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JEWISH LIFE IN SOUTH AMERICA

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Map ofSOUTH AMERICA

Showing Recent Estimates ofJEWISH POPULATIONin the Various Republics

June, 1941

4

JEWISH LIFE INSOUTH AMERICA

A SURVEY STUDY FORTHE AMERICAN JEWISH CONGRESS

BY

J. X. COHENAssociate Rabbi, Free Synagogue

WITH A FOREWORD BY

STEPHEN S. WISE

President, American Jewish Congress

NEW YORK

BLOCH PUBLISHING COMPANY"The Jewish Book Concern"

1941

RECENT PUBLICATIONSBY THE SAME AUTHOR

Jews, jobs and Discrimination, 1937

Help to End Economic Discrimination, 1937

Towards Fair Play for Jewish Workers, 1938

Reducing Discrimination Against Jewish Job-Seekers,

1940

Copyright, 1941, by J . X. Cohen

Printed in the United States of America200

TO PAULO-ALTA

Whose family forbearanceand sporting cooperation

made the long journey possible

V

CONTENTS

vii

PAGEForeword-By Stephen S . Wise xi

Introduction 1

Brazil-First American Jewry _ 9

Present Political Situation 21

Jews of Democratic Uruguay 31

Jewish Life in Argentina 43

Fifth Column in Argentina 54

Jewish Farmers in Argentina 65

The ICA Colonies 77

Buenos Aires Synagogues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . 89

Recent Jewish Migrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bolivia-No Jews Need Apply . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paraguay, A People-Less Land . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . ..

. 121

The "Paradise"-Chile_ _ 137

The Old-New Jewry of Peru. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jewish Life in Ecuador. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

The Jews of Colombia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . . 173

Venezuelan Jewry . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 185

Index . . . . . . . .

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONSPAGE

Map of South America, Showing Jewish Populations FrontispiecePresident Getulio Vargas, Dr. Inman, Mrs. Inman, Minister

of Foreign Affairs Dr . Oswaldo Aranha, and the Author,in the Patio of the Presidential Palace at Rio11

Midnight on the Avenida Beira Mar-from the Hotel Gloriain Rio de Janeiro 14

Trio in Rio, Studying Torah 16Children in Kindergarten Class, Jewish School, Rio de

Janeiro 18Panorama of Famed "Sugar Loaf Mountain" (extreme left)

and Section of Rio de Janeiro from Mount Corcovado23Rio Children Singing Hatikvah in Patio of Jewish School27Jewish Community Leaders at Cooperative Bank in Mon-

tevideo, Uruguay 34The Ashkenazic Synagogue in Montevideo, Uruguay40Roof Top Panorama of Vast Buenos Aires, Third Largest

City in Western Hemisphere 45At the Open Ark of Beautiful Sephardic Synagogue in

Buenos Aires 50Anti-U .S.A., Anti-Jewish Magazine Being Sold in Streets of

Buenos Aires 55Moses and Aaron Depicted on the Beautiful Wrought Iron

Street Gates of the Famous Catholic Cathedral in Cor-doba, Argentina 57

Dr. Marcelo T. De Alvear (right), ex-President of Argen-tina, in the Study of his Buenos Aires Home ; Dr. Inmanon Left 61

Members of the Executive Board of the FAIA . Seated withAuthor at Center is Julio Levine to Left ; David Sevi andIsaac Kaplan to Right 65

Refugee "Colonist" on His ICA Farm in the "ColoniaAvigdor" 69

Resettled Refugee Family on Their ICA Farm in "ColoniaAvigdor .. . 79

ix

PAGEThe Milk Cooperative of the Jewish Dairymen at "Colonia

Avigdor" 83Ancient Sephardic Congregation, from Island of Rhodes, in

Modernistic Synagogue in Buenos Aires88Children in the Patio of the Jewish Orphan Asylum, Buenos

Aires

90. . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . .. .. .. .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . .. .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .Monuments in the Cemetery of the Buenos Aires Hevrah

Kadishah 93Argentina's Oldest Congregation, the Libertad Synagogue,Led by the Distinguished Rabino, Dr . GuillermoSchlesinger 95

Orthodox Children in Class at the Sephardic Day School inBuenos Aires 102

Lovely Vicuna Colchas Displayed on Steamer Deck by Mol-lendo Vendors 117

The Hebrew Institute in Santiago de Chile129The Campus of the Splendid Federico Santa Maria Tech-nological Institute (Founded and Endowed by a FormerJew) in Valparaiso, Chile 132

Nitrate Shipping Port in Rainless City of Antofagasta, Chile 138The Tribunal Chamber of the Holy Inquisition in Lima,

Peru 144Burros and Men on Main Street, at High Noon, Mollendo,

Peru 146The Author en Route to Embarkation Launch via RailroadCrane Chair, at Mollendo, Peru150

Entrance to Presidential Palace, Lima, Peru158Bamboo Homes in Guayaquil, Ecuador163Delegation of Delighted Children Greeting the Cameraman

from "Estados Unidos," at Manta, Ecuador166Senor Max Wasserman in the Small Chapel in Guayaquil,

Ecuador 168Green Gold-Loading Bananas by the Million onto Steamer

at Guayaquil, Ecuador 171Wood Burning Stern-Wheeler (Made in U .S .A.) on the

Magdalena River, Barranquilla, Colombia176Charcoal Burner's Jungle Home, Surroundings almost pre

Columbus, near Buenaventura, Colombia182

X

FOREWORD

J. X. Cohen, my associate in the ministry of the FreeSynagogue, entered the service of the congregation im-mediately following his graduation from the JewishInstitute of Religion, a graduate school preparing menfor the Jewish ministry and community service . Priorto entering the Institute, he retired from the engineer-ing profession, having served as designing and consultingsanitary engineer . He had been president of the Syra-cuse Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers,and the author of numerous published technical studiesand professional papers .

In this volume on Jewish life in South America,Rabbi Cohen has performed an important service inrelation to the whole of the American Jewish commun-ity, perhaps the more important and enduring becauseit was rendered as a phase in the task of identifyingAmerican Jewry with the Americas in their entirety andsolidarity. In his book, which is an echo of personaland immediate impressions set down in precise diariesand accurate reports, Rabbi Cohen has brought thevery mood and quality of the South American democ-racies to the Northern Democracy . The report on hisrecent visit to South America is particularly important

xi


in the light of the forthcoming Inter-American JewishConference at Montevideo, Uruguay, July, 1941 .

Renewed visits on the part of Rabbi Cohen to theSouthern section of the American Continent may deepenhis impressions and enrich their coloring . But thisvolume will stand as the story of a pilgrim of clearvision, of open mind, of generous spirit, to the greatpeoples of a great continent . The pilgrimage, enrichingto the seeker after truth, will bring light and leading towhosoever shares it by reading these pages. It is a taleworth telling, worthily, reverently, humanly, illuminat-ingly told .

STEPHEN S. WISE .

X11

INTRODUCTION

THOUGH Jews came to South America long beforea Jewish community was established in NorthAmerica (in fact the New York Jewish commun-

ity originated with a group of refugees fleeing Inquisi-tional wrath in Catholic Portuguese-controlled Brazil),yet the four and a half centuries since Columbus haveseen far greater Jewish development in our own landthan below the Equator .

Today the emphasis is rightly placed on continentalsolidarity, on hemispheric security. Vast internationalchanges have brought our Southern neighbors nearer tous. With almost uncanny prescience our gifted Presi-dent developed, from the very beginning of his firstAdministration, the "Good-Neighbor Policy." Thispolicy is metamorphosing the old fears of Ianqui Im-perialismo into a steadily ripening friendship for the"Colossus of the North," whose very greatness is nowviewed as safeguard instead of menace .

The Jewry of the United States of America has grownin these past centuries to five million souls. The Jewishcommunities in South America now total but a tenth ofthis number ; they too turn with ardent hopes for moralsupport, in these days of deep crisis, to the great Jew-ish community north of the Rio Grande .

1


But Jews in the north, appointed by destiny to thehigh station of safeguarding the Jewish future in a war-torn world, know but little of our South American Jew-ish neighbors. Little has been written about them ; thefew texts are outdated by the swift changes of recentyears .

Hence it was gratifying when an invitation came tothe writer, as a member of the Committee on CulturalRelations with Latin America, to visit South Americaas one of a group of college presidents and professors,clergymen, sociologists and economists, and to serve asthe "authority" on Jewish matters . The mission wasenabled to make close studies and first-hand observa-tions in a mode and measure beyond the range of theordinary tourist, for it had the benefit of the joint lead-ership of Hubert Herring, noted author on Mexico andLatin America, and Samuel Guy Inman, outstandingwriter and long-time student of South American affairs .Dr. Inman is the author of eleven volumes on SouthAmerica, four of them in Spanish . Both Dr. Herringand Dr. Inman are well-known liberals ; Dr. Inman isparticularly distinguished as an Oheb Tisroel, a warmfriend of the Jewish people and an earnest worker inbehalf of stricken Israel .

The World Jewish Congress, whose executive hadbeen needfully transferred to New York City successivelyfrom Geneva, Paris and London, heartily joined theAmerican Jewish Congress in designating the writer astheir official representative on this mission . The programwas arranged with the State Department through its

2'

INTRODUCTION

Division on Cultural Relations with Latin America, incooperation_ with the Washington embassies and lega-tions of the countries visited. Such auspices ensuredthe finest opportunities for study and enabled the missionduring its three months' tour to accumulate consider-able information of value in building a better under-standing of South America and its problems .

We met several score of Government officials, includ-ing such outstanding personalities as President GetulioVargas of Brazil, Dr. Oswaldo Aranha, Brazil's dis-tinguished Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr . CarlosMuniz, Brazilian Minister of Immigration and Coloniza-tion, and others of high rank and station in Uruguay,Argentina, Chile, Peru, and the other countries visitedby the mission .

The journey was undertaken with a backgroundwhich included travel over considerable stretches ofEurope, a careful personal study of conditions inMexico, and a long familiarity with South Americathrough previous professional experiences in publichealth engineering .

As we journeyed down the East Coast of SouthAmerica, and then, after a memorable, truly breath-tak-ing four-mile-high flight over the Andes, up the WestCoast, notebook and camera were constant companions .

Only the exigencies of the present international situa-tion prevent releasing for publication texts of certainconfidential memoranda sent northward concerningmatters of deep interest . These included long hand-written reports, penned in the dead hours of the night,

3


while the others of the group rested. ; reports writtenon the thinnest of flimsy paper, in minute script, to keepdown the high airmail costs.

For many years the writer has been a close studentof the development of National Socialism in Germany,and of its international ramifications, particularly in theUnited States. As far back as 1930, at the request ofthe American Jewish Congress, many meetings wereattended of Nazi inspired organizations serving asagencies for spreading Nazi propaganda in America .These agencies went through various modifications inname, finally flowering forth in the German AmericanBund, whose leader is now earning his keep in a NewYork State prison .

Some of the reports on Nazi activities in the UnitedStates, prepared for the confidential information of theofficers of the American Jewish Congress, were deemedof sufficient consequence for reference to governmentalauthorities . Many conferences then followed on thepossibilities of espionage and sabotage by Nazi agentsand Nazi tools, years before these subversive activitieswere generally considered consequential to the welfareof our country.

Because of the familiarity with what has more latterlybeen termed Fifth Column activities, this phase was notdisregarded while in South America . Contact wasestablished with certain informed newspaper men andother well-placed sources . Certain matters were alsopersonally uncovered of such character that when theywere transmitted to a key contact in the United States,

4

INTRODUCTION

he personally conveyed them to high officials of ourgovernment in Washington. Some of these reports wentdirect from South America by diplomatic pouch toWashington .

The American Jewish Congress paved the way forits representative's coming to South America by notify-ing the different Jewish communal leaders of the mis-sion, and the probable dates of arrival . To make clearhis status in the New York Jewish community, theywrote that he was the President of the New York Boardof Jewish Ministers, an organization which includesleading orthodox, conservative and reform rabbis inthe largest Jewish community in the world .

Two delegations usually awaited the general party onits arrival by steamer, train or plane . The large officialdelegation was for the general party ; the second wasfor the rabbi. After the usual flashlight press pictureshad been shot of the group (and the South Americanpress is even keener about its "rights" than the ubiquit-ous U. S. A. cameramen), the Jewish welcoming com-mittee started their search for the rabbi . They frequentlyreported great difficulty because they sought a beardedgentleman-and were non-plussed to find their awaitedguest cleanshaven.

But the lack of beard was quickly explained, usingwhat I came to call Pan Americaner Yiddish as amedium of communication . This Pan Americaner Yid-dish is a catch-as-catch-can compound of a little Eng-lish, a little Spanish and a heap of Yiddish . But someof the North American Yiddish, full of English terms

5


and expressions Yiddished by adoption and intonation,left its hearers as mystified as their local Yiddish, richlyspiced with Spanish and Portuguese adaptations, leftthe Tanqui .

It was my privilege to address many Jewish meetingsand to hold numerous conferences with Jewish leaders .Everywhere I sought to impress upon my auditors thatthe Jews of the United States of North America weredeeply interested in the welfare of the Jews of SouthAmerica. Attention was devoted to the grievous prob-lems created by the tragedy which has engulfed EuropeanJewry, and much consideration was given to measureswhich might be taken by South American Jewry tocooperate in the relief work conducted by the WorldJewish Congress in Europe, and with the Jewish Agencyfor the upbuilding of Palestine. The situation in eachSouth American country was canvassed in detail, respect-ing participation in the projected Inter-American-JewishConference. General plans were laid for the conference,which is now scheduled to be held during July, 1941,in Montevideo, Uruguay .

North American Jews who will attend this conferencemay find something of interest in this volume concern-ing Jews who are doing their share in helping to buildthe economy of the South American countries . Theyare doing this as farmers and tradesmen, as peddlersand bankers, as doctors and industri alists, as writers andteachers. South American Jewry, though older thanour own, is nonetheless on the open frontier of theWestern Hemisphere . The sketches in this volume,

6

INTRODUCTION

which appeared in large part serially in the CONGRESS

WEEKLY, it is hoped will throw some light and givesome guidance upon this frontier.

In the course of our travels on the Southern contin-ent, I took about two thousand pictures . Some of themhave been found good ; quite a number have been ac-claimed excellent photographs of scenes and personali-ties of the countries visited and have been published inleading pictorial magazines . A few pictures appear inthis volume, selected mainly not because of their qualitybut because of their Jewish content.

The keen interest in South America is indicated bythe large attendance at a series of eleven lectures onthe theme given at the Free Synagogue, New York, thispast winter. These lectures were illustrated by slidepresentation of pictures "shot" in South America . Thelectures proved so popular that they were repeated inmany communities in the United States. They dealtwith such themes as "Behind the Curtain in SouthAmerica," "Fifth Column Activities in South America,""Zionism South of the Rio Grande," and "Jewish Lifein South America ."

Within the limitations of time imposed by the bur-dens of other pressing duties this little volume has beencomposed of material used in these lectures . In factthe book grew out of the enthusiastic suggestions offeredby auditors at the lectures, who expressed the hope theymight have something to pass on to friends of what theyhad heard from the platform and seen on the screen .

7

I

I

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Kind friends who helped supply the data may findtheir kindness sadly unrequited through neglect of de-tailed acknowledgment, which is here most gratefullyexpressed in a blanket of thanks . Worse though thannon-acknowledgment may be slips of the pen, throughfaulty notation of the accurate data these gracious folkso generously supplied . For this I ask forgiveness, andpromise correction should a second edition of this littlevolume ever be needed.

The changes in Jewish life in South America are pro-ceeding apace . Though immigration has been sloweddown by the political barriers erected as a result ofFascist propaganda and national fears created by WorldWar II, when peace happily dawns with Fascismcrushed, a new era in Jewish life will begin in SouthAmerica .

8

BRAZIL-FIRST AMERICAN JEWRY

EARLY four centuries ago, Jews came to the newlyfound American continent . They came to Brazil,like the founding fathers, to Plymouth Rock, as

refugees from intolerance. Many were sent by the In-quisition from Portugal because, as Marranos, they weretoo bad to be kept in Portugal with their dangerousheresies, and yet not bad enough (or perhaps not poorenough) to be condemned to the stake, their propertiesconfiscated for the good of the Church. As early as1625, the Jewish community in Pernambuco numberedalmost 5,000, including the residents of nearby Recife .

Historic record is clear that in the seventeenth centurythere came to America the first rabbi to reach ourshores, Rabbi Isaac Aboab from Amsterdam, Holland .Brazil was then under the liberal administration of theDutch. The Jewish community later sacrificially assistedthe Dutch garrison to meet the counter assault of thePortuguese, who finally regained control of all Brazil ._A shipload of Jews then fled Brazil . After many vicis-situdes they disembarked at New Amsterdam to form,in 1655, the first Jewish congregation in New York,active today as Congregation Shearith Israel, on CentralPark West. Some Jews remained behind as Marranos ;others came in later years, but only earnest research canuncover their traces, so thoroughly have they been assim-ilated into the general Brazilian community .

9

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At a service one Sunday morning last July, I wasprivileged to occupy the pulpit of the American UnionChurch of Rio de Janeiro . I told the congregationsomething of the story of the Jewish community inBrazil, the first in all the Americas. A lady of a dis-tinguished Rio family, after the service, told me ofcertain books in her home . "They have," she said,"queer characters and the page numbers run back-ward." These books came into the family on her hus-band's side, and, she added, he was probably of Jewishorigin, even as she ;was of Dutch origin, from Recife .

Jews Brought Sugar-CaneThe Recife district now produces large quantities of

sugar. For a long period during the seventeenth century,Brazil was the world's major sugar supply source. Thefirst cane was brought to the country by two Marranosin 1548, from the Island of Madeira, so that nearly 400years ago Jews came bearing great gifts to Brazil andAmerica.

The present Jewish population of Brazil is about75,000 . Only a small number are "old-timers ." Notmany are engaged in farming, though the agriculturalresources of Brazil, developed and undeveloped, areliterally enormous . The country is larger than all ofEurope-larger than the United States too-and itcould easily produce enough food to sustain Europe'steeming, underfed peoples .

The physical potentialities of Brazil for future colon-ization programs are tremendous . There are three great

10

BRAZIL, FIRST AMERICAN JEWRY

states among the twenty of the nation, each very muchlarger than Texas . The Amazon area is the largest un-developed area in the world with the least population .In all of Brazil the population is estimated at about 45millions .

President Getulio Vargas, Dr . Inman, Mrs. Inman, Ministerof Foreign Affairs Dr. Oswaldo Aranha, and the Author,

in the Patio o f the Presidential Palace at Rio

I had several conferences at the Palacio. Itamaraty,seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rio, with Dr.Toao Carlos Muniz, Minister of Immigration and Col-onization, concerning Jewish colonization matters . Theseconferences were arranged through the kindness of Dr .

1 1


Oswaldo Aranha, whom it was my pleasure to meet sev-eral times, including an intimate luncheon conferenceat the Palacio, where I was privileged to offer the toastto the President of the United States of Brazil, Dr .Getulio Vargas. Dr. Aranha, Minister of ForeignAffairs, responded with the toast to his Good Neighborand personal friend, the President of the United States'of America .

Refugees Create Industries

Dr. Muniz expressed himself as highly gratified withthe valuable contribution the Jewish community wasmaking to Brazil . With regard to the refugees who hadcome in recent years he said that some of them broughtnew industries, supplementing their limited financial,capital with large technical and intellectual capital .Thus, he added, these refugees provide work opportuni-ties for native Brazilians, for under the law every em-ployer of eight or more persons must use 75 percentBrazilian labor .

He expressed himself as more than willing to discussa future large colonization program, provided it waswith a responsible Jewish body, and not with anyonewho happened to be fired w_ ith the desire to "do some-thing for Jews."

There are tremendous tracts of rich land, govern-ment owned, which could be developed under a landgrant, to accommodate the energetic immigrant popula-tion Brazil needs . When turning me over to his firstsecretary for detailed material, Dr. Muniz assured me

1 2


of his willingness, as Ministro do Imigracao E Colo.n-izacao, to cooperate fully, for it meant, he said, the goodof Brazil .

It should be made clear that Brazilian immigration isper quota, directly patterned upon the United States ofAmerica immigration act . Two percent of the "countryof origin" population resident in Brazil in 1890 is thegeneral base underlying the quota, of whom 80 percentmust enter as agricultural workers and 20 percent astechnicians . Jews come in under their respective coun-tries of birth . Many Brazilian Jews who had plannedto migrate to the United States were deflected fromtheir European homes to Brazil by our 1924 quota law .

From 1934 to 1937 a large number of refugees, inthe thousands, entered Brazil . Because of internal pres-sures, largely fomented by Nazi propaganda, furthersevere restrictions were recently clamped down to reducerefugee immigration. Nonetheless, Dr. Muniz assuredme, Brazil will admit 150 families per month, if thehead of the family can come in as a "capitalist," readyto start in industry or business with 200 contos (about10 000 USA) . In addition there is a "reservoir" of

3,000 visas available, without time limit, for refugeesentering without capital, but only to join relatives resi-dent in Brazil .

Jewish Population Data .Jews are found in every city and- town of Brazil, even

in' distant Manaos, one thousand miles up the AmazonRiver, in'the old rubber jungle area . At"one time, before

13

I


the Brazilian rubber bubble burst, Manaos handled thelucrative traffic at its ocean steamer docks . The Amazonis such an amazingly large river it is navigable for oceanvessels up to Iquitos, 2,300 miles from the mouth .

Midnight on the Avenida Beira Mar-from the HotelGloria in Rio de Janeiro

Precise data in Brazil about anything is hard to get .Mas ou menas, more or less, is always a qualifyingphrase. There are about 25,000 Jews in Rio de Janeiro,the capital city of 2,000,000 population ; about 15,000Jews in Sao Paulo, the great industrial and commercialcenter of 1,200,000 population . Porto Alegre, capitalof the most southerly state, Rio Grande do Sul, with a

14


population of 370,000, and a very important commer-cial center, has a Jewish population of 6,000, mas oumenas . About 3,000 Jews now reside in Pernambuco,or about half the number who dwelt there back in theseventeenth century .

