether by conversion, intermarriage, or just simple neglect.
That is the real ongoing situation concerning Islam in Argentina … and in the rest of Latin America.
The religion that IS growing in Argentina is Evangelical Christianity.
On top of that, Argentina has just elected a president sympathetic to Israel.
The basic pattern in South America is basically this.
A) The vast majority of Arabs who immigrated to Latin America were Christians (often fleeing some form of Muslim persecution).
B) Those Muslims who did arrive usually intermarried with Christians, converted to Christianity, or had their children raised Christian.
C) Those who remained Muslim were often not practicing. Until recently, there was nothing in Latin America which facilitated an Islamic lifestyle.
D) Until the 1980s-90s, when Arab oil subsidies floated in, Islam in Latin America – which was incredibly small to begin with – almost died out.
E) So the numbers for Muslims in South America are often inflated, not taking into account those who dropped out.
F) The rise of Evangelical Christianity is winning the spiritual battle in Latin America.
AND NEVER FORGET — The statistics for Muslims can often be horribly exaggerated.
There are small cells of Hezbollah; but while worrisome, they are few in number, often just drug smugglers raising cash for their cause.
Meanwhile, Argentina has blacklisted Hezbollah, because of attacks on Argentine soil. And the border region of Brazil, Argentine, and Paraguay (the Triple Frontier) was worrisome for a while, but the FBI and Mossad went down there and helped the locals clean it up. Again, it was mostly smuggling to raise cash.
However, Islamic penetration into the general population is very small.
3 January 2024 – Edited: Made corrections. Improved writing.