Rio is a tropic combination of summer resort and busymetropolis ; Sao Paulo has the feeling of a bustlingBoston with a New York tang, in a Miami sub-tropicfloricultural setting . Both haveflourishing Jewish com-munities, though the smaller, Sao Paulo, is the betterorganized .

Rio has three Sephardic synagogues, one Ashkenazicsynagogue that seats 300, and a large Ashkenazic"Temple," with space for 1,300 congregants, and asocial hall for 1,000 persons. This Temple is not yetcomplete ; in a city notable for its beautiful public struc-tures it would not qualify for even the last prize . Thisis a pity, for Brazilians place great stress on esthetics.

Rio Community WeakThe general weakness of the Jewish community in

Rio is due to its comparative . newness. In 1910 therewere perhaps 500 Jews in Rio, except for an old timeSephardic group whose members are now largely assim-ilated. After World War I, heavy immigration set in,principally from Poland and Rumania, as well as aLevantine stream, mainly from Morocco and Greece .

The Jewish community maintains its own schools, forthough public education is a major interest of the Gov-ernment, it favors private schools as a budgetary relief

1 5

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in the program to reduce the fearfully high rate of 80to 85 percent illiteracy now prevalent in Brazil. Thereare three Jewish schools in Rio, with about 425 pupilsand sixteen teachers, each located in a separate building,in different sections of the city . Curricula are not super-

Trio in Rio, Studying Torah

vised by the Government except for non-Jewish sub-jects. These must meet standards set by Governmentinspection. The Government provides no subvention ;the government inspector's salary is paid by the school,annually in advance . It should be added that Jewishchildren are freely admitted to the Government schools,and many attend, but it should also be noted that in

1 6


Rio, with two million population, there is only onepublic high school .

The orthodox group, which is not very numerous,maintains a Talmud Torah under the direction ofRabino Mordco Tzekinovsky, who is the rabbi of Rio .There are about sixty boy students ; girls are not al-lowed . Siddur, Tanach and some Gemarah are thesubjects of instruction ; the technique used is East Euro-pean. The rabbi, who is a scholarly, modest soul, wearsa slightly modified East European garb . He arrivedfrom Rumania about thirteen years ago .

Conference With Rio Rabbi

When I called at his home to meet him and RabinoDavid Valt of Sao Paulo, for a discussion of Jewishreligious life in Brazil, the dear little rebetzin served teamost self-effacingly, and timorously peeked out at themen folk. I am afraid she was puzzled by the beardlessNorte Americano Rabino, who probably was Jewish,for he carried credentials from the Gran Rabino DoctorStephen Wise, and was reported in the Rio newspaperImprensa Israelita to be president of the New YorkBoard of Jewish Ministers. The two orthodox rabbiswere also puzzled, withal delighted, when I told themthat the leading reform, conservative and orthodoxrabbis of New York had been meeting monthly, fornearly sixty years, in helpful discussion of problems ofmutual concern .

Rio Jews are engaged in small manufacturing enter-prises and in business, princ pally jewelry, clothing, furs

1 7


i and furniture, with heavy concentration in the last . Oneestimate given me in Rio stated that perhaps 70 percentof Jewish traders were "customer peddlers." This wasa form of enterprise many Jews followed in New York,and other North American cities, a generation ago .

Children in Kindergarten Class, Jewish School,Rio de Janeiro

Their sons and grandsons now operate the large install-ment houses, some of them tremendous enterprises .

The Rio Jewish Community lacks centrality of organ-ization. This is due in part to the comparative new-ness and heterogeniety of its elements . They have comefrom all over Europe and-until tied together by the

18


national language, Portuguese-they lack a commonmedium of communication, for many do not speak Yid-dish. The post-Hitler groups from Germany, Austriaand Italy have expressed their need for a Portuguesespeaking rabbi who would preach in the Temple, andbe the communal organizer and community leader .

As yet the community is too poor adequately to sup-port such a functionary, though there are a few wealthyJews who could bear the burden easily . But the com-plaint poured into my ears in Rio was that most ofthese "old-timers" are indifferent to Jewish matters .Some of them have even gone the way of the baptismalfount, with Catholic schools for their children, to endtheir outer ties with the Jewish community.

I asked a Jewish business man, a _director of theY.M.C.A. in Rio, for the address of the "Temple ."Though he had been in Rio for fifteen years, he hadnot even heard of its existence . In fact he claimed un-familiarity with Jewish life in Rio .

Sao Paulo Jewry

Sao Paulo Jewry has a beautiful temple, also with-out a rabbi, and seven other synagogues . Most of SaoPaulo's 15,000 Jews arrived after the end of WorldWar I. The community has just completed a Home forAged. It maintains a Day Nursery, has a Free LoanFund_ and supports a Talmud Torah . Through theSociety Ezra, in existence for twelve years, a Sanatoriopara Tuberculosos Pobres is maintained in a salubrious

19

1


district, for the care of poor Jews afflicted withtuberculosis .

Jewish institutions in Sao Paulo include three schoolsnow seven years old, with an enrolment of 350 children .They attend full time and study a curriculum approvedby the Government. Half of the teachers are non-JewishBrazilians. The children are from five to twelve yearsof age ; upon graduation they enter the Governmentschools.

These children also receive Jewish religious instruc-tion. Their books came from Poland. There is nowdanger that within a year the school text books will betoo worn for use. Replacement from United Statessources is very expensive, on account of the very unfav-orable rate of exchange . This text book and prayerbook problem afflicts the Jewish communities of allSouth America, except Argentina, which is more for-tunately situated .

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BRAZIL - II

PRESENT POLITICAL SITUATION

The Jewish position in Brazil cannot be clearly under-stood without some comprehension of the present poli-tical situation . Since 1930, Getulio Vargas has beenpresident of the republic in name, and dictator in fact,ruling every phase of Brazilian life by personal decreeand _filling all governmental posts by appointment . Theinternal policy is based upon Vargas' expressed de-termination to rule "until the crisis is over ."

The foreign policy is shaped by international develop-ments, with one eye upon the United States of America,powerful, capable of great financial generosity to a`mood" neighbor, anxious about continental solidarityand gravely concerned about its life-line, the PanamaCanal, only three hours' flight from western Brazil,even as eastern Brazil is but six hours' flight fromAfrica. The other eye of Brazilian foreign policy isturned toward Europe, its_ best export customer, nowunder the heel of a totalitarian Axis . They don't know,in the Palacio Itamaraty, who is going down to defeat,Germany or Britain, and so_ they are wary about takingany irretraceable steps, which might align them withthe losingg side .

Some of those who rule, with and through Vargas,are strongly inclined toward totalitarianism . None ismore so than Francisco -Campos, Minister of justice and

21


outstanding personality in the Vargas cabinet . He is anoutspoken denouncer of "decadent democracy ."

Until recently, the pro-fascist movement operatedunder the name of Integralismo . In May 1938, theIntegralists sought to capture the government, evenattempting Vargas' assassination. Their coup d'etatfailed, bringing down upon them and all Brazil thesevere repressive measures that now rule the country .

Decrees Curb Anti-Semitism

This has gravely affected the Jewish community inmany areas of activity, but is welcomed, on the whole,because it has also served to curb the rising tide of anti-Semitism generated by Nazi propagandists, who workedthrough the Integralists. The three Nazi subsidizedpapers in Rio and the three in Sao Paulo, plus the out-pouring of all other sorts of anti-Jewish material, ledsome Jewish leaders to feel that an erev-pogrom atmos-phere was being created .

Anti-Semitism among the Brazilians, despite their na-tive kindliness and their innate sense of simpatico, gavefearful promise of rapid tropical growth . There wasdanger of its flourishing with profusion . Many Brazil-ians are highly emotional, easily stirred into dangerousovert acts. which they would sincerely regret the nextday, but then it would be too late . The Integralistasfinally over-reached themselves ; but the anti-Jewishpoison they implanted has not disappeared, despite theirsuppression as a political menace to the Government .

Until the coming of Nazism engendered anti-Semit-

22


ism, well circumstanced members of the Jewish com-munity told me they had felt they were "living in aParadise,"_socially, culturally, and esthetically . Even inmidwinter, I saw' beautiful hibiscus, bougainvillea andpoinsettia flourish and bloom brilliantly in this tropical

Panorama of Famed "Sugar Loaf Mountain (extreme left)and Section of Rio de Janeiro from Mount Corcovado

land. But the bloom now wastes its fragrance on thoseJews who find themselves visited with minor and majordiscriminations.

Regime Semi-TotalitarianJews in Government service-and there are some-

now feel a changed atmosphere . Many are worried over

23

1


the immediate future, for in a semi-totalitarian regime,decree laws come by whim, overnight. One high Gov-ernment official not long ago delivered an attack thatseemed to have been written by a Goebbels graduate,for he was reported in the Diario Da Noite to havesaid

"It is easy to discover and identify those elementsamong the exploiters of all times, the war breeders,those who are without a Fatherland ; who if theyhad a Fatherland, would not be able to conduct it .Many of them, unwanted elsewhere, have stoleninto our own land, with prejudice against thosewho do the work of the community, and abusingour kindly hospitality, they have become involvedin the instruments of unscrupulous world finance ."

But the Brazilian Government is now so zealous ofmaintaining its reputation, especially in the UnitedStates of America, that it does not allow anti-Semiticmaterial to circulate . The above reported statement_was censored from later editions of newspapers .

Whereas two years ago the press carried heavily sub-sidized streams of anti-Semitic material, they do notrun such articles now. Several fierce anti-Jewish pamph-lets came from the envenomed pen of Gustavo Barroso,who combined his position of director of the National_Historic Museum at Petropolis with that of propagandistfor Integralismo. When the Integralist attempt at acoup was crushed he was placed in temporary protective

24

25

BRAZIL, FIRST AMERICAN JEWRT

custody and removed from his government post as apro-Nazi propagandist .

German Embassy PropagandaAfter the present war began, the German embassy in

Rio increased its staff by nearly a hundred persons .Previous to the outbreak of the war, the embassy hadbeen the scene of many brilliant parties to flatter andfavor high Brazilian officials, especially their wives . Manyimportant business men, industrialists and professionalmen had been invited to Germany on' "reduced fare"trips. They had been dined and wined there, and re-turned well fed on Nazi propaganda .

This propaganda in Brazil subsided for a while, butit is once more on the increase. Pro-British propagandadoes seek to counteract it. But, as one official in Brazilwhispered to me, "it is a struggle between a conscience-less, ruthless Al Capone and a polite Little LordFauntleroy." The Nazis now seek to capitalize on themoney they have spent profusely for the past seven yearsin Brazil, and are doing all they can to tie up theiranti-British propaganda with the Jews as allies ofEngland.

The Jewish communities of Brazil may not organizethemselves to prepare and circulate any material thatwould counteract the anti-Semitic influences generatedby the Nazis in Brazil. Brazilian Jews attempting todo so now would be charged with engaging in politicalactivity . As political activity is completely interdicted,self-defense is impossible .


To crush all political activity, a Vargas decree pro-hibits any meeting of twelve or more persons, in aprivate home or elsewhere, except for religious or socialpurposes, unless a police permit has been obtained fivedays in advance, and a police recorder is present . Theonly language allowed at a meeting is Portuguese .Meetings to discuss political matters-a very broadterm-are completely prohibited .

,Zionism ProhibitedNot knowing of this regulation, I suggested a confer-

ence, while in Rio, to discuss Jewish relief problemswith communal leaders . The meeting was called offbecause I do not speak Portuguese. Attempts at sur-reptitious meetings are stupid ; police surveillance isthorough and drastic .

This interdictment of "political" activities has dried__up all Zionist work for Palestine . To keep a pushkeat home into which to drop a few pennies for Palestineis illegal and dangerous. The Hatikvah, however, is notprohibited at Jewish religious gatherings, for it is re-garded as a sacred hymn . Similarly, the Zionist flagmay be shown near the ark in the Synagogue, for it, too,is regarded as a symbol of religious significance .

The Jewish religious status is satisfactory vis-a-vis theGovernment, which is most tolerant and liberal in thisfield. In fact, marriage by a rabbi is now civilly valid ;previous to a recent decree only civil marriage was rec-ognized .

Rio Jewry has a fine library called the Bialik Bibliotek.26

BRAZIL, FIRST AMERICAN JEWRT

At a Herzl memorial anniversary gathering held whileI was in Rio, about 250 persons assembled to hearaddresses on the life of Theodor Herzl. The policecensor was present, and as he understood Yiddish, thespeakers were permitted to speak Yiddish . But the

Rio Children Singing Hatikvah in Patio o f Jewish School

central motif of Herzl's life and work could only be re-ferred to as "a certain idea, well known to all, whichHerzl helped to establish ."

Cryptic Letter-WritingWhile in Rio I saw a sample of cryptic writing pro-

duced by the very real fear of mail censorship . The27


letter dealt with a certain Jewish problem . The writer,in Buenos Aires, told the recipient, who was visitingRio, that his disease had been described to a "wise"physician in New York, with an office on West 42ndStreet, who asked the advice of a famous specialistrecently arrived from Geneva, Switzerland . They hadboth decided the nature of the affliction warranted con-sultation with the greatest medical authority in theUnited States, who has a large white clinic building inWashington. The sick man in Rio was urged not tolose courage ; a cure for his malady might yet be found,and would be rushed to him by Pan American clipper.

But I must be clear on this point ; the Jewish com-munity on the whole is pleased with and grateful for theVargas regime, for among many benefits may be countedthe throttling of Nazi anti-Jewish propaganda .

Though no Brazilian Jew dare dream of attending, asa delegate, a World Zionist Congress-to do so wouldmean the loss of his passport and non-return to Brazil-yet the efforts of the Government to crush anti-Govern-ment forces have been indirectly beneficial to the Jewishcommunity. The problem for American Jewish leader-ship is to work out the modus operandi whereby theBrazilian Government can be diplomatically informedthat Zionism contains . no element of danger to thestability of the Vargas regime . Only in this way canthe 75,000 Jews of Brazil help to contribute to the greatprogram of reconstruction now in progress in Palestine .

28


Brazil's Refugee Problem

Another great concern in Brazil is the refugee prob-lem. Fearing an influx of refugees, and, as Dr. CarlosMuniz graciously phrased it, the "attendant complicat-ing social problems," the refugee "flood" was throttleddown to those who came to join relatives . Dr. Munizemphasized at my conference with him that "this per-mission extends even to grandparents ."

There are some hundreds of refugees in Rio with"tourist" status only. They, of course, take chances ifthey work ; their employers likewise . I met several suchrefugees, who are being grossly exploited because theyare "illegal ." Though the police do not campaignagainst the "illegals" in the country, the refugees areharried by the constant fear of the police descendingupon them. The Government, aware of the situation,has declared that legalization may be attained throughcertain documentations, but the stamp tax is 1 conto-a huge sum ($50 U.S.A .) for the average refugee to ac-cumulate from his own stripped resources .

There are about 3,500 German refugees in Sao Paulo-some of them have not yet legalized their changefrom "tourist" to permanento . The tourists, of course,are not allowed to work . They are supported by theJewish community .

One of the finest personalities I met in Brazil issaintly Dr. H. C. Tucker, an American Protestant mis-sionary and social worker, beloved for his self-sacrificingservice to Brazilians for over a half century. I learned

29


that Dr. Tucker rescued a young Jewish refugee fromjail, who had been arrested in Rio for peddling withouta permit. A license was non-issuable to the youth, forhe was a "tourist ." He had been in jail from January23 to July 1, 1940, and might have stayed on indefin-itely. But good old Dr . Tucker got him out, loaned himthe money to legalize his status, and found him a jobin Sao Paulo as mechanic.Dr. Tucker is doing a grand job right now, at my

request, to help a poor Viennese Jewish orphan girl whoentered Brazil as a novice-in-training to_ become a nun-and now repents of her adolescent decision .

Indeed, I learned of some refugees who found thattheir entrance to Brazil could be facilitated if they wouldbut accept the Catholic faith. Some of them are follow-ing in the very footsteps of their Marrano brothers ofthe fifteenth and sixteenth centuries-only now it is thehideous Nazi terror, as then it was the Holy Inquisition,that sends them to Brazil. So once again, after fourhundred years, Brazil receives on its hospitable shoresmen and women seeking freedom of body and peace ofsoul in the first Jewish community established in theWestern Hemisphere .

30

I

JEWS OF DEMOCRATIC URUGUAY

RUGUAY is a small South American country, witha population of 2,135,000 . It has an area of72,153 square miles, or about the size of the New

England States . A large section of the population dwellsin Montevideo, the capital of the nation, which has apopulation of 520,000 . The Jewish community in Mon-tevideo now numbers about 30,000, including about5,000 refugees . About 20,000 Jews live in the "camp,"i .e., the country outside Montevideo .

The early Jewish settlers coming in large numbersbegan to arrive after 1910. They found very few Jewsin Montevideo. By 1917, their number had reached apoint where they could organize a kehillah, and as timewent on they established several communal societies andinstitutions. These include a home for aged and twoorphan asylums also serving as day nurseries . The sec-ond orphan asylum was recently established by Germanrefugees, with the assistance of funds from the UnitedStates. The principal Ashkenazic and Sephardic syna-gogues are housed in excellent buildings ; each is servedby a rabbi .

There are five Jewish schools where instruction is inYiddish. The schools operate in morning and after-noon shifts ; the morning shift children attend the Gov-ernment schools in the afternoon, and vice versa. This

31


arrangement meets with Government favor on accountof the shortage of school buildings.

Jewish leaders reported to me that, in the main, theGerman Jews refuse to mix with either the Sephardic orAshkenazic community . They have established theirown synagogue, etc., including cemetery, despite, theefforts of the East European Jews to create a singlecommunity. When the refugees first arrived, the com-munity assisted them with money for purchasing goodsto be peddled, sewing machines for craftsmen, andother services. It also operated an employment office tohelp the refugees find work. But community coopera-tion between the two groups has not yet been achieved .

Thus the 30,000 Jews of Montevideo are divided intothree groups-East European, German and Sephardic .Quite a number of "second generation" Ashkenazic andSephardic Uruguayans now live in Montevideo, and itis hoped these will help bring the communities together .To date, however, all efforts for a union of the threegroups have been fruitless .

Cooperative Customer Peddlers

About ten years ago the Jewish community (EastEuropean) founded a "customer peddler's" cooperative..These peddlers sell merchandise on long terms andweekly payments. Their activities have made possiblethe purchase of goods many Uruguayans could nototherwise have acquired . The cooperative owns a fivestory building (cost 100,000 pesos) in which is storedand exhibited to prospective customers of peddler mem-

32

i

YEWS OF DEMOCRATIC URUGUAY

bers, all kinds of dry goods, furniture, housefurnishings,radios and anything else a customer may care to buyon long terms .

The cooperative has two hundred members, a paid-incapital of 250,000 pesos, and has sixty employees . Thedividends are ploughed back into the enterprise, whichis conducted on a high level of efficiency . The coopera.tive is an essential element in the life of the Jewish com-munity, and is concededly of benefit to the Uruguayansgenerally. Without it, they would have difficulty acquir-ing many of the comforts that now enhance their homelives. Incidentally, the cooperative helps trade with theUnited States of America .

Another interesting institution is the Jewish coopera-tive bank, with 100,000 pesos paid in capital and asurplus of 22,000 pesos . In 1939, it earned for its 1,200active and 400 inactive members a net profit of 10,000pesos. It has twelve employees, working full time in agood building owned by the bank . The affairs are man-aged by a board of fifteen members, who make loans upto 15,000 pesos to approved persons . The interest rateis one percent per month. Other banks in Montevideomake loans at from 7 percent to 9 percent per year, buttheir credit policy is not so liberal to all Jewish appli-cants ; their managements are too conservative to dealwith Jewish newcomers who are without means .

The Cooperative BankThe most interesting feature of the operation of this

cooperative bank lies in its distribution of 70 percent33


of its profits to Jewish communal causes and organiza-tions, including schools, home for aged, etc ., as well ascontributions to Palestine upbuilding through the KerenHayesod and Keren Kayemeth . It also helps supportADCA, which will be described later .

Jewish Community Leaders at Cooperative Bank inMontevideo, Uruguay

There is another and larger Jewish cooperative bank,which was in great difficulties when I was in Montevideobecause it had fallen under Communist control . Thesedifficulties were creating serious drafts on the resourcesof the smaller bank . The directors of the smaller bank,at a special session convened to meet with me, pleaded

34

JEWS OF DEMOCRATIC URUGUAY

for support from North American Jewish financialsources through a well secured loan . This would increasetheir working capital, enlarge their effectiveness to thestruggling members of the Jewish community and helpto tide them over the critical phase of their affairs .

I was greatly impressed by the earnestness and unsel-fishness of these men, who realize that only throughfinancial cooperation can they work out their seriousproblems of economic adjustment and development intheir new home. American Jewish financial interestscould make a genuine and lasting contribution to Jewishwelfare in Uruguay by assisting this credit venture.

The "Communist controlled" bank situation deservesdescription . This bank has about 5,000 members, madeloans on attractive terms, and also conducted severalcooperative facilities, including medical aid for its mem-bers. The approximately 300 Jewish communists inMontevideo are a well disciplined group. By zealous"front" work and through the general inattention of theJewish community, this Communist crowd obtainedcontrol of the management of the bank . As there is onlya weak Jewish press in Uruguay, those who opposedthe infiltration of the leftist influence made little head-way .

Communists Control BankThe Communists then used "their" bank to help

destroy capitalism ! They gave financial support to theirdaily paper-patterned after the New York Freiheit,-and even helped to finance non-Jewish Communists in

35


their work in Uruguay. When the Government assailedthem, they ran to cover crying "anti-Semitism!" In thebank building run by the Communists they staged aparty in celebration of the "freedom" that had come tothe Jews of Bessarabia, Poland and Latvia, through in-corporation into Soviet Russia .

It has been reported to me that some of these "Com-munist bankers" resorted to manipulation and grafting,a few suddenly acquiring expensive homes. Thesepeculations were hidden for a while, but distrust finallyspread among some of the depositors . When the situa-tion became acute and bankrutpcy imminent, the issuewas postponed by declaring a "moratorium" on accountof the war, which had just broken out .

IThere was financial distress among many of the de-

positors. It is especially regrettable that some refugeesdeposited their rescued pittances in the closed bank . The"moratorium" excuse saved public face for the timebeing, but the scandal may yet break, with double bar-reled results because of the tie-up of Jews and Com-munists. Such a scandal will have bad repercussionsthroughout South America, and may well have anequally bad reaction in the Untied States .

At present the Communist party is legal in Uruguay .It polled about 5,000 votes in the last election ; of theseit is estimated that perhaps 6 percent were those of Jews .But the general talk in Uruguay, fomented by the Nazisand their collaborators, is that all the Communist voteswere those of Jews .

36


ADCA Fights Anti-SemitismTo meet the rising tide of anti-Semitism fomented by

the Nazis, the Jewish community in Uruguay, aboutthree years ago, organized the Asociacion de De f ensaContra el Anti-Semitismo, popularly called ADCA . Thepresident is Senor Mauricio Milies, engaged in the furbusiness, whose son, born in Uruguay, is one of theprominent physicians of Montevideo . On the day ofmy coming to Montevideo an audience took place withthe President of the Republic of Uruguay, GeneralAlfredo Baldomir, at which the committee of five prom-inent Jewish leaders discussed matters of consequence toUruguay, its Jewish citizens and residents .

I understood the President to have stated amongother things that German refugees now dwelling illegallyin Uruguay would be permitted to regularize their ad-mittance, provided the Jewish community would helpto assist the authorities in sifting out from among theserefugees those who are fake and fifth columnists . Aserious responsibility was thus placed on the Jewishcommunity, which delegated the task to the ADCA .

Nazi activity in Uruguay has been serious and de-termined, for Montevideo is the strategic key to theRio de la Plata basin, which is the outlet for and givescontrol of Paraguay, Bolivia and northern Argentina, aswell as Uruguay. Quantities of incriminating correspon-dence, propaganda material and military equipmentwere seized by the authorities, through informationplaced at their disposal by certain well-posted persons incontact with the ADCA .

37


It was established that Uruguay was the center ofNazi activity for South America and Central America .One letter was found, I was informed, from theUruguayan Nazi headquarters to the German Embassyat Washington, D. C., asking for help in establishingcontact with Germans in a certain Central Americancountry without a German minister . Astoundingly fulldetails were discovered of a coup to take over Uruguay,upon signal from Berlin .

U. S. A. Cooperation

With the cooperation of the United States of America,some of the facts disclosed were released for publicationonly after the United States cruiser Quincy appearedin the harbor of Montevideo . As one Government min-ister told me, tiny Uruguay, with its 8,000 soldiers andtwenty minutes' supply of ammunition, could not standalone against the might of Nazi Germany .Arrests were made and some-not all-of the details

of the plot were publicly disclosed . Heavy pressure fromGermany, plus equally effective pressure from the pro-Nazi group in Buenos Aires (across the River Plate fromMontevideo) resulted however in the gradual release ofmost of those arrested . But the .danger of a coup forthe time was passed . But only for a time .

Uruguay is greatly concerned about Nazi activity andlooks to Brazil, large neighbor on its north boundary andto the United States of America, its powerful friend upNorth, for support . Because of this reliance it is now

38


holding the Fascist conspirators on trial for their crimesagainst the state.

Fascism has many friends in Uruguay . These fascistsources carry on serious anti-Jewish propaganda in news-papers, by pamphlets, stickers and the other usual means .

Officers of the ADCA, discussing the matter with aGovernment official, were told that the Jews couldstart an action, under existing Uruguayan law, whichhe felt sure could stop the stream of anti-Jewish publi-cations. The matter received earnest study by ADCAofficials, who may turn to others for guidance andsupport .

Zionist Activity Enthusiastic

Under cover of a decree to "raise the cultural levelof Uruguay, some of the anti-Semites are planning a billto prohibit the public use, both written and oral, oflanguages that are not academically recognized . Thiswould, they hope, block the Yiddish press and the Yid-dish language at public meetings in Uruguay. One ofthe Uruguayan Senators has already drafted the billand recently introduced the measure . Its progress mustbe carefully watched, for it would set a dangerous prece-dent in South America .

Zionist activity is carried on with enthusiasm underthe general supervision of the Zionist Federation, ofwhich Senor T . Schaffer is president . That such activ-ity is possible is an index of the liberality and intelli-gence of the Uruguayan Government, and a credit tothe alertness of Jewish leadership . When the Govern-

39


ment, in its efforts to curb Fascist and Communist activ-ities, sought to develop decrees against organizations withinternational connections, there was great danger thatZionist work would be seriously affected .

The Ashkenazic Synagogue in Montevideo, Uruguay

During the debates in the Uruguayan Congress onthe proposed legislation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs,Dr. Alberto Guani, specifically declared on the floor ofthe Chamber of Deputies that the laws would not applyto Zionist work in Uruguay . When another series oflaws was being drafted to curb anti-Uruguayan activitiesby organizations within the country, the texts were soframed at first that, under an adverse interpretation,

40


the Jewish communal organizations would have beencrippled .

The situation was saved when it was suggested to theauthorities that a clause be inserted exempting religiousbodies from the prohibitions cited . Under this clausethe Jewish group is able to carry on its proper work,without menace or harm to Uruguayan interests, andwith great cultural and social benefits to the Jewishcommunity and the causes it seeks to serve .

Uruguayan Jewry some months ago convened a na-tional conference in Montevideo to plan a campaign forWar Relief, World Jewish Congress and Palestine . Six-teen delegates with known Communist connections at-tended. They walked out, however, in a body, whenthe conference insisted on including Palestine in itsprogram. Thereafter the Communists organized a sep-arate relief project, using a euphonious "front" name .

In Uruguay we have a small but well-knit Jewishcommunity struggling to its feet, in an atmosphere ofliberalism and democracy, not altogether free fromNazi-inspired anti-Jewish feeling. It is plagued by cer-tain Communists who as Jews seek to disrupt andweaken Jewish life in Uruguay and use resources theyhave captured to aggrandize and strengthen Commun-ism. Some of the problems this tangled situation pre-sents must be speedily resolved, and their solution can-not come as much from Uruguay as from the greatJewish community in the United States of America towhich the Jewish leadership in Uruguay looks withmuch hope and high anticipation .

4 1

JEWISH LIFE IN ARGENTINA

ARGENTINA is a land of extremes in wealth andpoverty. The proverbial Argentine millionaire ofour old time musical comedies is a reality in his

own land. He shares the stage of life, on his vastestancia domain, with the impoverished peon whopossesses little besides the garments on his back . It is aland of contrasts, a land without much of a middleclass. About one-fifth of its people-2,500,000-dwellin the sprawling metropolis of Buenos Aires, third larg-est city in the Western Hemisphere . Here a middle classis rapidly developing. In this center, as in Rosario,Cordoba, Mendoza and other Argentine metropolitancenters, Jews are to be found making their contribu-tion to the economic development of the country.

There are about 23,000 Jewish business firms inArgentina, ranging from the tiny haberdashery shopkept by a lone Sephardi in the Judengasse in BuenosAires to the colossal "Bunge-Born ." The latter is anorganization headed by Senor Alfredo Hirsch, with vastcapital resources. It deals with and owns lands, grains,flour mills, real estate, cattle, banks and a huge grocerychain called Grandes Dispensas Argentinas, popularlyknown as GDA. So great are its resources that an im-portant attache at the United States Embassy said tome, half seriously, "Bunge-Born owns most of Argen-

43


tina." Though decidedly in error, it is the commontalk, despite the fact that the rich estancieros, with theiralmost limitless landholdings, are certainly not Jewish .

It is true that there are Jews important in commerceand industry, and that a few like Senor Ezra Teubaland Senor David Calles have reached high rank as in-dustrialists. Senor Teubal, a Sephardi, is a remarkablepersonality,-a sweet simple man, who is the essence ofgentility and kindness. He is that rara axis in NorthAmerican Jewish life-an humble, non-self-opinionatedmillionaire . And he possesses another quality rarelyfound today among our North American millionairedom-deep spirituality and genuine religious feeling . SenorDavid Calles is an Ashkenazi ; vigorous, alert, creativelyingenious, less facile in speech but decidedly construc-tive in action, a builder of his own fortune and a sacri-ficing servant of the community . There are quite anumber of such men as Teubal and Calles, but I citethem from first-hand observation, as typical of theirgroup in the Argentine .

Some Jews head large textile and rayon plants-notable among them is Jose Mirelman, who in himselfis the Jewish Publication Society of Argentina . He isthe patron of a fine collection of books, projected forpublication in Spanish, to stimulate Jewish cultural lifein Argentina .

Jewish Cooperatives

Many Jews, of course, are employees and workers inindustry, for Buenos Aires is a compound of Chicago,

44

ARGENTINA, THE LEADING JEWRY

Paris and Detroit. They are leather workers, furnituremakers and garment operatives, and are banded to-gether for mutual benefit in trade cooperatives . Manyhundreds of Jews are engaged in merchandising as"customer peddlers," selling direct to the consumer at

Roof Top Panorama of Vast Buenos Aires, Third LargestCity in Westehn Hemisphere

long terms and on installment payments, maintainingtheir offices "under their hats ." They operate princi-pally through cooperatives of the type found in Mon-tevideo, Uruguay. The Sociedad Commercial Israelitawas founded in 1913, with 400 members and a capitalof about 2,800,000 pesos . The Cooperatiaa Commercial

45


Israelita Argentina was established in 1923, with 800members and a capital of about 1,700,000 pesos. Bothare flourishing organizations. There are many Jewishfirms engaged in import and export trade, the latter,before the present war crippled commerce, dealing inlarge shipments of cereals, hides and wool . These threeitems are major surplus products of the normal Argen-tine economy . In this normal economy Jews have playedan important part.

It is fair to summarize the situation in the words ofan old resident of B. A., as Buenos Aires is popularlycalled, "a great deal of industry has been created byJews ; there are a few wealthy Jews and a small sectionin the middle class . In the main, Jews are proletariat,seeking earnestly to consolidate their positions ." Thissame authority, after we had gone over the field fromall angles, said that "Jews in Argentina are gravelyconcerned about the future . It all depends on the out-come of the war . If Germany wins, Argentina couldeasily turn totalitarian . And," he added, "dictatorshipis a century-old technique in Latin America ." On theother hand, with Britain the victor, the Argentine peo-ple, who are friendly to the British, will go strong againsttotalitarianism and the Jewish position will becomedefinitely more favorable .

Zionism in ArgentinaHence the Jew in the Argentine, as everywhere else

in the world, anxiously watches the progress of theBattle of Britain . He knows from bitterest experience

46


what a Nazi victory will mean, and he is familiar withthe widespread Fifth Column efforts to add Argentinato the Nazi domain.

The Jew in the Argentine is also an enthusiastic Zion-ist, anxious to contribute to the speedy upbuilding ofPalestine. Much of Jewish activity in Argentina revolvesaround Zionist thinking. Many meetings are held todiscuss Zionist developments. It was my privilege toattend many conferences of Jewish organizations andto address meetings and large gatherings in BuenosAires, Cordoba, Mendoza and elsewhere in Argentina .Women, Jewish women, were conspicuously absent . Thiswas especially true at evening convocations, and is inaccord with Argentine mores .

Nonetheless, Jewish women do not play an incon-spicuous part in certain Jewish philanthropic movementsin Argentina, nor are they absent from the Zionistmovement. WIZO, the Women's International ZionistOrganization, has over 5,000 members in Buenos Airesalone, with active branches in Cordoba, Rosario, Men-doza and the other centers of Argentine Jewish life . Infact WIZO is so well organized that it occupies its ownbuilding in Buenos Aires as national headquarters .

All genuine Jewish work, I was assured in BuenosAires, is under Zionist-minded influence . The Argen-tine Zionist Organization has over one hundred centersin Argentina . Its six thousand members contributeabout 300,000 pesos a year to the organization, whichoccupies a large central office building as headquartersin Buenos Aires . This building is owned by the

47


Federation Sionista Argentina, of which energetic Sam-uel Rabinovich is Presidente . Like the WIZO centraloffice building, it is used for administrative purposesand cultural activities .

The Mizrachi, orthodox wing of the Zionist move-ment, took on new life on the East Coast of SouthAmerica this past summer, through the visit and laborsof Rabbi Wolf Gold, who is president of the WorldMizrachi Executive Committee . We met in BuenosAires at a convocation, where he most uncomplaininglyand self-effacingly endured a long-winded address byme in "Pan Americaner Yiddish," while he patientlywaited for the opportunity to present what proved tobe a stirring address for Mizrachi Zionism .

Zionist Flag Prohibited

Though Zionism is vigorous as a movement through-out the Argentine, the exhibition of the Zionist flag isprohibited by the Government. It has not been allowedeven in Jewish schools and synagogues for the past threeyears. Thus the situation is the reverse of that in Brazil,where Zionism as an active movement is interdicted,but the Zionist flag is permitted in synagogues as areligious symbol, and the singing of Hatikva'h is per-mitted in Jewish schools, as a religious hymn .

The Zionist center of all South America is located inBuenos Aires, for after all about seventy percent ofSouth America's half million Jews dwell in Argentina .From Buenos Aires go forth representatives of the Jew-ish Agency for Palestine to all parts of South America,

48


to obtain the cooperation of the Jewish communities ofthe continent in the upbuilding of Palestine . For thepast two years a unified campaign has been carried onamong South American Jews for relief of stricken Jewryin Europe and creative work in Palestine . This is thejoint campaign of the World Jewish Congress and theJewish Agency . The funds raised are apportionedequally .

The World Jewish Congress, which has establisheda record for relief work in the European area, is sup-ported by the funds which Buenos Aires sends to theWorld Jewish Congress executive, now located in NewYork. The work of the World Jewish Congress is highlyregarded in Argentina, where it maintains a Bureauheaded by Dr. Jacob Hellman, noted Jewish publicistand former member of the Latvian Chamber ofDeputies .

The DAIA

The major strength of the World Jewish Congress inArgentina is derived from the cooperation extended bythe Argentine Jewish Congress, popularly known as theDATA. The Delegacion de Asociaciones IsraelitasArgentina was founded in 1933 as the first step in awide campaign to boycott Nazi-made merchandise . TheDATA early took the position that any Jew who dealtin German goods should be dropped from any Jewishcommunal position he might hold . If a director onthe board of a Jewish institution, he had to ceasehandling German material, or be dropped from the

49


board. The Buenos Aires Hevrah Kadishah, a uniquelypowerful institution, to be later described, declared, asa member of the DATA, that burial in its cemeterywould be refused to any Jew guilty of dealing in Ger-man goods .

At the Open Ark of Beautiful Sephardic Synagoguein Buenos Aires

The executive board of the DATA, made up of leadersin Jewish life, meets weekly under the presidency ofDr. Moises Cadoche, a Sephardi of the third genera-tion in Argentina. To communicate with this zealousleader of Argentine Jewry, who like most Sephardimdoes not speak Yiddish, I had to shape my thoughts in

50


English, express them in Pan-Americaner Yiddish to Dr.Moises Goldman, the brilliant Secretary of the DATA,who conveyed them to Dr . Cadoche in Spanish .

Both the President and Secretary of DATA are com-paratively young men ; both are third generation Argen-tinians. In their persons they represented a happyblending of the powerful Sephardic Jewish communityand the more numerous Ashkenazic community, unitedin a common front to meet the problems facing Argen-tine Jewry .

The principal work of the DAIA is combating anti-Semitism. The methods include issuance of weekly re-leases to the Argentine press, which many papers publishextensively, and the publication of pamphlets rebuttinganti-Jewish pamphlets issued in large quantities in acountry where the pamphlet is a popular propagandavehicle. It is not permitted, under Argentine regula-tions, to use the radio for propaganda. Many non-Jewsin high station are friendly to the Jewish cause ; thesevoluntarily, by pen and voice, by pamphlet and book,have risen to the defense of democracy and the Jew .

Anti-Semitism IncreasingThe pre-Hitler days in Argentina were not disfigured

by anti-Semitism. There was some, though slight, eco-nomic discrimination against Jews prior to 1933 . Eightyears of Nazi propaganda have borne evil fruit in anincrease in discrimination against Jews seeking jobs,thus paralleling the development in the United States .

Certain social discriminations suffered by Jews in

5 1


the United States, such as being denied accommoda-tions in places with "restricted clientele," do not existin Argentina . Until very recently the social relationsbetween Jews and Christians have been of the finest .In certain circles, the intensification of pro-Nazi warpropaganda has led to a slight rift, but as yet this isnot considered serious in extent or character .

Several years ago the rising tide of Nazi propagandaswept into the pro-Nazi camp one of the higher officialsof the great medical school in Buenos Aires. Quite anumber of the students were also caught in this pro-Naziwave. The official addressed these one day, ending witha declaration that "No Jewish student would be able tostay after the following Monday ."

There were about 200 Jewish medical students en-rolled at this time . Being forewarned, they came onthe fatal Monday prepared for the scrimmage equippedwith stub length of rubber hose . The Nazis came armedwith blackjacks. A terrific fight took place . Manystudents were hurt. But the Nazis were defeated, numer-ous Christian students having come to the aid of theoutnumbered Jews .

The medical school was closed for several weeks. Theinfluential papers of Buenos Aires,-and no city inSouth America has a more outspoken press-assailedthe Nazi-minded school official. He was forced to resign ;school was resumed. But since the unfortunate fracasthe enrollment of Jewish students has been droppingsteadily ; whereas it had been about five percent of thestudent body, it is now about two percent .

52


Jewish Interne AssaultedIn one of the large hospitals in Buenos Aires, of

about 600 bed capacity, interneships were annuallyawarded to graduates of the medical school with higheststanding. The awards were always made without dis-crimination, until Nazism infected the pro-German direc-torate of the hospital . Deserving Jewish students weretold not to apply, despite high rank .

About three years ago one Jewish lad refused towithdraw his application ; under the hospital rules hewas given an interneship . All sorts of hazing followed,but he bravely hung on, obtaining a police permit tocarry a revolver, for his life was threatened. One dayseveral of the pro-Nazi internes ganged up on him, tookaway his gun and proceeded to punish him. Apparentlythey were under instructions not to inflict "visible" pun-ishment. So they dragged him into the X-ray room ofthe hospital and bound him on a table . Then the X-raymachine was turned on him for sterilization !

As the "non-visible punishment" proceeded he wasurged to resign, but the boy held out . When he realizedthat his torturers were as much in deadly earnest asthough he were in the torture chamber of a MunichBraunhaus, he consented to resign before the deadly rayshad been too long applied . Two credible informantsadvised me, as we sat in the lounge of the City Hotel inBuenos Aires, my notebook filling up with this almostincredibly bizarre story, that there has been no Jewishinterne in this hospital since.

53

FIFTH COLUMN IN ARGENTINA

The Fifth Column in Argentina is no journalist'sinvention. Neither does it operate underground only .Its activities soon become obvious to one who has studiedNazi ausland techniques. I found the Nazis shapingtheir Argentina propaganda to harmonize with thegeneral pattern of trade rivalry between Argentina andthe U. S. A., as in the United States they shape theirpropaganda along isolationist and anti-Jewish lines .

Though a Good-Neighbor Roosevelt is now in theWhite House, the old Argentine motto, current duringthe days of Theodore Roosevelt-that the Yankee perilis greater than the Yellow peril-is used, in revisedform, by the Nazi propagandists . It should be recalled,as we enter a new phase of World War II with theenactment of the lease-lend law for our all-out-aid tothe democracies, that though Argentina was not officiallypro-German in World War I, it was definitely, in moodand manner, anti-United States .

When I asked Dr. Navarro Monzo, of the ArgentineMinistry of Foreign Affairs, what Argentina thought ofthe proposal for achieving continental security throughcontinental solidarity, his reaction was frigid and un-sympathetic. With uncommon frankness for a diplomathe added, "It would be worse, if in order to escape froma hegemony from Europe (here he was diplomatic

54

ARGENTINA, THE LEADING JEWRT

enough not to name Nazi Germany) we should throwourselves into the hands of another country."

German propaganda in Argentina is. both pro-Naziand anti-U.S.A. Large colored caricature placards areparaded through the main streets of Buenos Aires

Anti-U .S.A., Anti-Jewish Magazine Being Sold in Streetso f Buenos Aires

accompanied by leather-lunged hawkers. These callattention to the placards and sell La Clarinada, an anti-U.S.A ., anti-British, anti-Jewish periodical .

Nazi propaganda in Buenos Aires, one Jewish leaderassured me-and his word was re-echoed by non-JewishArgentiniansmay seem silly to us Norte Americanos,

55


but it is carefully geared for different classes . It registerssharply with certain groups despite the seeming stupidityof its assertions .Somewhere Robert E. Sherwood has written, "We

cannot ignore the fact that Nazi Trojan horses aregrazing in all the fertile fields of South America." Cer-tainly I felt that way about the rich pampas of Argen-tina after talking with Senor Carlos Sanchez Viamonte,leader in the Argentine Socialist Party. He declaredforthrightly that Nazi propaganda is under the directionof the German embassy in Buenos Aires, and that thelarger German business houses are really functioning aspolitical organizations.

Nazi Penetration Serious

One of the most courageous battlers for democracyin the Argentine is Senator Alfredo Palacios, outstand-ing in the Socialist Party and successful assailant of thegrafting officialdom in the Palomar land scandal whichrocked the Ship of State while we were in Buenos Aires .Senator Palacios declared, in a conference with a fewof our group, that "Nazi penertation is far more seriousthan the public believes ."

One authority, who asked to remain anonymous, saidto me, "Ninety percent of our Catholic clergy is pro-Fascist. There are two certain newspapers in BuenosAires ; one is subsidized by Rome, the other by Berlin .Both are pro-Fascist ; both are edited by the same man."Should Franco be forced, however reluctantly, to jointhe Axis powers, Spain's numerous cultural contacts will

56


become dangerous to the United States. The Catholicclergy in Spain might well win over the influential SouthAmerican Catholic clergy . In Argentina this influenceis large .

Moses and Aaron Depicted on the Beautiful Wrought IronStreet Gates o f the Famous Catholic Cathedral

in Cordoba, Argentina

In certain sections among the wealthy ruling groupthere is much sympathy for the Nazi totalitarian system.They note with anguish the rise of liberalism in theirland ; like certain deluded pro-Fascists north of the RioGrande, they would abandon liberty itself to "save"their positions .

57


The President Resigns

President Roberto Ortiz had just tendered his resigna-tion because of the Palomar land scandal involvingmembers of his administration . He is anti-Nazi but, Iwas informed, is surrounded by some men who work forhis downfall . He has been a very sick man now formany months, and his hold on the reins of the Govern-ment is none too secure .

Several important Jewish personalities of Buenos Airesand I were seated in a cafe the day Ortiz had sent inhis resignation . It was far beyond midnight : we hadcome from one of those long Jewish conference meet-ings. No one dreamed of going to bed . For one thingit was too early, by Buenos Aires standards . For another,everyone was tense with political excitement . Fear wasin the hearts of these Jewish leaders ; anxiety was writtenon their faces, though they sought to hide their emotionsfrom their North American guest .

Two things brought them hope, helped to cheer themup. One was the harsh, deep-throated cry of thousandsof men whom that night we had seen marching thestreets of Buenos Aires in solid phalanxes, demanding"Ortiz, Ortiz, Ortiz ." They found this an omen thatthe populace would urge the Argentine Congress notto accept Ortiz' resignation .

The other gleam of hope came to them from myreport of a conference some of our group had held latethat afternoon with Dr. Rudolfo Luque, managingeditor of La Prensa . Through a fortunate previous

58


engagement, we came to Dr. Luque's office at the verymoment of crisis in Argentina's affairs . The equanimitywith which Dr. Luque received us was amazing . As Iremarked at the time to Dr. Samuel Guy Inman, leaderof our group, "Imagine attempting to see the managingeditor of the New York Times just as the proposed abdi-cation of the President of the United States had comeover the wires ." Inman answered . "Why, of course,even the third assistant office boy would have been toobusy to see some foreign folks from way below theEquator ."

But, as I told my avid cafe listeners, Dr . Luque hadsat there calmly during the interview . He had expressedto us the firm belief that the Congress would reject theproferred resignation . He even declared that Ortizwould come out of the ordeal stronger politically .

Argentina Orientation European

And this words proved true, to the immense relief ofthe Jews of the Argentine . It was a great relief as wellto the Hon. Monett B. Davis, U. S . Consul General atour Embassy in Buncos Aires, upon whom fell the greatburden of keeping our State Department posted on theextraordinary developments in Argentina . Our Ambas-sador, Norman Armour, happened to be in the UnitedStates at the time . When I called on Mr. Davis, it wasgratifying to find him self-possessed, despite the stress ofthe critical hour. As much as anyone he knows theramifications of the Fifth Column in the Argentine, andthe key positions held by certain none too friendly

59


Argentine officials in the complex of Argentina-U .S.A .relations.

The major orientation of Argentina is toward Europe,cultural as well as commercial, financial as well as poli-tical. The Argentine army has been trained by Ger-mans ; many of its officers were students in Germany orItaly. Nearly one-fourth the population of the countryis of Italian origin . However, the Socialists in the Senateand the Lower House are strong opponents of Fascism .They frequently protest with vigor at the weakness ofthe police and the Government in dealing with pro-Nazimanifestations. Their fears concerning the Fifth Columnare warranted . In 1939 the Government discovered aNazi plot to take over Patagonia, a pastoral province inthe southern section of the country . Spurred on by anti-Nazi sentiment, the Government has taken vigorous stepsto obtain complete command of the territory .

Another hopeful element in the picture today is therapid development of a vigorous anti-Nazi youth move-ment, the Accion Argentina . From a handful it grew inless than half a year to 300,000 and is growing steadilyin both numbers and influence throughout the nation .Liberal elements in all groups of the population are giv-ing aid and guidance to the Accion youth .

Alvear, Liberal LeaderChief among Argentina's leaders, and outstanding

proponent of friendship with the United States of NorthAmerica, is Dr. Marcelo T. de Alvear. With growingadmiration, the few United States visitors who had

60


crowded into his study listened to this really great manexpound his views . Dr. Alvear's tremendous figure pul-sated with restrained emotion . His eloquence eclipsedthe small study ; we were uplifted by the power of theman and the sincerity of his deep convictions .

Dr . Marcelo T . De Alvear (right), ex-President ofArgentina, in the Study of His Buenos Aires Home .

Dr. Inman on Left

Dr. Samuel Guy Inman, noted North Americanauthority on South America, personal friend of Secre-tary Hull and intimately familiar with the leaders ofSouth American life, had graciously asked me to accom-pany him to Dr. de Alvear's home in Buenos Aires . Dr .Alvear is ex-President of the Republic of Argentina,

61


Taftian in physique and Rooseveltian (II) in his trends .He is leader of the Radicalist Party, which is the Argen-tinian equivalent of our New Deal . In the last Presi-dential election he was believed to have won by theballoting, but as sometimes happens in South Americannational elections-and in some North American muni-cipal elections as well-the balloting and the countingbecome inextricably confused . Alvear was counted out .

He remains one of the great stalwarts of Argentinepolitical life-and this is well for the United States ofAmerica, for he is a true, understanding friend of ourcountry, in a land where we have too often been attackedas the imperialistic Colossus of the North .

His generous cooperation with the Jewish communityof Argentina is clearly evidenced by his helpfulness intheir efforts to establish a Hebrew University endow-ment fund. This fund is to create and maintain a chair,bearing the name of the Argentine Republic, in theHebrew University at Jerusalem . Senor Ezra Teubal,founder and president of the "Argentine RepublicChair" fund, said of Dr. Alvear that he "is the illustriousdemocratic leader for whom Argentine history hasalready singled out one of its most brilliant pages."

University Chair SymbolicConcerning this chair, Dr . Alvear said to his Jewish

friendsThe foundation of a professorship in the Hebrew

University of Jerusalem bearing the name of theArgentine Republic and created by the efforts of

62


the Jews in this country, many of whom are alreadyArgentine citizens definitely incorporated in ourpolitical, economic and social life, with patrioticsentiments deeply rooted, as is proved by the namegiven to the new University professorship, has atranscendental and symbolic value .

There is something strangely suggestive in thissingular endeavor for the colors of one of theyoungest nations in the world to be seen presidingover a tribune of science erected by the efforts of anancient people, thousands of years old, that todayarises from its ashes to invite the free men of all theworld to voice their thoughts and their faith fromthe new University, built on the site of the home oftheir forefathers .

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, andespecially the Argentine Chair, will serve as a bridgeto span history and unite in one desire the spirit ofall men who, wherever they maybe, struggle forthe great ideals of liberty, of justice and of peace .

We asked Dr . Alvear for his reaction to the FifthColumn in Argentina . His response was : "Here theFifth Column is more dangerous, for the country isyounger and not as strong to resist its inroads ." Thenhe added, were the British fleet crippled, "Germanycould occupy Argentina almost as easily as it took Hol-land or Belgium." He was certain that if Germanydefeats Britain, the American continent will be attackedby the Nazis.

63


Fifth Column Corruptionists

Dr. Alvear accused the Fifth Columnists of trying tocorrupt the Argentine national spirit . They do this,he said, "by attacking the most eminent persons oftoday ; by depreciating the great men of the past whogave liberty to Argentina ."

Without my seeking to turn his thoughts Jewishward,he added, "In Germany they invented the false concep-tion of a superior Aryan race . Then the Nazis proceededto persecute the Jews. In this they had the approval,more or less, of the Catholics and Protestants . But theJews were only first ; the Nazis then turned on theCatholics, with Protestant approval . Finally, the Nazis,having submerged the Jews and the Catholics, turnedon the Protestants."

As a statesman, Alvear looks ahead . He discussed theremoval of the wreckage of the war, when the end hap-pily comes with the destruction of Hitlerism. He con-sidered the task of clearing up the debris created by theFifth Column in Argentina . Dr. Alvear joined otherliberal Argentina leaders in declaring that on the Amer-ican continent, North and South, men will have to createthe basis for economic, moral and spiritual unity in theWestern Hemisphere .

In that effort, we assured him, Jewish leadership willplay its worthy part, within the framework of theirseveral countries, and in accordance with the highestideals of Israel .

64

JEWISH FARMERS IN ARGENTINA

Eagerly they fired questions at me about Jewishfarmers in North America . Each answer I followed withquestions about the Jewish farmers of Argentina . We

Members of the Executive Board of the FAIA . Seatedwith Author at Center is Julio Levin to Left ; David Sevi

and Issac Kaplan to Right

were gathered in Buenos Aires, at a special meeting ofthe executive board of the Fomento Agrario IsraelitaArgentino . Around the table sat such agronomic experts

65


as David Sevi, sub-director of ICA ; Isaac Kaplan,manager of the Jewish Cooperative of Cooperatives,and others who are devoting themselves to helpingJewish agricultural development in the Argentine underthe leadership of Julio Levin, President of FAIA .

These men take the position that since they and theircolleagues in FAIA were the beneficiaries of the JewishColonization Association agricultural aid policy, theynow want to help other Jews engage in agriculture, aswell as to extend the ICA plan beyond limits laid downin the original Baron Hirsch program .

They all agree that the Jewish Colonization Associa-tion, commonly known as ICA, laid a firm basis forJewish "landworking," but they also deplore the inflex-ible ICA rules which make no provision for continuityof interest in the children as farmers,rmers, except for theeldest son, when he inherits the farm. Many youngersons, lacking capital for land, tools and stock, leave thecolonies and the land to seek city opportunities .

ICA helps only would-be immigrants to emigrate andprepares them, in advance when possible, for their newvocation. It does not help those who are not immigrants,nor others who did not enter Argentina under theirauspices. In other words, it's not ICA's job to helpthose who enter Argentina without ICA's help .

Hence it was recognized that a need existed whichmust be met ; thus FAIA was organized with author-ized capital of 1,000,000 pesos . About half has beensubscribed ; the paid-in capital amounted to 130,000pesos when I was in Buenos Aires . The capital is to be

66


handled on a commercial basis ; the philanthropicelement is the secondary phase. The directors of FAIAwere surprised that North American Jewish interestsare devoting so much attention to the Santo Domingoenterprise, when for considerably less capital outlaygreater benefits could be derived in Argentina . Everyphase, political, agronomic, economic and climatic, ismuch more favorable in Argentina than in tropicalSanto Domingo. They expressed the most earnest hopesthat North American capital would see the wisdom ofsubscribing for shares in FAIA, to assist Jewish agricul-tural work in the Argentine .

FAIA Needs SupportArgentina has a climate suited to every type of immi-

grant the North American Jews would like to helpdevelop, "from the Tropics to `Siberia,' that is,Patagonia," as Julio Levin, President of FAIA put it tome. The moral and financial capital of the Jews alreadyworking on the land in Argentina should be reinforced ;North American Jews should not neglect their oppor-tunity and responsibility in this area, he urged .

ICA has agreed to work with FAIA to the extent thatit will supply land from its reserve areas, provided FAIAwill extend credits to the prospective colonists. FAIAplans to concentrate on projects near the large cities,to produce the readily marketable garden and dairyproducts.

In the past years about 300 Jewish farmers wereindividually established in Argentina, without benefit of

67


ICA assistance. Many of them have had a very hardtime of it, for lack of technical advice and shortage ofcapital. In addition, they sorely miss organized Jewishcommunity life as their children grow up, and aregrieved by the absence of religious institutions . Nearlytwo-thirds have had to give up their farms ; FAIA hopesto help the remainder hang on and to improve theircommunal arrangements .

Some of these farms are located in the Province ofEntre Rios, where Nazis are numerous and anxious tograb the farm of a Jew distressed by bad harvests . Partof the work of FAIA is to keep these Jewish farms fromfalling into unfriendly hands .

Refugees Become Farmers

The technical commission of the FAIA agronomists isalso planning to train Jewish refugee children in agri-culture. These children may enter Argentina under thepresent severe immigration regulations . They are alsohoping to train some of the "illegal" immigrants alreadyin Argentina and help them legalize their status . Onceestablished, they could become Argentine citizens, withthe right to bring their relatives to their Argentine farmhomes, thus adding to the Jewish rural population ofArgentina .

In the Province of Rio Negro, a Jewish farm colonywas established about 1905, without benefit of ICAsupport, by a group of forty-five Jewish families whocame direct from Poland . They came upon the invita-tion of the then active immigration and colonization

68


division of the Argentine Ministry of the Interior andwere settled in one of the agriculturally rich regions.They have worked hard and are now thoroughly estab-lished as good farmers .

Refugee "Colonist" on his ICA Farm in the"Colonia Avigdor"

New ICA settlers have been few in recent years.Twenty-six families were set up in 1936 and eighty-fivein 1937. Seventy-seven were German refugees . Theywere established in the "Avigdor," "Cohen" and"Oungre" colonies of the Jewish Colonization Associa-tion. All have made good, showing the value of thecareful selection exercised and the preliminary training

69


given them in Germany. The most successful poultryraiser in the large Avigdor colony is a formerly famousPh .D .

Prior to 1890, it is estimated, there were perhaps1,000 Jews in all the Argentine. Today the estimatesrange from 300,000 to 400,000 ; some authorities feelthat 360,000 is approximately correct . Of these about160,000 are in the great metropolis of Buenos Aires,with its total population of nearly 2,500,000 . Jewsreside throughout the Argentine . In cities and villages,on the pampas and in the vineyard sections, Jews every-where are making their contribution to all phases ofeconomic activity in Argentina .

One of the most interesting chapters in the wholestory of the Jewries of South America, however, is theone that deals with their role as farmers on the richpampa soil, with which Argentina is so generously pro-vided. In this story the Jewish Colonization Associationhas played and continues to play the predominant role .Before dealing with its work, a word is in order concern-ing the quality of the pampa soil . "It is almost like aprepared seed bed," said the United States AgriculturalAttache in Buenos Aires to me. It is so free from stones,trees and other natural obstructions, said an estancieroto me in Central Argentine, that he can plow a straightfurrow on his estancia for over ten miles without inter-ference. No wonder the ICA experts picked Argentinafor their first project .

70


Baron Hirsch Founds ICA

The Jewish Colonization Association was founded in1891 by Baron Maurice de Hirsch after his offer, madein 1885, of 50 million francs to the Russian Governmentto cease Jewish persecution, was rejected . He thenapplied his vast wealth and his great organizing talentsto a scheme for promoting Jewish immigration to landsof freedom.

Baron Hirsch, who was born in 1831 and died in1896, added greatly to his inherited wealth by his suc-cessful enterprises, particularly in building Europeanrailroads which more conservative British capital hesi-tated to undertake . He applied this wealth as a trusteein many philanthropies, his favorite being ICA .

His colonization experts, after a study of SouthAmerica, reported favorably on Argentina. ICA wasestablished with a fund of ten million dollars, to whichby bequest there was later added about forty milliondollars. Its charter forbids use of capital ; shrinkingincome has curtailed service . The total of the Hirschcharities are estimated to have exceeded one hundredmillion dollars .

An administrative office was set up in Buenos Airesin 1891 . It now occupies its own building and is underthe direction of Simon Weil, who came to his post fromParis, where the central council of administration waslocated .

7 1


The ICA ContractBaron Hirsch and his ICA trustees laid down rigorous

rules to control the development of their colonizationprojects. The colonist came finding full preparationsmade in advance for him, including house, furniture,livestock and farm tools . In return for the aid andguidance given the colonist he must agree not to engagethe labor of others to work his land . That is, only heand his family may work his land . Neither may herent his land to others, to be worked by them while hesits back and receives the rent . Should a colonist aban-don his farm within seventeen years of his contractentrance he loses all payments he may have made toICA. This provision is intended to discourage settlersleaving their land . Baron Hirsch insisted that the ICAcontract shall not be a charity device. Everything thesettler needs is to be advanced to him, but meticulousrecords must be kept . Interest, at about 4 percent perannum, must be paid on all advances, until the colonisthas eventually paid for everything he has received .

Violations of ICA rules are enforceable through ademand for full amount due on advances for land andequipment . If the crop year is a good one-and theICA office in Buenos Aires knows every detail down tothe centavo-the agreed payment on debt liquidationmust be fully met. On the other hand, in a bad year,ICA not only allows deferment of payment but willeven advance additional credits .

When the colonist is free of debt to ICA, and fullyowns his farm, home, stock and equipment, he is no

7 2


longer bound by ICA rules . Many of them, I was told,rent out part or even all their farm land. Some also hirelabor to help work the land, and in other ways seek toadd to their land holdings. By isngaging in what ICAofficials called "land speculation" some have greatlyincreased their valuable holdings ; others, through poormanagement, or market factors beyond their control,have lost all their holdings. This last number, however,is small and is not the main factor in the flow of farmpopulation to the cities .

Hirsch Envisaged Millions ComingThe first ten years of colonization, that, is from 1889

to about 1900, saw a considerable turnover of colonists.The going was rough, the pioneering was tough andthe prospects seemed harsh and unattractive . By 1893the population had dropped to 2,700, many havingabandoned their farms . The settlers had come largelyunprepared from European ghettos into the wildpampas. They came expecting a Promised Land andfound a wilderness. Naturally there was continualsquabbling between them and the ICA administrators,who were bound by bureaucratic rules that seemedharsh despite philanthropic intentions .

Hirsch had struck the utopian note himself. He hadenvisaged a vast achievement in the Argentine . TheGovernment had at first objected to land settlement byJews, but was finally persuaded to allow Hirsch to goforward. He planned to settle 25,000 Jews the first year,to settle greater numbers each succeeding year until

73


several million Jews would become landworkers inArgentina. But Hirsch was finally persuaded, shortlybefore his death, that his program was too utopian . Theland was available, the natural resources were tre-mendous, but the human elements involved baffled evenhis great organizing talents and bewildered his ad-ministrators .

Elkan Adler in his Jews in Many Lands, published in1905, says, "One cannot help feeling somewhat dis-couraged at the prospects of Moisesville or the aptitudesof the Jewish agriculturist there . The Jew seems to betoo speculative to make a good agriculturist even in theArgentine." Then he adds, "One year there is drought,locusts ravage the pampas in another year, and nextyear, heavy rains, out of season, spoil the harvest . TheHope of Israel is hardly to be found in South America,"he concludes . Despite his disbelief, the 30,000 JewsAdler estimated in South America when he visited itthirty-five years ago, have now grown to an estimated500,000. Moisesville, the first colony established by ICA,is a rich and flourishing rural community .

Tailors Run Threshing Machines

The Russian agronomist Kruikov visited some of theArgentine ICA colonies in 1905, after they had been inoperation about fifteen years . Contrary to Elkari Adler,he wrote approvingly of their work, for he knew theformer petty shopkeepers and needleworkers. He wasdelighted to see them skillfully handle plows and evencomplex American threshing machines . "The growth of

74

ARGENTINA, THE LEADING JEWRT

their well-being was evident," he says, and adds "thatwith proper organization and a definite budget forestablishing the settlements, it is possible to convert theJewish inhabitants of dirty villages and cities into suc-cessful farmers."

After 1900, with better administration and morecareful selection of colonists, the settler turnover wasreduced. The farmers did not properly diversify theircrops until recent years . ICA advices and technicalurgings were less effective than the succession of dis-astrous droughts and single-crop failures . Diversifiedfarming was finally adopted, with beneficial results .

To meet social needs, many farmers were set up inunits of four families, with the homes placed at theabutting corners of the four farms . After 1910, thetendency to leave the farms for the city showed a steadydecrease. In the past fifty years, since ICA has beenat work in Argentina, about 5,000 colonist familieswere placed on the land by them . Of these about 3,500families remain .

For the past twenty years, I was told, the departureof non-Jewish youth from Argentine farms has in-creased, and that of Jewish youth has decreased to apoint where they are now proportionately equal .

Women are the base of colonization success . Thatis an Argentine ICA slogan. Cherchez la femme, saidpolylingual Senor David Sevi to me . In the ICA officeI was addressed in good French, Spanish, Hebrew andYiddish, and in fair English, as we dug away for factsconcerning the Jewish farmer in Argentina. About

75


75 percent of the children on the ICA farms were bornon the farm, many of them third and fourth generationArgentinos. Quite a proportion of the girls seek city hus-bands ; not many of them return to the farm. Amongthe young men, from thirty to forty percent leave forthe city seeking higher education, preparation for theprofessions and the other numerous opportunities citylife offers .

Many "Moisesville Graduates"I met some of these "Moisesville graduates," promin-

ent physicians in Buenos Aires, important lawyers inMendoza, and university faculty members in Cordoba .Some of them are important political personalities ;many of them have become major merchants and indus-trialists, making significant contributions to Argentineeconomy. They are like the typical farm boy who hasmade good in the American big city . Their number islegion in New York, Chicago and points west. Thatsome Jewish youths in the Argentine have followed thefamiliar pattern is neither surprising nor regrettable .

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THE ICA COLONIES

There are seventeen ICA colonies, scattered in fiveprovinces of Argentina . At the end of 1939 there were3,431 colonos, about half of whom held their farmlands under contract with ICA ; the others were listedas having completed their payments and were designatedproprietarios. The latter own nearly 600,000 acres ofrich farm land ; the contratos control, under partly-paidcontracts, over 400,000 acres. Between them they farmover one million acres of Argentine soil, their holdingsraging in size from 125 to 1,100 acres .

There was 17,372 persons on these farms and 9,790other Jews resident in the colonies, whose service ascraftsmen, etc., is essential to maintaining economic lifein the colonies . In other words, about 27,000 personsare engaged in agriculture and allied pursuits on theICA colonies . The colonies are centered about hamletsand villages, whose rural population may well be con-sidered part of the Jewish population engaged in agri-cultural enterprises in Argentina. There are seventeensuch rural communities, with a population of 16,926 .Hence the total Jewish population in the ICA coloniesnumbered over 44,000 persons at the end of 1939.

Jewish communal and cultural life in the colonies isgreatly furthered by the schools, of which there areseventy, with over two hundred teachers and more than

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7,200 pupils, and also by the numerous societies . In theschools, besides the usual general courses, agriculturaland domestic science subjects are heavily stressed . Thereare over one hundred sociedades culturales y debene ficencia, which are centers for cultural activity andof mutual benefit . They have nearly 11,000 members,and make special effort to aid the sick, the widow andthe orphan .

The two principal colony centers are Moisesville andBasavilbaso . The former has a population of about2,400 ; the latter 7,000 . Basavilbaso has about 200 com-mercial establishments ; Moisesville about fifty. Theseshops supply those material needs of the farm popula-tion not met by the cooperative enterprises .

Moisesville Established in 1889

Moisesville was the first of the colonies, established in1889, in the Province of Santa Fe . The communitywas named after the first colonist, Rabino Moises Gold-man, whose grandson, Dr. Moises Goldman, I met inBuenos Aires, where he is a prominent physician andthe zealous secretary of the Argentine Jewish Congress,officially known as the Delegacion de AsociacionesIsraelitas Argentinas, and colloquially as the DAIA .

Two years before Baron Hirsch established the ICA,a group of Russian Jewish families sought to go to Pales-tine. They sent an emissary to Baron Rothschild inParis. He could not arrange their entry into Palestine,but he did obtain permission for them to emigrate toArgentina. By private contract this group bought some

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farm land from Dr. Pedro Palacios. Two bad cropscame in succession . The colonists, in despair, were aboutto give up when along came ICA . A fresh start wasmade toward a most successful agricultural achievement.

Resettled Refugee Family on Their ICA Farmin "Colonia Avigdor"

The Moisesville tract now comprises an area of over292,000 acres. It is approximately 20 miles wide andabout 25 miles long ; its area is about 460 square miles .The land is owned by ICA, except such portions asare now owned in full by the colonists . When it wasfirst purchased, during the early years up to 1904, farmland was worth about 22 pesos per hectare (about $2.00

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per acre) . At present the average value of colony landis about 150 pesos per hectare, with a range of 100 to300 pesos per hectare .

Moisesville has 575 colonos with 4,700 Jewish farmdwellers. These colonos own over 25,000 head of cattle .Their farms average a capital value of 10,000 pesoseach . With the 2,350 village dwellers who serve thefarmers as artisans, craftsmen and tradesmen, the entireJewish community of Moisesville totals about 7,000souls. To this satisfactory status have grown the 138families who arrived in 1889 from Kamenetz-Podolskto establish the colony .

Lucienville-100,000 Acres

A small railroad station in the Province of Entre Rioscalled Basavilbaso was chosen as the center of the colonyLucienville, which now comprises an area of over 40,000hectares, or about 100,000 acres. So many of its Jewishfarmers formerly came from Poland that the natives callthe station Warsovia Chica, Little Warsaw. There aremore than a dozen synagogues in this tract, many com-munal bathhouses, ten schools and a community hospi-tal. There is a large cooperative creamery to handle theheavy output of dairy products .

Lucienville was named after the Baron's son, Lucien,who died a young man. On his death, Baron Hirschsaid, "I have lost my son, but not my heir ; humanitywill receive the inheritance . The Argentine "inheri-tance" held by and through ICA comprises over 1,500,-000 acres of land . About two-thirds has been colonized ;

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the remainder forms the reserve for future colonizationprojects, when the international situation permits theArgentine Government to relax its present severe immi-gration restrictions .

The broad extent of ICA's technical assistance to thecolonies, and the careful supervision maintained overtheir production, surprised me as I sat in the BuenosAires office of ICA and went over the voluminousreports with Senor Simon Weil and his staff experts .They spent many hours with me, and were indefatigablein assembling data to answer questions and in providingmaps and documentary material .

Senor Weil is the son of a famous French rabbi andthe brother of Felix Weill on the faculty of ColumbiaUniversity, New York. His sub-director is David Sevi,Palestinian by birth and agronomic engineer by pro-fession .

Jews Win Many Farm PrizesFor each ten new colonists there is one ICA assistant

to train them, by both demonstration and lecture, in allphases of their work and the operation of the farmequipment and machinery. Each colony has a minoragricultural school and every effort is made to have thefarmers become intelligent husbandmen .

The results of this training and supervision shows atthe annual stock show held in Buenos Aires . SinceArgentina is primarily an agricultural-pastoral country,the farm stock show is the main event of the year . It is

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always opened by the President of the Republic inperson, and is the gala social event of the year .

I had the opportunity to attend the 1940 show, whichwas opened by Vice President Ramon S . Castillo, Presi-dent Roberto M. Ortiz being incapacitated by severeillness. At this show the gold medal champion for flax(the Argentine exports over a million tons annually oflinseed as a vehicle for paints) was Bernardo Freiman,a second generation farmer from the ICA colony Palmarin the Province of Entre Rios. Three other Jewishfarmers received second class prizes, one of them aGerman refugee in his second year at the special refugeecolony Avigdor .

The third prize for wheat (Argentina annually exports175 million bushels as compared to 65 millions exportedby the U. S. A.) went to Gregorio Erujimovitch, of thecolony Narcisse Leven, in the territory of Pampa Cen-tral. Stock raisers from the oldest colony, Moisesville inthe Province of Santa Fe, received record high prices fortheir excellent cattle .

Governor Praises Jewish Farmers

In the provincial show at Parana, held a monthprevious to the national show at Buenos Aires, fourJewish colonists received highest awards for their Leg-horn and Rhode Island breeds of poultry . More thanthat, they received public praise from the Governor ofthe province for their fine work .

ICA also distributes annual prizes, to stimulate colon-ists to improve their production and their produce . The

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colonists specialize in products best suited to their soilsand their nearby markets . For instance, those farmingin the Colonias Santa Isabel, Palmar and Yatay,Province of Entre Rios, sell their milk in the nearbycity of Concordia, a port city on the Uruguay River,

The Milk Cooperative of the Jewish Dairymenat "Colonia Avigdor"

with 35,000 population. Because of the high qualityof this milk they receive double the normal price perliter. All this is an index of the beneficial resultsachieved by zealous labor, combined with technicalknowledge, under the skilled ICA agronomic supervision .

ICA has demonstrated to the Argentine Government

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that the Jew can become once more, as in ancient days,a good farmer . ICA too has demonstrated that it hasevolved techniques of control which enable it to escapethe pitfalls of a bureaucracy bound with red tape. Atthe same time it saves the individual colonist fromstruggling alone and staggering unaided over the harshroad of individualist effort in an enterprise that historyhas established can best be achieved through cooperativeendeavor.

Comparison With Palestine

The only other comparable Jewish agriculturalactivity in the world is, of course, now developing inPalestine . It will be of interest to note briefly a fewcomparisons between the progress achieved in ancient,arid Palestine and the new, fertile Argentina .

It will be recalled that Moisesville, Argentina, wassettled fifty years ago by Russian Jews who wanted toenter Palestine but were forced westward instead . Afterfifty years of consecrated effort by ICA in the Argentinethere are about one million acres under Jewish cultiva-tion and another half million acres in reserve . In Pales-tine, I am informed by the Palestine Economic Corpora-tion, "the total Jewish area is a little over one and one-half million dunams, or 375,000 acres, of which approx-imately 1,200,000 dunams are cultivated."

It is hardly necessary to point out that prior to 1920the proportion of Jews in Palestine engaged in agricul-ture was very small . At that time the entire Jewishpopulation of Palestine numbered about 60,000 and

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the bulk of them had come to Palestine to find a holyfinal resting place . They subsisted principally on re-mittances from abroad .

In 1938 in Palestine, after less than two decades ofmajor effort, "the number of persons engaged in agri-culture, including dairying and poultry raising, was31,000, to which should be added 38,000 dependents,making a total of 69,000, as the Jewish population de-pendent directly upon agriculture." The comparativetotal figure for Argentine ICA colonists is 17,000, orabout one-fourth the equivalent Palestine farm popula-tion .

Palestine's Farmers Thrice Argentine'sIn the Argentine ICA colonies there are about 10,000

Jewish artisans and craftsmen, serving in the rural com-munities. "The number of persons engaged in collateralpursuits in the rural villages of Palestine as craftsmen,etc., is approximately 56,000," I have been informed .Hence the total Jewish population in Palestine directlyor semi-directly dependent on agricultural enterprise is125,000, as compared to 27,000 in Argentina. Shouldwe add the 17,000 other Jewish persons dwelling in theArgentine ICA rural communities the total Jewishrural population becomes 44,000 . This latter figure isperhaps a fairer comparison with the 125,000 PalestineJewish rural population . This makes the Argentine total35 percent of the Palestine total .

The latest available figures on Jewish agriculturalproduction in Palestine would also be of interest for

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comparison with the Argentine data previously cited .The latest figures available, the 1937 production, asreported by the Department of Statistics of the JewishAgency for Palestine, was 3,791,700 Palestine poundsas compared to 13,291,749 Argentine pesos, as abovenoted. Roughly this means that the value of the Pales-tinian Jewish agricultural products was between fiveand six times the value. of the Argentinian. Detailedanalyses and comparisons would be of interest to many,but cannot be here presented .

The significant fact which emerges from all thesefigures is that substantially two decades of extendedeffort in Palestine have brought results far outstrippingthe achievements of a half century of Jewish farmingin Argentina . This in no way depreciates the successthat ICA has achieved in Argentina . The success is farbelow that envisioned by Baron Hirsch when he pouredhis millions into the project, but nonetheless it hasbrought happiness to the thousands of Jews who nowwork and live on Argentine farms and who by theirlabors have again demonstrated the capacity of theJew to till the soil .

When-and may it be soon-men will again sendtheir swords to be beaten into plowshares, Argentina andPalestine will both welcome the Jewish husbandman .The first will work the rich soil of the Argentine andhelp that country to develop . From his surplus earningshe will gladly assist his brother, courageously toiling onthe rocky soil of Palestine, to build up the NationalHomeland of the Jewish people .

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BUENOS AIRES SYNAGOGUES

There are numerous synagogues in Buenos Aires .They fall into two categories-not three or four, as inthe United States . We have Reform, Conservative andOrthodox congregations. Occasionally in orthodoxcircles we find a Sephardic congregation. But in BuenosAires, as throughout the Argentine and all SouthAmerica, the divisions are within orthodoxy, viz .,Ashkenazic and Sephardic .

The oldest synagogue in Argentina is La CongregacionIsraelita de la Republica Argentina, founded in 1868 .Its beautiful house of worship is located on the PlazaLibertad . It is led by Rabino Dr. Guillermo Schlesinger,formerly of Switzerland. His sermons are delivered inSpanish. The Siddur used has parallel Spanish andHebrew texts. Most of the minhagim are customs similarto those in use in orthodox American synagogues . Whenthe Chazan chanted the Kiddush prayer over the cup ofwine at the Sabbath Eve service which I attended, themelody was traditional, though the mode of passingthe cup from choir boy to Chazan to assistant choristerbetrayed the earmarks of certain Latin influence .

When the time came for the recital of the Kaddishprayer by the mourners, it was interesting to note thatthe thirty-five or more men who participated all cameforward to the rail at the foot of the pulpit. They stood

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there in a manner quite parallel to communicants at aCatholic mass .

But after all Argentina is a Catholic country ; theconstitution declares that the President of the Republicmust be a Roman Catholic. How Al Smith would have

Ancient Sephardic Congregation, from Island of Rhodes,in Modernistic Synagogue in Buenos Aires

found that helpful back in our 1928 presidential cam-paign !

Many Sephardic CongregationsThere are several Sephardic synagogues, grouped

largely by communities of origin . Thus the 150 mem-88


bers of the Congregacion Israelita Latina are mostlyfrom Morocco ; the Syrian Jews have the AsociacionIsraelita Sefaradi. The members of the ComunidadIsraelita Se f aradi are Turkish Jews, and the UnionIsraelita Se faradi members, about 500 in number, aremainly from Bagdad .

I visited the delightfully modernistic building recentlyconstructed by the Sephardic congregation whose mem-bers came from the Mediterranean Island of Rhodes .It was an intriguing experience to look over some oftheir very old parchment manuscripts and Torah scrollsin the new-world modernist setting designed by a young,brilliant Jewish architect of Buenos Aires .

The Sephardim maintain their own central organiza-tion. Their Rabbi is Dr. Joseph H . Panigel, whoseofficial title is Gran Rabino de la Colectividad Sefaradi .The community also maintains its own cemetery .

The Orphan Asylum

Among the many philanthropic institutions in BuenosAires should be mentioned the Jewish Orphan Asylum,which is supported by the 3,000 women who are mem-bers of the Sociedad de Damas Israelitas . This institu-tion was built after the Ukraine pogroms had sweptmany Jewish orphans to Argentina . It was patternedafter the famous orphan asylum in Vienna . I clearlyrecall visiting the Viennese institution in 1936 . Perhapsit has been destroyed by the Nazis in their hate-blindedcampaign to make Vienna Judenrein . Its Argentinecopy is ably administered, but in North America, as I

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told its director, we are abandoning regimented, insti-tutionalized care. We place children with families, firstin foster homes, and then in adopitve homes where thechildren grow up in the wholesome atmosphere of afamily circle .

Children in the Patio of the Jewish Orphan Asylum,Buenos Aires

I told them that the Free Synagogue Child AdoptionCommittee has been doing this work for twenty-fiveyears, placing 1,700 homeless children in childless homes .I further told them that we were unable to meet thedemand for placeable children ; that we would be gladto arrange to take over their surplus output . The chil-

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dren stay in the Asylum until about sixteen years ofage-some of the young women a little longer. Thedirector of the Orphan Asylum told me that the youngwomen "graduates" are in demand for marriage, be-cause, say the grooms, the marriage involves only thebride, and not the vexing problems that usually comewith the appended family.

Excellent Health WorkAnother major institution is the Jewish Hospital,

which is supported by about 10,000 members, has astaff of about 100 physicians, and serves the poor andmoderately circumstanced members of the Jewish com-munity. It is noteworthy that the Hospital is run inaccordance with the dietary laws .

The Liga Israelita Contra La Tuberculosis maintainsa dispensary to combat tuberculosis, which has a highincidence rate in Argentina . It is supported by nearly8,000 contributing members. Respiratory diseases takea heavy toll throughout South America, undoubtedlybecause of the generally low economic level of the vic-tims. When I was in Buenos Aires last August, theirwinter weather was unusually severe. As most homesare not equipped with adequate heating facilities eventhe wealthy relying on artistic fireplaces and portablekerosene heaters-the morbidity rates for influenza andpneumonia were fearfully high . One physician told methat nearly one-third of the 3,000 doctors had brokenunder the strain of caring for patients in the corridor-clogged hospitals of Buenos Aires .

9 1


As a scientist he expressed concern lest present highspeed modes of transport might not lead tourists andtravelers to become unwitting spreaders of the dis-ease to the United States . His fears proved only toowell founded when our own winter came along somemonths later, for an influenza wave swept across thecontinent from our West Coast ports .

The Great Hevrah Kadishah

The Ashkenazic cemetery is administered by theHevrah Kadishah. The Hevrah Kadishah in BuenosAires, to North American Jews, is a strange institution,unlike any known to us in the United States . We arefamiliar of course with the "Holy Society" in Jewishlife, which reverently prepares the remains of a deceasedperson for interment in accordance with Jewish tradi-tion. But the Buenos Aires Hevrah Kadishah does allthis, and more.

It owns and controls the only Ashkenazic Jewish cem-etery in Bueons Aires, that is, in a community of about150,000 persons . As such it exercises a taxing powerwhich is as unavoidable as death itself . No one maypurchase a family plot or burial space in this cemeteryin advance, or even arrange the terms of purchase withthe officers of the Hevrah Kadishah .

These gentlemen are leading personalities in the Jew-ish community, who consider it a prime honor to serve .So great is the communal status of a post in the HevrahKadishah that men have been known to make generous

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gifts to the Hevrah's funds for the privilege of filling avacancy. The president, Senor David Calles, who wasmost generous to me of his time as guide and informant,is a multi-millionaire in Argentine pesos (that makes

Monuments in the Cemetery of the Buenos AiresHevrah Kadishah

him a millionaire even in U .S.A. dollars) and is a lead-ing industrialist of Buenos Aires .

Senor Calles' Work

Senor Calles owns several factories . His first prideis the large rubber boot and shoe plant which he builtfrom the ground up. That takes one back a generation

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ago, when, as youthful immigrant, he collected cast-offrubber products. Now he turns out 10,000 pairs perday. His second pride is the cemetery maintained bythe Hevrah Kadishah, under his presidency . Of courseI visited both ; mine host was both gracious and insist-ent. The factory amazed me by the ingenuity of the self-designed devices created by Senor Calles to facilitateproduction. The cemetery interested me by the sim-plicity and democracy of its arrangements and monu-ments, and by the thoughtful provision for the poor ofthe community.

Most members of the Jewish community in BuenosAires are members of the Hevrah Kadishah . Last year25,000 members each contributed their two pesos permonth, or more, to the Society. When a member diesthe family immediately communicate with the HevrahKadishah to make the final arrangements . If the de-ceased was a poor person, or of a poor family, the termsare moderately low . In the event of real poverty theSociety makes all provisions gratuitously .

But if not of a poor family, the unofficial taxingpowers of the Society swing into action . The financialstatus of the individual, and the measure of his supportof the communal institutions during his lifetime, areplaced in the balance by the assessment committee ofthe Society. With all factors sharply before them theSociety decides, without possibility of appeal, how muchthe deceased's estate shall pay for a grave in thecemetery .

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Delinquent Pay HeavilyIn most cases the amount fixed is a reasonable one,

but if the committee finds the deceased has been un-generous in support of the communal institutions, it

Argentina's Oldest Congregation, the Libertad Synagogue,Led by the Distinguished Rabino, Dr . Guillermo Schlesinger

places the figure as high as 1,000 or more dollars for thegrave. Where a person failed to give of his meansdecently while alive the committee has exacted and re-ceived up to 5,000 dollars for the grave .Dr. Guillermo Schlesinger, Chief Rabbi of the Ashken-

azic Jewish community in Buenos Aires, and head ofthe great Libertad Synagogue, who was my guide and

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mentor for days in my studies of Jewish communal lifein Buenos Aires, told me that occasionally there is delayin the holding of the funeral services while the HevrahKadishah and the family work out the "tax" problem .In one case, of a notoriously uncooperative wealthymember of the community, the interment "donation"was 100,000 pesos, which is a lot of money for a graveeven in American dollars-about $25,000 U .S.A .

The Hevrah Kadishah was founded in 1894. Theorganization will undoubtedly evolve, as the communitymatures, into a society that will derive its support froma well-knit membership, prepared to give adequate sup-port to the worthy Jewish institutions of Buenos Airesthrough a less gruesome technique .

Society Collects Great Sums

The funds thus obtained are prudently distributed,as reported publicly in great detail . In the fiscal year1939 its receipts of "Donations and Payments for Buri-als" totalled over 360,000 pesos. Essentially, it is awidely supported, wisely administered, powerful centralcommunity fund.

The Hevrah Kadishah extends helpful subventions to"Institutions and Others ." Their 1939 report, beforeme as I write, shows a total annual subsidy in theamount of 170,000 pesos. It is a three page list con-taining 175 items ; these range from $5,000 ($ meanspesos in Argentina) to the Amigos de la UniversidadHebrea de Jerusalem, to $300 for the local Teatro

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Popular Israelita, showing the wide variety of its culturaland communal interests.

The subventions include an allotment of $15,000 tothe Asociacion Bikur Joilim, (J is "ch" in B.A.) for aidto the needy sick ; $1,300 to the Comite Contra el Ra-cismo y el Antisemitismo, to counteract anti-Jewish prop-aganda ; $3,900 to the Delegacion de Asociones Israeli-tas Argentinas, the Argentine Jewish Congress ; $12,000to the Keren Hayesod, for its work in Palestine ; $5,000to the Liga Israelita Argentina Contra la Tuberculosis,to assist in controlling disease ; $17,000 to the Sociedadde Bene ficencia Ezrah Hospital Israelita, for the samelaudable purpose ; and $23,000 to the Sociedad deDamas Israelitas de Beneficencia to help the women intheir charitable work .

Many Cultural SubsidiesMany other Jewish cultural institutions are also subsi-

dized, including several libraries, over twenty schools,five small synagogues, eighteen Talmud Torahs andnumerous Zionist organizations, including the popularOrganizacion Sionista Feminina, which has wide ac-claim among the Jewish women of Buenos Aires .

The financial status of the Hevrah Kadishah is shownby its balance sheet ; at the end of the 1939 fiscal yearits assets totalled 1,260,620 pesos .

But beyond its valued financial contributions to thecommunity have been the benefits of its centralizedcontrol, as applied to a problem that plagued BuenosAires Jews for years . How it effectively dealt with the

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Buenos Aires white slave traffic is an epic episode de-serving space to detail .

White Slave Traffic

Until recent years Jews in Buenos Aires were carefulnot to mention to outsiders that they lived in that city,for it was tainted with the shame of being the center ofthe white slave traffic. Though less than one-sixth thetraffic was in the hands of certain foul Jews, the remain-der being Turks, Moroccans, French and others, it wasgenerally said, and widely believed, that it was a Jewishcontrolled traffic. The late lamented League of Nationseven appointed an international committee to deal withthe grievous problems created by the traffic in women .

The traffic was a blot and a shame on the growing,self-respecting Jewish community of Buenos Aires. Final-ly the officers of the Hevrah Kadishah said, "we mustput an end to Jewish participation in this evil thing ."So they declared that no one associated with the traffic-or any member of his family-would be permittedinterment by the Hevrah Kadishah . No one connectedwith it would be allowed to enter any synagogue inBuenos Aires. Any one engaged in it who was on thegoverning board of any Jewish institution would haveto resign .

Social Ostracism Invoked

If any such person were seen served in a Jewish rest-aurant, it would end all Jewish patronage . If he wouldcome to a Jewish theatre, all Jewish persons seated with-

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in fifteen feet of him would find seats elsewhere, or leavethe theatre. Any Jewish hostess inviting to her homeany member of a family tied up with the traffic, wouldfind she had no other guests at that gathering, nor atany other gathering in the future.Leon Malach, writing from Buenos Aires in the

"Menorah journal" says, "The time soon came whenwar was literally waged. Blood ran in the streets . Jewishworkmen armed themselves with clubs and iron pipes,and invaded the brothel quarters, determined to drivetheir debased brethren by force from the city or at leastfrom the Jewish community . The war was carried on inthe streets, in the cafes, in the theatres, until finally theJewish section at least could be said to be cleansed, madefit for honest Jews to come build, to work, to live in aJewish manner." At the time of which Malach writesthe three Jewish theatres in Buenos Aires had this signposted : No Admittance to White Slave Dealers .

In other words, a Cherem was placed on social andcommunal intercourse with these banned outlaws. Itwas a remarkable piece of community control over anacute communal problem. Coupled with a fortunatepolitical change which ousted a key police official whowas chief protector of the traffic, this ban proved soeffective that today no Buenos Aires Jew is ashamedto speak up when asked-"Where do you live?"

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RECENT JEWISH MIGRATIONS

German Jews in the Argentine organized the Hilfs-verein der Deutchsprechenden Juden a few years agoto give aid to the refugees who came from German-speaking lands . An understanding, self-sacrificingpersonality, Senor Adolfo Hirsch, who is a well estab-lished business man in Buenos Aires, divides his timebetween running his business and managing theHilfsverein .

This Society maintains an employment agency and abureau for supplying direct relief . It also conducts classesin Spanish and other cultural activities . It does notattempt resettlement work, as is done by the NationalRefugee Service in the United States . Though refugeesare urged to leave Buenos Aires, no pressure is exercisedupon them to do so.

When I asked Senor Hirsch if they tried discontinu-ance of relief to refugees whom they felt could be betteradjusted outside of Buenos Aires, he replied, "In thefew cases we tried this, they peddled their pleas aboutthe community to such a degree that they created un-pleasant scenes."

Refugee Gauchos

But by no means do all refugees refuse to go into theprovinces, and to the numerous smaller cities of Argen-tina. It was both interesting and picturesque to meet a

1 00


Jewish refugee gaucho (cowhand) at the El RincoEstancia in central Argentina . That boy had learned toride his cow-pony well . On the same estancia anotherrefugee was serving as one of a large corps of "milkboys." Both were getting along satisfactorily, andseemed content in their work.

Some estancias certainly require plenty of "milkboys." I met the owner of one such estancia who has12,000 cows. What a milking job they present ! Themilk is collected by hand. It is processed into variouskinds of cheese, now beginning to enter the NorthAmerican market . These carry the label we will andshould become increasingly familiar with-IndustriaArgentina .

Senor Hirsch said that Argentine Jewry is raising itsown funds to take care of the refugee problems . Theyare well able to do so. The Joint Distribution Commit-tee, he said to me, is making but a token payment inArgentina . The spokesman of a group of Jewish jour-nalists, at a luncheon tendered at the Pension Wertheimin Buenos Aires, in honor of the guest from the Ameri-can Jewish Congress, said that it was scandalous thatJews in the United States should have been called on tosend money to Brazil for refugee work . "That Jewishcommunity," he declared, "was well able to provide fullsupport for the work ." All these Buenos Aires Yiddishnewspapermen felt, - as far as the Argentine was con-cerned, that no outside assistance was required . Theyreviewed the various Jewish resources potentially avail-

1 01


able to aid the stream of immigration, which of late hasbeen sharply reduced.

The Children's HomeOne of the institutions recently created by the Buenos

Aires community, of which refugees are in part the bene-

Orthodox Children in Class at the Sephardic Day Schoolin Buenos Aires

fieiaries, is the "Children's Home ." It is now a littleover two years old and accommodates eighty children .About one-fourth of the children "sleep out," that is,their parents bring them to the Home before they goto work, and call for them at the end of the day. The

1 02


parents pay about 60 centavos (15 cents U.S.A.) perday. Fifteen percent, I was told by the matron, herselfa refugee, cannot as yet pay their full fee. Her staffconsists of eight persons, who give full care and instruc-tion to the children .

Children of school-age go to the nearby public school .The others are given suitable instruction in the "Home ."All receive special lessons in Spanish, and some Jewishreligious instruction . The members of the Women'sRelief Association support the institution, which ishoused in an old building, once the home of a famousfigure in Argentine history . The Jewish women take justpride in the high standards of hygiene and pedagogicsmaintained in this "Home" for the new immigrants .

HICEM and Its Work

The earlier stream of Jewish immigration came fromnon-German speaking lands. In 1922 Buenos AiresJewry established the Sociedad De Protecion A LosImmigrantes Israelitas, as an affiliate of HICEM, toassist the many immigrants then entering Argentina .They have been rendering a notable service to the morethan 100,000 Jewish immigrants who settled in Argen-tina in the past twenty years .

The heaviest immigration came in 1923, when a totalof 13,700 Jews arrived at Buenos Aires . This streamoriginated largely in Poland, as an aftermath of thebrutalities Jews suffered in that unhappy land . In thedecade 1920-1929, 71,829 Jews came to Buenos Aires.Then the annual volume dropped to a low of 1,747 in

1 03


1932. The advent of Hitlerism sent the number up-ward to 4,919 in 1938 but the effect of the late 1938immigration restrictions is shown in the drop to 2,834in 1939. The 1940 official statistics are as yet unavail-able, but the indications point to a further and evensharper decline.

From 1920 through 1939 the total net immigrationof Jews into Argentina was 108,005 persons. These,however, include only those who came as second orthird class steamship passengers . It is estimated thatabout 22,000 Jews entered as first class passengers dur-ing this period, so that all told about 130,000 Jews en-tered Argentina from January 1, 1920 to December 31,1939 .

Refugees Create DifficultiesGerman Jews did not begin to come to Argentina in

large numbers until 1936 ; their number reached a peakin 1938, and would undoubtedly have risen further ifnot for the sharp governmental limitations . As one highgovernment official said to me in Buenos Aires, with ill-concealed resentment in his voice, "We could not walkour promenades as freely as before ; we were beingcrowded out by German-speaking persons, who alsoarrogantly elbowed us out of our tables at our favoritecafes. Something had to be done," he added, "to keepthese noisy Germans from over-running Argentina." Hewould have said "noisome Jews" instead of "noisy Ger-mans" had he not been a polite diplomat who noted theMogen Dov d dangling on my watch chain .

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Nothing I did in South America, by the way, arousedmore comment or elicited greater surprise among Jewsthan my wearing this small silver star, with its Zioninscription in Hebrew . Some thought it foolishly heroic ;many called it a symbol of Jewish freedom in the UnitedStates ; all found it a mark of high hope in blessedAmerica.

In the course of its nineteen years of immigrant ser-vice the Sociedad Immigrantes, which is headed byBenjamin Mellibovsky, has beneficially intervened withthe authorities for over 50,000 persons . Senor Mellibovskygraciously arranged in advance to have a member of hisstaff compile considerable data for my Argentine notebook, given me when I hurried to his office (in abso-lutely unorthodox non-South American fashion) tolearn about their operations . All manner of aid has beenextended by the Sociedad, including certificates of char-acter to meet police requirements, correction of faultypapers demanded by immigration officials, and provi-sion to needy persons of transportation to the provinces .

Numerous Migration Problems Solved

Passage tickets were sold, at low prices and also oninstallment credit, to about 5,900 persons, at a cost ofover 2,200,000 pesos . The Sociedad has disbursed over600,000 pesos for board, lodging and miscellanies . Ithas acted as agent to transmit money and food pack-ages to European relatives of 24,000 Argentine immi-grants, to the value of over one and a quarter millionpesos .

1 05


One of its most difficult problems is the legalizationof immigrants who have somehow managed to enter thecountry. The Government, realistic in dealing with thematter, has established a tax of 192.50 pesos (about$45.00 U.S.A.) if the person entered without a visa,and 165 pesos tax if he entered with a short period tour-ist visa. Toward this work the Sociedad gives consider-able attention and in the past two years has helpednearly 400 "illegals" with technical advice and expendedover 30,000 pesos to obtain their legalization papers .

The combined results of World War II blockade andmarine warfare plus the present Argentine immigrationrestrictions, have sharply curtailed all the burdens onthe Sociedad Proteccion A Los Immigrantes Israelitas,but a small staff is being hopefully maintained for futureavailability.

Argentina Needs Population

One of the outstanding Jewish personalities I met inBuenos Aires is Senor Rodolfo Lustig. He is DirectingManager of the great South American Mining Com-pany, and is at home all over the continent . It was hisconviction that all except about one percent of the able-bodied refugees are at work, and that they have foundwork without displacing Argentines . Nazi propaganda,of course, beats the drum constantly with the tune thatJews take away the jobs of Argentines, but all informedpersons assured me this was the usual Nazi lie .

The great newspapers of the Argentine-and nodemocratic country is blessed with a better press-have

106


often pointed out that Argentina is a new country withan expanding frontier ; that it is a land which needspopulation. Jewish authorities estimate that approx-imately 30,000 refugees, all told, have come to theArgentine. Of these about 25,000 have remained inthe great metropolis of Buenos Aires .

Wherever I went I discussed future colonization pos-sibilities with Government officials and Jewish leaders .All were in accord that no large immigration would bepossible until the end of the War, and none thereafterif Britain were defeated. And there is keenest anxietyover the outcome-for a Hitler victory will be criticalfor the Argentine and catastrophic for Argentine Jewry .

All felt, however, that with Hitler's defeat the countrywould be prepared to accept a large scale selected Jew-ish immigration, provided these came trained in ad-vance. It was urged upon me that these immigrantswould only be accepted if they were trained technicians,trained industrial workers, trained agricultural workers,and the like . And then too, responsible persons urgedupon me these trained persons would be expected tocome under the auspices of a recognized Jewish organi-zation which should make preparations in advance forthe coming of the colonists .

Post-War Colonization

Under the present Argentine law, aimed at prevent-ing compact national bodies being injected into theArgentine corpus, colonization projects must not havemore than twenty-five percent representation of any one

1 07


nation . This, however, will not be an obstacle for largescale Jewish immigration projects .

When I talked to a certain Government official interms of 100,000 to 300,000 post-war Jewish immi-grants, he said to me, "Be sure of one thing, thoughours is a new, expanding, growing country, we do notwant, we do not need, another 100,000 retail dealers ."As I talked to this vehemently outspoken official I sensedthat the Argentine Government restrictions were moti-vated by factors beyond the stated "increase of unem-ployment."

As another official, speaking off the record, phrasedit, "We do not desire persons in our country who wouldcome because the international situation sends them toArgentina for accidental reasons ." "Accidental reasons"forsooth ! As I write, word reaches me of a would-beimmigrant who wishes to come to Argentina fromFrance. In France, as a public-spirited millionaire, hehad established a special institute for the study of cancer .A certain physician in Buenos Aires, leading researchworker in cancer, was decorated by this French Institutefor his high achievements . A notable prize was alsoawarded him by the generous French patron of science .Today that patron is an humiliated, despoiled wanderer .Through the "accidental reason" of his acquaintancewith the Argentine scientist he has written appealing forhelp to obtain a visa for himself and his wife . She, heis sure, can earn a living as a dressmaker . With heart-rending humility this robbed patron of science writes,

1 08


if only his Argentine friend will help him enter, he iscertain he will find work, perhaps as a bookkeeper .

Wise Argentine officialdom, I am sure, will pave theway for this man to enter their land, even though hiscoming, like tens of thousands of other immigrants, isdue to "accidental reasons ." It is the accidents of his-tory which helped advance America to its high station .They can do as much for Argentina .

1 09

BOLIVIA -NO JEWS NEED APPLY

TxE itinerary of the tour of our group did not in-clude Venezuela, Paraguay or Bolivia . To roundout mention of the ten countries of South America,

however, a brief section is included covering each of thethree countries not visited . The material included isbased on data supplied by various authorities.

Many United States folks first heard of Bolivia whensome U.S.A. bankers, who were more keen about under-writing profits than about the safety of their clients'funds, floated bonds in our country . These now aresunk to the extent of about sixty million dollars . Thebonds are in default ; an authority in Buenos Aires toldme : `Bondholders can kiss their funds goodbye." Thecountry, nonetheless, affords great economic poten-tialities .

It is a domain vast in extent, comprising about 700,-000 square miles of territory, including the fertile Chacoarea in the south . The area could include France, Ger-many, Italy and Spain. Bolivia was named in com-memoration of Simon Bolivar, the great South Americanliberator, and its first president. The country is verysparsely populated . The latest estimate shows about3,200,000, of whom 55 percent are Indian, 30 percentmestizo, and 15 percent white . A good deal of the areais mountainous ; more than three-fourths of its peoplelive at an altitude of over 10,000 feet .

1 1 1


The principal city is La Paz . It is called the highestcapital city in the world, being located at an altitude ofabout 12,000 feet. The legal capital of Bolivia is notLa Paz but Sucre, which is about three hundred milesdistant from La Paz and is at an altitude of about 8,500feet. Sucre has a mild climate and is considered the"most handsome city in the country." It has a popula-tion of about 32,000 and contains the GovernmentPalace, the Legislative Palace and the Cathedral .

Sky-High La PazLa Paz has a population of about 200,000. Its high

altitude produces a cool climate ; the temperature av-erages 50° Fahr. throughout the year. Because of therarified atmosphere, travelers are cautioned to watchout for colds, which may rapidly develop into pneu-monia. Pneumonia may be deadly at such high levels.I recall having been cautioned in Mexico City, at analtitude of 7,000 feet, to be careful about catching coldin the chilly summer evenings, for the onset of pneu-monia would be fatal . All the greater is the risk in LaPaz, where people live nearly two and a half miles highin the sky .

From Buenos Aires on the East Coast to La Paz isabout three days by rail. But La Paz is nearer the West .Coast . From Antofagasta the rail journey takes onlyabout thirty hours . From Mollendo, Peru, the journeyrequires about a day and a half, partly by rail and thenby steamer across Lake Titicaca . This lake is the highestnavigable body of water in the world . It is nearly half

1 1 2

BOLIVIA-NO YEWS NEED APPLY

as large as Lake Erie, occupying an area of 4,500 squaremiles. The maximum width is 69 miles ; the length is138 miles. Its level is 12,500 feet above the PacificOcean. The steamers used for navigating this strangebody of water were built in England, transported insections, and were lugged up the Andes Mountains,piece by piece, for final assembly on Lake Titicaca .

Bolivia became a republic in 1825, following thewar of independence from Spain and the victoriesachieved by Simon Bolivar and his colleagues . It hadbeen a part of the Inca Empire ; the break-up of thevast domain ruled by the Spanish Viceroy in Peru leftto Bolivia the heritage of boundary disputes with Peru,Chile, Paraguay and Brazil . Some of these disputes havebeen resolved. The Bolivia-Paraguay frontier dispute in-volving the fertile Chaco region, produced many wars,the latest of which persisted from 1932 to 1935 . Apeace treaty was finally signed in July, 1938 .

Bolivia Landlocked Country

As a result of defeat at the hands of its western neigh-bors, Bolivia is now a landlocked country . Its exports,which are valuable, must pass through foreign territorybefore reaching the sea . Basically Bolivia is a miningcountry ; almost the sole exports are minerals . Tin, amineral of vital military importance and an essential ineconomic life today, constitutes over 70 percent of theexports. Bolivia is second to the Malay Straits Settle-ments as a source of tin .

1 13


There is also produced a considerable quantity ofsilver, copper, lead and zinc, and among the rarerminerals, bismuth and tungsten. The principal minesare located in the Potosi district . The mines near Potosiwere discovered in 1545, only about a dozen years afterFrancisco Pizzaro came to Peru . Bolivia was then a partof the vast Inca Empire, which had endured for fivecenturies prior to Pizarro's murder of the IncaAtahualpa.

Potosi, with a population of about 35,000, is the cen-ter of this famous mining district. It is located about375 miles from La Paz and is even higher, at an altitudeof about 13,600 feet, making the labor in mines andother physical work extremely arduous because of thelow content of oxygen in the air . The native Indians,through generations of evolution, have developed hugebarrel-like chests ; the extra-large lung capacity increasesthe oxygen intake to meet their physical needs .

Many Marranos in MiningDuring the Spanish regime there were many Marranos

in Bolivia, especially in the mining sections . Someof them are reputed to have become wealthy mine own-ers, but they apparently were completely assimilated in-to the environment, or succumbed to the Inquisition inLima, Peru .

Among the wealthy mining figures in Bolivia todaywe can count one outstanding Jewish personality,Maurico Hochschild. I endeavored to meet Senor Hochs-child while in Buenos Aires, as he spends part of his

1 14


time in the Argentine, but to my great regret he was notin town . He is a colorful personality whose gifts andtalents were vividly described to me by one of his col-leagues.

Edward Tomlinson, in his recent New Roads ToRiches-In The Other Americas presents the role ofMauricio Hochschild in such fascinating fashion that Iventure to quote at length.

"Mauricio Hochschild is an Argentine-born gentle-man of German-Jewish parentage. He is a giant of aman, nearly six and a half feet tall, with a bristlingblack moustache, and a circle of unruly coarse hairdraped just beneath an enormous bald pate. He fairlybores holes in you with eyes that are widely separated,by a nose only a little less impressive than JimmyDurante's . He has an amazing command of the Spanish,French, English and German languages, as well as astartling facility for the picturesque profanity peculiarto each .

"The Hochschild activities and enterprises in Boliviahave also had an interesting history. In the beginningthey were financed by German bankers. In turn SenorHochschild hired German managers, lawyers, account-ants and engineers . In the early days a meeting of hisentourage in the big conference room in the Hochs-child Building in La Paz, sounded like a German Towerof Babel. All of which gave the Germans reason to be-lieve they actually controlled his holdings, but provedhow little they knew about the Senor.

1 15


Hochschild Ousts Nazis

"With Hitler's first blast against the Jews, Hochs-child left La Paz and went on a quiet visit to severalworld capitals, Buenos Aires, Paris, London and NewYork. Upon his return, having provided himself withnew and ample financing, principally from the PhelpsDodge Company of New York, he dismissed his Ger-man bankers, fired his German employes, from engin-eers to office boys. Today at a meeting of his staff inEdificio Hochschild, only English and Spanish arespoken. All of his engineers, managers and office forcenow are either Americans or Bolivians. And thus endedthe Nazi bid for participation in Bolivia's principalindustry."

Another Bolivian "industry" is followed by the In-dians who make beautiful vicuna rugs they call colchas,which they send down to the West Coast to tempt tour-ists . Other fur-bearing animals common to the moun-tainous section of Bolivia are the llama, alpaca andchinchilla . The principal outlet for the furs is Mollendo,Peru, where the Grace Line steamers anchor off therugged sea-swept shore . Hardly has the rattle of theanchor chain ended when the vendors clamber aboardwith their lovely colchas .

One of the great potential resources of Bolivia is itstimber, which is as yet largely unworkable on accountof the acute absence of transportation facilities . TheBolivian hardwoods are remarkable . Some of them areso heavy that they cannot even be rafted down the river .

1 1 6


Included among its hardwoods is the valuable tajibonegro, popularly known on account of its strength as the"iron tree ."

Industry is only in its very early beginnings. Suchsmall activity as there is centers around La Paz. Cheap

Lovely Vicuna Colchas Displayed on Steamer Deck byMollendo Vendors

fuel for prime movers is unavailable ; transportation ofcoal to such high altitudes is exceedingly costly .

No Visa to American YewDesiring to learn something of the country at first

hand, I made inquiry about going up to Bolivia whilein Argentina. I was told that under Bolivian regula-

1 1 7


Lions, foreigners entering the country must "observefaultless conduct and not concern themselves with in-ternal political questions." I was sure of being able tomeet the second requirement and agreed that I wouldrigidly endeavor to meet the first. But when I went tothe office of the Consul General of Bolivia, in BuenosAires, I found the following decree posted on the wallof the anteroom of the Consulate

"Decrete de 6 de Mayo de 1940 .Articulo 1 ° -Prohibese con caracter general a losconsules nacionales ortogar pasapartes y visacionde turismo en favor de elementos semitas .Articulo 2 0 -Incorporase la presente disposicional reglamento organico de turismo, de 24 deNoviembre de 1939 ."

Dado en el palacio de Goberno de la ciudadde La Paz a los seis dias del mes de Mayo de nilnovecientos cuarenta anos .

Firmando,General Enrique PeiiarandaAlberto Ostria Gutierrez

In essence, this decree means that no Jews, of anycountry of origin, can obtain visas to enter Bolivia . TheConsul General assured me that in view of the charac-ter of the group with which I was traveling, he wouldendeavor to obtain a special visa for me, but that therequest would have to go to the Government office inLa Paz. He added that many days would ensue beforepermission might be received . He also stated that such

1 18

BOLIVIA-NO JEWS NEED APPLY

permission, if granted, would be for a period of notmore than five to ten days.

In other words, the Bolivian Government refuses torecognize, except under most special circumstances, thepassport of the United States of America, if such pass-port is carried by a Jew . This is an important matterwhich can be taken up at some future date . But, underthe decree of May 6, 1940, I was unable to get a first-hand view of the Jewish situation in Bolivia .

Few Yews in BoliviaBolivia is a country where the Catholic religion is

recognized and supported by the state, although theconstitution allows religious freedom . The record showsthat there were very few Jews in Bolivia prior to 1900 .A few Russian Jews arrived in 1905, but by 1917 therewere only 25 Jews in La Paz, including three womenand one child. Prior to the advent of Hitlerism therewere perhaps 200 Jews in all Bolivia . Of these about100 were in La Paz, 50 in Sucre, and the remainderscattered in the various centers of the country .

After 1933 refugees began to stream into the countryuntil an estimated total of about 6,000 entered . In1938, the Government offered free land to those refu-gees who would come in, and remain, as agriculturalworkers. A farming colony, Villa Sacaba, was organ-ized in 1939 by about 200 German refugees . Aboutthis time a refugee visa scandal broke out similar tothe one which had unfortunately developed in Chile.The Government appointed a special commission to

1 19


investigate charges of irregularities involving certainhigh Government officials . In July, 1939, this investigat-ing commission reported that some Jews had entered thecountry illegally. It recommended their deportation,and internment prior thereto .

I could obtain no information as to either internmentor deportation . Most probably the deportation did nottake place. In September, 1939, the Bolivian SecretPolice raided the Circulo Israelita, the Jewish com-munity center in La Paz. Many anti-Semitic attacksalso appeared in the press, the most shocking of allbeing printed in El Diario, previously considered themost important liberal newspaper of La Paz .

It is hoped that Jewish travelers to South America whomay have an opportunity to enter land-locked Boliviawill become familiar, at first hand, with what is trans-piring in this large section of the Continent . It is acountry which has great economic potentialities, deserv-ing earnest study and detailed consideration .

1 20

PARAGUAY, A PEOPLE-LESS LAND

ARAGUAY is landlocked like Bolivia. This geogra-phic situation creates many political complicationsfor, as Napoleon said, geography is the mother of

politics. It comprises an area of 160,000 square miles,so that it is larger than California . Half of Paraguay isa vast forest ; the other half extensive grassy savannahplains. The forest soil, where cleared of overgrowth andexposed to sunshine, proves amazingly fertile . Theplains are adapted to pastoral activity ; some cattle rais-ing has been developed .

The latest official estimate of its population (1938)is 955,000 . A good deal of Paraguay is the Chaco, withan area of about 100,000 square miles . This tremen-dous territory has been fought over by Bolivia and Para-guay in several wars, the last peace having been signedJuly, 1938. It is hoped that the boundaries which werethen settled will remain fixed, but like other SouthAmerican boundary disputes, they are grist for the Nazipropagandists .

The largest of the cities, and the capital of the coun-try, is Asuncion, which is about 1,000 miles up theParaguay River from Buenos Aires, and about two daysjourney from that city by rail . The population isabout 110,000 . It is a sunny, pleasant city, foundedover 400 years ago in 1536, is filled with picturesque

1 2 1


buildings and is made attractive by varieties of rosesand orange blossoms.

The second largest city is Villarica, with about 40,000population. It is the center of the yerba mate and lum-bering area. Industrial activities located in its environsinclude saw mills, sugar refineries and small flour mills .Concepcion, with about 8,500 population, is anothercenter that produces yerba mate and quebracho wood,the extract of which is used industrially for tanning .

Paraguay Dictator Ridden

Paraguay has the unenviable distinction of havinghad the first dictator of the type that ruled many SouthAmerican lands following independence from Spain . Dr.Gaspar Rodriguez Francia reigned as El Supremo from1814 to 1840 . Later came the harshest, and in manyways the worst dictator who ever ruled any LatinAmerican country, Francisco Lopez . He swept com-paratively puny Paraguay into a horribly decimat-ing war with Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, madlytaking on all three countries simultaneously. The warlasted for five years, until Lopez' death in 1870 . Thecountry lost nearly 75 percent of its population . Its mil-lion people were reduced to about 225,000 women andto less than ten percent of this number of "men," whowere mostly boys and aged folk, too young or too oldto fight. It required half a century to recover fromthe devastating effects of the mad Lopez war .

As a result of the decimation of the population, therehas been a grievous inadequacy of human labor to de-

1 22


velop the country's resources . There is also a consider-able lack of capital to improve the present largely primi-tive modes of communication .

Country Lacks People

The Government, recognizing the need for increasedpopulation, adopted a liberal attitude toward the im-migration of agriculturists. Indicative of their policywas a huge grant of land made to a colony of Men-nonites. They were given three million acres of the amaz-ingly rich Chaco terrain. This is twice the area pur-chased for development by the Jewish ColonizationAssociation in the Argentine during its half century ofoperations. The land was conveyed to the Mennonitesby a charter which provides religious freedom, exemp-tion from military service and gives autonomy in localdomestic matters.

Cotton could be grown to a tremendous extent inParaguay if it were not for the acute lack of labor . TheBanco Agricola del Paraguay estimated that about75,000,000 acres of land are suitable for the cultivationof cotton, whereas only 75,000 are now being worked .In other words, about one-tenth of one percent of thearea has been developed in cotton .

Paraguay also offers considerable possibility for thecommercial development of the castor bean plant, the oilof which is so important medicinally and industrially .This castor oil plant grows readily as a perennial inParaguay.

1 23


Produces Much Yerba Mate

Throughout South America a very popular beverageis yerba mate, which is an excellent substitute for tea .This mate has become popular on the West Coast of theUnited States and will be increasingly used in our coun-try as its stimulating and healthful properties are moregenerally recognized . Terba mate grows wild in over25,000 square miles in Paraguay. A few companies arethe main factors in the industry, processing about thirtymillion pounds of the leaf each year .

The forests of Paraguay also contain many fine hard-woods. There are thousands of square miles of territorywhich have been untouched ; some of the rarer woods,with valuable properties, are almost unknown outsideof the country. They exist to an almost limitless extentin Paraguay .

General industry is a minor activity . There is someproduction, but only for local consumption, which in-cludes the manufacture of flour, soap, ice, furniture,matches and similar items .

It is distressing to report, but not surprising to find,that tuberculosis has the highest death rate in Paraguay,as in most of the other tropical parts of South America .Epidemiologists undoubtedly have an explanation forthe high incidence of this disease in the tropics. Prob-ably one of the major factors is the low economic level .There is also considerable goiter, because the countryis inland and distant from the sea with its iodine . Thecountry is afflicted with many cases of leprosy .

1 24


One of the members of our party visited the leprosymission in Paraguay, conducted by his national churchorganization in the United States . He reported thatthere was a great need for the expansion of this leprosywork but that there was a quiet, but effective oppositionby representatives of the Catholic Church, who do notdesire the extension of evangelical missions in Paraguay .

Small Jewish CommunityThough the established religion of the country is

Catholic, religious freedom exists . There are some Jewsin Paraguay but the community is very small. Defini-tive data is not available . The best estimate I couldobtain gave a Jewish population of about 1,200 in theentire country, largely centered in Asuncion, Concepcionand Villarica . Jews started to enter Paraguay about 1912 .In 1917 there were about 600 Jews in all of Paraguay,of whom about 400 were living in Asuncion . Most ofthem were Ashkenazim of Russian, French and Germanorigin ; some were Sephardim from Turkey . They en-gaged in commerce and trade largely, with a few doctorsand lawyers practicing their professions . Both theAshkenazic and Sephardic communities in Asuncionhave their synagogues and utilize a part of the generalmunicipal cemetery for their burial needs .

Jewish agricultural workers were encouraged for atime by the Government to enter the country, resultingin a small Jewish farming area called Colonia Franca.In 1936 the Government announced the relaxation ofimmigration restrictions to permit non-agriculturist Jews

1 25


to enter, provided they came in with some small capital.Later, following probably upon the anti-Semitic activi-ties generated by Facist propaganda, the Governmentissued a decree which "forbids entry of Jews, irrespec-tive of nationality, into Paraguay."

A good many White Russians, fleeing the SovietUnion, came to Paraguay. Some of them served asofficers in the Chaco war against Bolivia. In 1938 theseWhite Russians provoked a number of anti-Jewish actsand made many charges against the Jews as radicals .As a result seventeen Jews were expelled as Communistsand all Jewish immigration was clamped down .

But many Jews served faithfully in the Chaco Waragainst Bolivia as loyal Paraguayans. Their loyalty wasrecognized and their continued residence in the countrywas unchallenged. By 1939 the Jewish population hadgrown to about one thousand persons . Jewish communalactivities had developed fairly well, including a flourish-ing Zionist society in Asuncion .

Paraguay offers great potentialities for development,for its resources, pastoral . and forestal, are tremendousand its need for population very great . It is a pity thatmore data is not available on Jewish life in Paraguay .The 1941 Inter-American Jewish Conference at Monte-video should help produce data that will be a guide tostudents of the problem of Jewish life in Paraguay, andother countries of South America, and of the opportuni-ties which these countries present for fruitful develop-ment.

1 26

THE "PARADISE" -CHILE

CRILE is situated on the west coast of SouthAmerica ; it is a land sharply defined by the Paci-fic Ocean and the Andes Mountains . It stretches

between these two physical barriers, at an averagewidth of but eighty miles, for a distance of 2,800 miles,or about as far as from New York to Los Angeles. Itextends from an utterly rainless desert with mercilesssunshine on the north to the near Antarctic Tierra delFuego at the south .Jews began coming to Chile, as Marranos, at the

time of the Spanish conquest, early in the sixteenth cen-tury, and have continued to come to the present day .The earliest arrivals merged with the general white pop-ulation, so that Jewish descent is marked in much Chil-ean high society.

At the beginning of the present century a few Jew-ish families arrived from Russia and Rumania, somefrom Alsace-Lorraine . Beginning with 1910, the firstnumerous recent migrations began, Jews coming princi-pally from Russia, Poland, Rumania, Turkey and Jugo-slavia. Some came directly, but the major part crossedthe Andes after a short sojourn in Argentina . Followingthe First World War, many more Jews came fromRussia, Poland and the Ukraine, mostly in flight fromthe fiendish pogroms in the Ukraine . Since 1933, the

1 27


immigration has been largely from Germany and Nazi-fied Europe .

An organized Jewish community was established inSantiago in 1916, as the "Centro Commercial de Bene-ficencia," which was later organized as the present"Circulo Israelita ." The same year there was organizedin Temuco, a city about 430 miles south of Santiago in arich agricultural area, with a population of 72,000, the"Centro Macedomico Israelita," the members comingfor the most part from Jugoslavia .

In 1917 a meeting of representative Chilean Jewsassembled in Santiago and organized the "Primer Con-greso Israelita," which later changed its name to the"Primer Congreso. Sionista de Chile." This afterwardbecame the present "Federacion Sionista de Chile ." InChile it may be said that Judaism and Zionism areidentical ; all Jews are Zionists . There are no anti- ornon-Zionists .

Jewish Population Data

The Jewish population of Chile in 1900 was about100 ; in 1914 before World War I, about 200 . By 1930it had reached 6,000 ; and in 1933, before the refugeemigration began, about 10,000. The present estimatedtotal for all Chile is about 20,000 . In the capital cityof Santiago, with a population of 852,000, there arenow about 18,000 Jews . Valparaiso, the port city forSantiago, with 45,000 population, has about 800 Jews ;Temuco about 300 .

1 28

THE PARADISE-CHILE

Concepcion, a city of 78,000, has about 200 Jews,and in the city of Valdivia, 48,000 population, thereare also about 200 Jews. The remaining 500 Jewishpersons are scattered over the long stretch of Chile ingroups of two to fifty persons, in the various towns andcities along the coast .

The Hebrew Institute in Santiago de Chile

Chilean Jewish life is largely centered in Santiago .Here the Jewish communal activities are found largelyin the Circulo Israelita building, erected in 1930 at acost of $250,000. Here are located the offices of theZionist Federation, and the subordinate Zionist groups,the Women's Aid Society, the several youth groups, the

1 29


Free Loan Society and the Committee for ChileanColonization .

All organizations have quarters rent free . One roomin the building seating about fifty persons, is used as asynagogue Saturday mornings. On the Holydays thelarge hall, seating 500, is needed for the worshippers .The Circulo, as it is popularly known, has 600 sup-

porting members. The Sephardim also have a smallcommunity center, with a school of 28 pupils and oneteacher. They also pay toward the maintenance of theofficial rabbi of the community, Rabino I. M. Magu-enzo, even though he is an Ashkenazi. The Ashkenazicschool, known as the Hebrew Institute, was founded in1933. It now has 212 pupils and nine teachers . Thechildren attend six hours daily and study a curriculumwhich is Government supervised. The school is recog-nized as official by the Government, which grants a sub-vention of 80 pesos per child per year. Instruction isgiven in Spanish, Yiddish and Hebrew ; there are alsospecial classes for religious instruction .

Jewish "Public" SchoolMost of the children pay ten pesos per month . Poor

children are admitted gratis ; others pay up to twentypesos per month. The deficit in the 5,600 pesos monthlybudget is met by contributions from communal organi-zations. Children attend from four to twelve years ofage, after which they enter the general Governmentschool system. It is of interest to note that there areabout 20 "non-Jewish" children in the school . It was

130

THE PARADISE-CHILE

reported to me that the parents of these children hadnot been identified previously with the Jewish com-munity, but that in the last few years, with the rise ofHitlerism, they began sending their children to theJewish school.

Jews earn their livelihood in Santiago as manufactur-ers, merchants and as professionals . About one percentare engaged in the professions and over 38 percent inlight industry as manufacturers . The bulk of the com-munity, about 60 percent, is engaged in trade ; less thanone percent are in industry as workers .

The Jews in trade, however, do not constitute anygreat proportion of the total community ; they are nota major factor in any economic situation, as the totalJewish population is only about two percent of theaggregate population of Santiago. There are few verywealthy Jews, but there are some who are affluent, byChilean standards. Some Jews, holding high place inthe general life of Chile who had refrained from identi-fication with the Jewish community, met the increaseof anti-Semitism by returning to take their share incarying the burdens of the community .

No Trace o f Anti-Semitism

Before the rise of Hitlerism in Germany, relationsbetween Jews and other Chileans were very cordial .Few ever thought of the Jews as a problem in Chile, foruntil recently they numbered only about 10,000 in apopulation of 4,600,000. Except for a brief press cam-paign in June, 1932, against some Jews who were ar-

1 3 1


rested for participating with non-Jews in "black ex-change" transactions, nothing occurred to mar thefriendly relations which existed .

Quite a number of the Jewish families who had cometo Chile toward the end of the 19th Century had inter-

The Campus of the Splendid Federico Santa MariaTechnological Institute (Founded and Endowed by a

Former Jew) in Valparaiso, Chile

married with non-Jews. In some sections of the country,especially in the provinces, non-Jewish friends frequent-ly attended Jewish feasts . In the schools and collegesthere was no trace of anti-Semitism . Many Jewish stu-dents attended the Catholic University and still continue

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THE PARADISE-CHILE

to do so . There are many Jews in the Chilean armyand one notable personality in the diplomatic service,Senor Benjamino Cohen, who is at present Chilean Am-bassador to Bolivia . (Bolivia incidentally is the countrywhich has a regulation denying admission to any Jewfrom any country. The Bolivian consul in Buenos Airestold me he could arrange a "special visa" for me, as anAmerican citizen, if I would not stay more than five toten days.)

The Government maintains a generally neutral atti-tude, in accordance with the Chilean constitution, whichdoes not recognize any official religion (some SouthAmerican countries do-the Catholic) or permit anyracial distinctions . But with the expansion of Nazipower and prestige, certain members of the personnel ofthe Chilean ministry of Foreign Relations came to reveala frank anti-Semitic tendency .

Nazis Extort Huge SumsAt a personal conference with a high United States

authority in Chile, I was told that the Nazis carry ontremendous propaganda in Chile, which they financelargely by imposts on Germans in the country . Theyraise from one and a half to three million pesos monthly .Even wage-earners who receive only eight dollars(U.S.A.) per week must pay 25 percent of their wagesinto the "Nazi Relief Fund." The threat of terror torelatives or friends in Germany is used when necessary .Business men with connections in Germany face eco-nomic terrorization. Even Norwegians in Chile, after

1 33


the German occupation of Norway, were forced, byNazi gangster methods, to contribute to the "NaziRelief Fund."

Naturally the propaganda stressed the usual anti-Semitic note. It took the shape of reports, in a paidpress, that Jews were responsible for starting the War,with its attendant ill-effects on Chilean export trade .There have been large and frequent mailings of anti-Semitic material to people in the middle class, includ-ing teachers, professionals and army officers .

The Nazis have carried on anti-Semitic street propa-ganda, operating through an organization they arefostering, Movimiento Nacionalista de Chile, headed bySenor Guillermo Izquierdo, who receives considerablefavorable press reports in certain areas .

On May 11, 1940, Senor Ismael Matte, chief of theradio service which operates under the Ministry of theInterior, delivered a radio address heard throughoutChile, in which he attacked Jewish immigrants who hadrecently arrived from Germany. Certain newspapersalso carried on a systematic campaign against Jews, in-cluding the important Diario Illustrado of Santiago .Likewise, the chain of newspapers controlled by Ger-man funds, operating the Sociedad Periodistica del Sur,spread anti-Semitic material throughout Chile .

Jewish Congress Organized

To meet all this propaganda some Chilean Jews or-ganized the Comite Contra el Antisemitismo in October,1936 . Others at about the same time organized the

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THE PARADISE-CHILE

Comite Central de las Colectividad Israelita de Chile .These merged in April, 1938, but the joint enterprisedid not function well, coming to an end late in 1939 .How reminiscent of the tragically vain efforts to achievegenuine unity in North American Jewish life, whichalso faces a virulent anti-Semitism .

Finally, officers of the Federacion Sionista de Chilecalled a convention of the representatives of all im-portant Jewish organizations in Chile. This conventioncreated the Comite Representativo de la ColectividadJudia de Chile, and delegated the functional organiza-tion to a governing council of 21 members, whichcurrently directs the work against anti-Semitism . ChileanJewish leaders told me in Santiago they consider theComite Representativo the Chilean Jewish Congress .

The Chilean Jewish Congress leaders were gratifiedby the visit of the representative of the Amercian Jew-ish Congress and the World Jewish Congress. Contactsmade and friendships built should do much to facilitatethe future work of these organizations on behalf ofstricken Israel, with benefit to Chile and its people .

There is no Kehillah in the Santiago Jewish com-munity, but the Comite Representativo, because of itsmembership and character, may well become thenucleus for a future Kehillah . It obtains financialsupport for Jewish communal institutions. It receivescontributions, on a monthly basis, from 3,000 memberswithin the community, which are supplemented bydonations.

135


Numerous Jewish Organizations

There are 28 Jewish organizations and institutions inSantiago. Some of the more important among these,in addition to the Comite Representativo and CirculoIsraelita already noted, should be mentioned . They are

the Federacion Sionista, with 2,000 members ; theWomen's Zionist Organization with 900 members ; the

Sephardic Comunidad, with 600 members ; the Bene fC-cencia Bikur Cholem, with 500 members ; the ChevrahKadishah, with 700 members ; and the Women'sSociedad Bene ficencia, with 800 members. There are16 Jewish societies in the provinces, the most importantbeing found in the cities of Valparaiso, Concepcion andTemuco .

In addition to maintaining the local institutions inthis well organized community, its members contributedto last year's United Relief Campaign, conducted bythe World Jewish Congress and the Jewish Agency forPalestine, the sum of 650,000 pesos, or about $20,000(U.S .) .

Serious Refugee Situation

The refugee situation in Chile deserves extended con-sideration . Prior to their coming, Chilean Jews felt,as one phrased it to me, as though they dwelt in aparadise of comfort and friendliness with the generalpopulace . Since their coming the situation haschanged for the worse, not so much because of therefugees as through the scandals involved in the obtain-ing of visas for the refugees . For weeks the press cam-

1 36

THE PARADISE-CHILE

paign and the Government debates in the ChileanCongress were such that Jews feared to read the news-papers with their glaring headlines .

In terror of concentration camps, or because of theimminent expiration of their transit visas while en route,some Jewish refugees had obtained Chilean visas bypaying private premiums to those in a position to assistthem in their dread emergency . A traffic was disclosedin these visas, and the Chilean consul in Great Britainwas dismissed from his post . Two of the principals in-volved, after a few days in police custody, were expelledfrom Chile to Argentina. The Minister of ForeignAffairs, Senor Abraham Ortega, though not personallyimplicated, resigned his office . Despite the reports Iheard in other parts of South America, no one, Jewishor non-Jewish, has ever been or is now in jail becauseof the visa affair .

Naturally this affair was seized upon by the Nazi-Fascist sympathizers to intensify their anti-Semitic cam-paign, and the party in opposition to the Governmentexploited the matter politically. They criticized theadministration for its liberality to Jewish immigrants,and their press carried on a vicious campaign againstthe Government . Their slogans declaimed that Jewswere coming to take away the bread from Chileanworkingmen. Previously the Government had been in-creasing restrictions against refugee immigration . Whenthe scandal broke, the Government was forced to sus-pend immigration completely .

1 37


Jewish refugees had started to come in large numbersto Chile in 1939, following the pogrom in Germany ofNovember 10, 1938. When they arrived, the SantiagoComite Israelita de Socorros gave those who needed it

Nitrate Shipping Port in Rainless City of Antofagasta, Chile

assistance, some of them up to three months. The fundsfor this work were raised locally . These were supple-mented by small grants from HICEM, the Jewishimmigrant aid society.

Refugees Become Farmers

The arrival of refugees in large numbers-severalthousand in one year-into a community which now

138

THE PARADISE-CHILE

only numbers 18,000, created serious financial strainon the community. The stream of refugees for a whilenearly broke the morale of the Jewish community, butit is a vital, resilient community and it rallied to thesituation, despite the severe crisis created by the visascandal .

The anti-Jewish press yelled loudly that therefugees were flocking into Santiago, and were notgoing out into the country, to do agricultural work .This was not in accordance with the facts, but factsnever bother anti-Semites . About twenty refugeefamilies have started small farms in the rich agricul-tural area of Chile . They were aided by the SociedadIsraelita de Colonization Agricola, the funds beingraised in Chile, At present the Circulo Israelita has acommission to assist refugees now in Santiago to get onthe land .

Many refugees, on their own, are starting farms, onbought or rented land, and are engaging in dairyingand live stock raising . Some have begun to work theforests. Agricultural possibilities in Chile are very large .The Government desires to promote land development .It extends aid to Chileans and newcomers alike, butunfortunately, the funds at the disposal of the coloniza-tion department are not large .

Some of the older Chilean Jews work haciendas(plantations) and estancias (farms) in various parts ofthe country. The Jewish Colonization Association doesnot operate, however, in Chile in the same splendid

139


fashion as in neighboring Argentina, so that these olderhaciendados and estancieros make their way without theexpert technical and financial assistance of the ICA .

Could Absorb ThousandsWith proper externall economic cooperation, from

3,000 to 5,000 families yearly could be agriculturallyestablished . Such is the physical situation . Politically,however, colonization and immigration are, at present,out of the question .

The general immigration policy of Chile is patternedafter the national origins quota system used by theUnited States of America, and even if the specificrestrictions against Jewish immigration were later re-moved, the number of immigrants would not be upto the capacity of the country until and when theChilean Congress changes the present general statutes .

The present Government is considered liberal in localcircles, but certain officials are prejudiced against Jews .Future colonization prospects will be determined ofcourse by the Government, but the political situationwill be largely shaped by the outcome of World War II .

In the ghastly and unthinkable event of Germanydefeating England, large scale Jewish immigration intoChile would be impossible, should the economic tie-upbetween Chile and Germany continue . Until the startof the present war, the greater part of Chilean exportswent to Germany, via blocked exchange. Such exchangecontrol would enable Germany to exercise severe eco-nomic and political pressure on Chile .

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THE PARADISE-CHILE

It should be noted that Mexico and the UnitedStates of America are the two countries standing highestin the favor of the present Government. With theUnited States there are strong sentimental bonds, shapedby the similarity of democratic principles and practices .Chileans hope that the United States will recognize thecommon danger arising out of Nazi victory, and thateconomic bonds with the United States will bestrengthened through loans and credits from the Export-Import Bank .

The friendly attitude of the Chilean Governmenttoward the United States finds reflection among theChileans. Except for the Communist segment that isconstantly denouncing Yanqui Imperialismo, the leftistslook with much sympathy on the United States Good-Neighbor policy . There is, however, little knowledge ofthe United States among the workers generally . Ex-cepting those with fascist leanings, Roosevelt is likedby all, particularly the middle class.

Among the rightists, too, there is a favorable feelingtoward the Good-Neighbor policy, so that the politicalfuture in Chile may readily be oriented toward theliberal policies of the United States Government. HenceChileans in common with the rest of South America,and all the world, are closely watching the developmentsof the war and hopefully counting on a victory for thedemocracies .

14 1

THE OLD-NEW JEWRY OF PERU

T HE Jewish community of Peru is of post-WorldWar I development, though there were many Jewsin the city of Lima, capital of the great South

American Spanish continental colony, as far back as1569, when the Inquisition was established in Lima .Many Jews died for their faith in Lima autos-da fe .With an upsurge of emotion that carried me back threehundred years I stood on the very spot in the Hall ofthe Inquisition where Jewish men and women had stoodto receive warrants of death by torture rather thanabandon their sacred faith .

Almost breathlessly I examined trial documents, care-fully preserved, which meticulously detailed the awfulpath from the informer's tale to the inferno of death .I could almost hear the grim halls of the dank Inquisi-tion chamber re-echo with the toneless but sustainingSh'ma Tisroel from the lips and hearts of staunch Jewsbeing led to death. The first of the autos-da fe in Limawhich involved Jews occurred on November 15, 1573 ;the last on July 17, 1806. The tribunal of the Inquisi-tion ruled in Lima until 1813, for a dread total of 244years .

The records show that 131 Jews were condemnedby the Inquisition during this rule . On January 23,

143


1639, sixty-three Jews were condemned . The propertyof all condemned persons was, of course, confiscated tothe Church . Among the estates so acquired was thatof Manuel Perez, who went to the stake leaving over

The Tribunal Chamber of the Holy Inquisitionin Lima, Peru

one million dollars to be divided among his torturers .This was an enormous sum by seventeenth centurystandards. After the 1639 holocaust, the 6,000 membersof the Jewish community in Lima raised the tremend-ous sum of 200,000 ducats as a "gift" to the Spanishviceroy . They were not molested after that-for awhile .

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OLD-NEW JEWRY OF PERU

Historic City o f LimaLima to-day is a beautiful city of 400,000 popula-

tion. It may well be ranked next to Rio de Janeiro,Brazil, but in its historic associations it is far richer inalmost fantastic history than any other South Americancity. Pizarro, conqueror of the Inca Empire, foundedit in 1535 . It is a city where it almost never rains ;from May to October it is cloudy and damp, with some-times a foggy drizzle . That is the winter . But in thesummer, from November through April it is hot ; hotand dusty .

Peru is an old country, with cathedrals whose splen-dor rival those of Spain ; its cloisters are gems of MiddleAges architecture. Lima is the seat of the oldest univer-sity in the Americas, San Marcos, founded in 1551,eighty-five years before John Harvard established hisschool of learning in Boston . It was strange to see theold classrooms of the university-the same as nearly fourhundred years ago, with lacks in their physical plantwhich would drive our twentieth century facultiesfrantic .

I visited the classroom of a noted professor of law .It was a large, cavernous room, opening onto the centralpatio through a doorway which was the solitary sourceof light and air for the entire room . All the otherwalls were solid masonry. The room was so cold andclammy that students sat huddled in their jackets ;the professor stood bravely lecturing in an overcoat .This was buttoned too tight to see whether the wing

1 45


collar he wore was accompanied by the professorialPrince Albert coat ; it probably was .And the huge library ; that was a gem of interest.

Many thousands of volumes, some of them rare works,but all stacked in accordance with their accession num-

Burros and Men on Main Street, at High Noon,Mollendo, Peru

bers ! What a nightmare for a modern librarian, whowould be aghast to find an edition of Aesop's Fables nextto a volume of Commercial Law simply because thatwas the chance order in which the books were acquired .But the system must have its good points too, for hasit not worked for three hundred and ninety years?

146


Pizarro Wrecks a CivilizationWhen Pizarro came to Peru he found, and ruthlessly

destroyed, a culture developed by the Incas whichmarked the highest known degree of civilization in thewestern world . It was even higher than that of theAztecs of Mexico, whose calendar was better than theSpaniards possessed at the time the Conquistadoresdescended on the continent . Inca life was centered inCuzco which, for three hundred years before Pizarro,was the seat of a communistic society stretching fromColombia to Chile .

This society made complete provision for all thepeople ; there was no starvation and there were no rich,for there was no private property . All manner of socialwelfare devices existed . But there was no freedom .Instead of liberty there was despotism . A priestcrafthierarchy ruled absolutistically, under the Inca, who wasthe Son of the Sun.

Pizarro imprisoned the Inca Emperor Atahualpa .After receiving a fabulous ransom in silver, Pizarro,true to type, treacherously slew his captive. The exploita-tion of the Indians that followed is a frightful story ofSpanish rulers' depredations .

The soldiers of the Spanish crown swept through thecountry, taking with them missionary friars who werenot servants of the Church but rather employes of theCrown . After a village feast came many promises tothe populace, followed by mass baptism, with the Indiansdoubtless mystified at the meaning of the ceremony. Amember of the San Marcos University faculty said to

1 47


me, on this point, "Despite four centuries of effort withthe Indians, Christianity today is a slight veneer overIndian customs ." I was reminded of a service I hadattended in famous Guadalupe Church, in Mexico City,where I had observed an Indian worshipper furtivelyslip a small baked clay idol of Quetzalcoatl into the floralbouquet she held up for the priest's blessing .

Indians Considered Sub-HumanThe Peruvian Indians were not considered human by

their rulers ! The College of Cardinals in Rome actuallydebated for half a century whether Indians, being non-human, could receive the sacrament . During the latterpart of the Sixteenth Century the Pope decided theycould receive the sacrament .

The Indian population, through forced labor in thehigh altitude mines, was cut to less than half, in thegreedy haste of the "git and go" viceroys, and theirbrutal underlings, to strip the country of its mineralwealth. Copper is still the chief mineral . The greatmines at Cerro de Pasco produce copper at exceedinglylow cost, because of the rich gold and silver contentof the ore.

The Cerro de Pasco district, I was told in Lima, hasproduced about 500 million dollars in silver alone since1800, and this only as a by-product of the copper min-ing. "The Central Cordillera," said an American min-ing engineer to me, "is one immense vein of silver-itsvalue beyond calculation ."

But despite the vast mineral wealth of their fantastic148


land, many of the Indian descendants of the Inca civil-ization now live in a stone-age culture . Many of themare serfs, uneducated and disease-ridden . Typhoid anddysentery are prevalent everywhere ; tuberculosis is thesecond worst disease . It is especially prevalent along thecoast. The tuberculosis rate is high because the fogsand mists of the winter spread their pall for six monthsof the year, without the relief brought by rain. Over alarge portion of coastal Peru it very rarely, if ever, rains .

Few Qualified VotersThe general political level of the country, which since

its independence from Spain has been plagued by graftand dominated by dictators, is shown by the fact thatthere are only 350,000 qualified voters in the entireRepublic. Voting is restricted to men, over 21 years ofage, who can read and write.

The total population of Peru is about 6,800,000 .There has been no census since 1876 . About 600,000it is estimated, are white ; the remainder is Indian ormestizo. The Church law prohibited single white womencoming to Peru, so there was much intermarriage .

Peru is located entirely within the Tropics, with anarea equal to Texas and California, though the exactborder between Peru and Ecuador is in dispute . In fact,while we were in Manta, Ecuador, a nasty borderskirmish took place between Ecuadorean and Peruvianfrontier guards . It had all the earmarks of a made-to-order situation awaiting exacerbation by Nazi intrigue .

Peru has a coast line of about 1,400 miles, or about1 49


the distance from New York to Miami . The coasthas been most aptly described as "a snarl of rocky baysflecked with lacework of surf." Callao has recentlybeen developed with expensive port works, making itthe only decent port between the Panama Canal and

The Author en Route to Embarkation Launch via RailroadCrane Chair, at Mollendo, Peru

Valparaiso, Chile . Mollendo is the only port of entryto La Paz, capital of Bolivia . Mollendo handles muchfreight and passenger traffic, though it is the mostdangerous port in all South America, on account of thewildly heaving sea and lack of breakwaters . Passengers

150


are lifted from the swaying debarkation launch by arailroad derrick ; debarking is no lark .

Jewish Population Small

Today there are about 2,600 Jews living in Peru .Of these about 2,200 dwell in Lima. The others arefound in the several other cities of Peru . About 500refugees have come to Peru, most of them in the pasttwo years, all of them from Germany .

Immigration into Peru now is impossible . SevereGovernmental decrees have hermetically sealed thedoors, preventing naturalized Jewish Peruanos frombringing in parents ; even refugee husbands cannotobtain papers to admit their wives . Jewish personsseeking entrance to set up small factories in Peru aredenied admittance, despite good credentials, experienceand capital because, it is reported, those in control ofthe Government bureaus are unfriendly to Jewish im-migration . Much of this is Nazi-inspired, so that forthe past five years no visas have been granted to Jewsfrom east European lands.

Colonization possibilities in Peru are great, physically,but the political factors are all unfavorable under thepresent national regime . About four years ago, a lawwas adopted prohibiting the vending of merchandiseby what is known as the "customer peddler ." As about70 percent of the Jews earn their living in this way,the decree, if applied, would be calamitous . Theauthorities are not rigorous, but the Jewish merchantsfeel the menace of the overhanging threat .

15 1


The Lima government controls all business througha system of licensing. The intent of the licensing systemis to promote handling of trade by Peruvians, butunder it Peruvian Jews suffer difficulties . When seekingthe license which would permit them to open a business,and thus end their jeopardized status as illegal peddlers,Jewish applicants appear to find almost insurmountableobstacles.

Community Excellently Organized

Fortunately, the Jewish community is well organizedunder intelligent leadership . Perhaps a bit too muchorganized, as there are three separate central bodies .One is for the east European Jews, another for theGerman Jews and the third for the Sephardic com-munity . Efforts to amalgamate these three have notyet been successful .

The presidents of the three respective communitiespersonally cooperate. The three came down to Callaoharbor as the reception committee to meet me whenI landed, and each expressed the hope for ultimateunion of their bodies . Already, Zionist activity is carriedon by one central body . Last year the Zionist workers,men, women and the youth, which includes an armof the Betar (Revisionist) group, together raised 16,000soles ($2,600) for various Palestine projects.

The cemetery, always an index of Jewish communalorganization, is communally owned and conductedjointly. The principal Jewish organization is the Union

1 5 2


Israelita del Peru, founded in 1926 and given Govern-mental recognition in 1937 .

This Union is of and for the Ashkenazic (eastEuropean) group . It is perhaps unique on the entirecontinent-north and south-as the only body withacknowledged powers of taxation of those who belongto the Jewish community. It is a keh'illah, supportedby members through graduated taxes imposed by a taxcommittee. Those adjudged by the committee as toopoor to pay, are exempt from the minimum tax, whichis 1 sole (16 cents U.S.A.) per month. Others pay, asassessed, up to 25 soles per month .

I was privileged to address an evening gathering atthe Union Israelita building. The attendance was 250,which is not bad for a community of 2,200 persons at ameeting arranged on four hour's notice . All seemedtremendously interested in the address by a Jewishvisitor from the Estados Unidos; a lengthy forum periodfollowed, which severely taxed my "Pan-AmericanerYiddish." Nonetheless the officers of the Union weregracious enough to elect the visitor their first honorarymember, and I was supplied with the prized certificateof membership in the Kehillah of Lima .

Kehillah Controls Community

The kehillah owns and operates its building,-dedicated, incidentally, in 1935 by Dr. Samuel GuyInman, great friend of the Jewish people and notedauthority on Latin America, who was in Peru at the

1 5 3


time on refugee problems for the United States ofAmerica authorities. This building gives free space andfacilities to all Jewish organizations, including the smallJewish school, the Zionist bodies, the youth and sportsocieties, the women's aid society and the cooperativebank. It also houses the small synagogue chapel, usedthroughout the year . The ark and other ecclesiasticalfurniture are moved into the main auditorium (withthe balcony for the women) on the High Holydays .

The kehillah supports the local mohel, schochet andrabbi ; all three functions are exercised by one person .He does not serve at weddings, circumcisions, funerals,etc., unless he is shown a certificate of membership inthe kehillah by the family. Each member carries asmall identifying book, complete with photograph, andpastes his quarter-annual dues tax stamps therein . Asthe kehillah also owns the cemetery and does not permitburial therein of non-members, its control is quite com-plete of those who seek to be identified with the Jewishcommunity.

There have been instances when the community hasrefused membership to those persons who have cometo Peru with unsavory records. The president of theUnion is Senor Max Heller, who came from Vienna in1928. He applies himself enthusiastically to the prob-lems of the Union. His colleagues are Leopold Weil,President of the Sociedad de Beneficencia Israelita, theGerman-speaking group and J. Castoriano, President ofthe Colectividad Sefaradi, the Sephardic group .

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THE OLD-NEW JEWRT OF PERU

Hitlerism Promotes Propaganda

Prior to Hitler, the relationship of the Jewish com-munity was on a friendly co-equal basis with the otherelements of the Peruvian population . With the adventof Nazi propaganda, carried on openly in all Peru bythe German embassy, the situation followed the usualpattern of change for the worse . A lull came with theHitler-Stalin pact, and some favorable change in theattitude toward Jews occurred .

But in recent months the pro-fascist propaganda hasbeen increased by both Germany and Italy. And inPeru we find a new Fascist note struck ; considerablepro-Axis sentiment is being created by Japan . TheJapanese wield much economic influence in Peru . Iheard from the highest non-Jewish authoritative person-ality in all Peru, one who could know and would darespeak, that the Japanese unit of the fifth-column is real .It includes a strong military organization among theJapanese, who dwell in many key places in Peru .

Under the Peruvian constitution all except the highestGovernmental posts may be held by non-Peruvians andnon-citizens. In a number of cities and towns themayors, chiefs of police, etc ., are Japanese, Italian andGerman nationals . In 1915 the Germans constructeda port in the harbor of Sechura, to be operated bythem for 25 years . The contract and lease have nowexpired, but the Government is making no move toask the Germans in control of the harbor works to stepout, though the Germans effectually keep out of the

155


harbor, and the town, all whom they consider undesir-able, including Peruvians who are opposed to the presentnational government of Peru .The Nazi anti-Jewish campaign circulates consider-

able noxious press material, including Henry Ford's"International Jew," in a simple, low-priced Spanishedition . Much vicious printed matter is in circulation .Support for the anti-Jewish movement also appearedin the pages of El Camercio, published in Lima andthe most influential daily paper in Peru.

U. S. Medal to Lima Paper

El Comercio is designated by some as the New YorkTimes of Peru. About a year ago the trustees ofColumbia University, New York, awarded the Cabotgold medal to the publisher of El Comercio for helpingto "advance sympathetic understanding among thepeoples of South, Central and North America ." Perhapsthe trustees ought to have known more about ElComercio than they did when they awarded the medalto it . The award created dismay and consternationamong Peruvian Jewry, who were amazed and dis-heartened by the action . It has been interpreted gener-ally in Peru as an approval of the paper's policy by theUnited States of America.

The attention of Dr . Carl W . Ackerman, Dean of theSchool of Journalism, Columbia University, was drawnto the CONGRESS WEEKLY article on Peru, with itsreference to the gold medal award . Professor Ackermanthereupon declared,

1 56


"It has been a long standing policy of theUniversity not to comment on the awards madeby the President and Trustees. In the field of jour-nalism the basis for our selection is always pro-fessional achievement without reference to politicalpolicies.""Professional achievement" forsooth . If that is the

basis of recognition, may we not expect an award toDr. Joseph Paul Goebbels, for certainly his has beenthe most distinctive "professional achievement" injournalism in our lifetime .

Anti-Jewish speeches have been made in the Peru-vian Congress . Though the President of Peru, DonManuel Prado, is friendly, many of his advisers areunfriendly to the Jewish people .

Report Provokes Attack

Upon my return from South America, in an addressto the Administrative Committee of the AmericanJewish Congress, I reported that some South Americancountries were honeycombed with Nazism and menacedby fifth columnists . Many South American newspaperscarried the story as a United Press dispatch . ThereuponSenor Calle Eskahadio, a deputy in the PeruvianParliament-and a known anti-Semite-insultinglyattacked the Lima Jewish community and assailed mevituperatively. He declared that "the Jews had no rightto take part and mix in the internal matters of thecountry."

Seeking some propagandistic scapegoat, Senor157


Eskahadio looked for a Jewish victim on whom to con.centrate public condemnation . He found one in a poorJewish tailor, who runs a bit of a repair shop, locatedon the plaza opposite the Presidential Palace . Recklessof the consequences inflicted on this poor man, this

Entrance to Presidential Palace, Lima Peru

malicious anti-Jewish member of the Peruvian Congressinvented the fiction that "this shop was the specialobesrvation point where the agents of InternationalJewry keep an eye on the Holy Palace ."

The Jewish community cannot, or rather dare not,locally conduct a defense campaign against the anti-Jewish propaganda. Individuals can and do take action

1 58


in specific cases, but it would appear dangerous to thepresent weak status of the community to conduct anorganized campaign against anti-Semitism . So we findthe anomalous situation of an excellently organizedJewish community-placed in a position where its statusmight be jeopardized if it defended itself locally .

Few Government positions are available to Jews ;Jewish youth in Peru (about 200) prepare for personalprofessional service in engineering, medicine, pharmacy,law and like activities . Craftsmen occupy a low statusin Peru, offering little attractions to youth, because ofthe low standard of living .

With the destruction and disintegration of EuropeanJewries, every Jewish community in South America, nomatter how small, is now an important element inJewish life, deserving nurture, support and encourage-ment. It would therefore appear that a great needexists for considerable counter anti-Semitic material,to be made available in good, simple Spanish, to combatthe stream of Fascist propaganda now in circulation .The young Peruvian Jewish community has neitherthe financial capacity, the intellectual strength nor thepolitical position to engage in this necessary work . Asan outpost, and as a nucleus for a new Jewish life onthe continent, it should be helped to maintain and makesecure its position .

1 59

JEWISH LIFE IN ECUADOR

CUADOR is a small country, situated on the westcoast of South America, on the Equator . Itseconomic develpoment can perhaps be glimpsed

from the statement that "the area has never beenmeasured," (176,000 square miles is an approximateestimate, so that it is somewhat larger than California),and no census was ever taken until 1939 . The popula-tion is 3,200,000 .

Being on the Equator, Ecuador has but two seasons .The winter runs from December to May ; it rains mostof the time and it is hot ! In the summer it is coolerand drier. When Ecuadoreans speak of a beautiful daythey mean a cloudy one . In the jungle there are alsoonly two seasons : the rainy season and the "lesserrainy" season .

Ecuador has been priest-ridden since the Spanishconquest . For a time it was even under a theocraticform of government. Until 1903, no one could livein Ecuador without the approval of the CatholicChurch. To be known as a Protestant was to be subjectto the danger of assault and stoning in the streets. Jewswere almost unknown .

Four Jewish families came about 1904 ; they markthe beginning of the present Jewish community. DeHaas in the 1934 edition of the "Encyclopedia of JewishKnowledge," says this-and nothing else-of Ecuador

16 1


"A South American republic on the Pacific Coast .There are a few Jewish families in Guayaquil." Mostof the present Jewish population of Ecuador might beclassified as of very recent origin . Till about twelveyears ago the very few Jews in the land were principallySephardim, from the eastern end of the Mediterraneanbasin . Today the Sephardic Jews number about 500persons, located principally in Guayaquil and Quito .

The present Jewish population is estimated to beabout 3,000, of whom about 1,000 reside in Quito,the capital city . Quito is located inland, in a valley9,500 feet above sea-level, and about 300 miles fromGuayaquil, the chief seaport and commercial city ofthe country. By train, which runs thrice weekly, the300 mile mountain-climbing journey from Guayaquilto Quito is a two-day ride ; the train runs only in day-light hours .

Comfortable Quito

Quito is today a city of 110,000 population . It is oneof the three pre-conquest cities which attained a highstate of culture and an advanced civilization long beforethe marauding Spanish conquistadores descended onit. The others were Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City)and Cuzco in Peru . The Quito climate is made com-fortable by the altitude . This led to its development bythe Spaniards, who were also grateful for a spot freeof the tropic fevers infesting the lowlands . At the sametime, its inaccessibility was prized as a barrier to thebloody raids of the British buccaneers .

162


Guayaquil is located on the Guayas River, about 30miles from the mouth. The river, a mile wide atGuayaquil, is the largest on the west coast of SouthAmerica . The city is a hot, tropic, dusty community,the bulk of its 135,000 population largely mestizo, resid-

Bamboo Homes in Guayaquil, Ecuador

ing in Chinese-appearing bamboo houses . The climateis enervating ; the mean temperature is both awful highand awful mean . It is hard on whites until their bloodis physiologically readjusted to the heat .The Jewish population of Guayaquil is now about

1,250, of whom about 1,000 are recently arrivedrefugees . Until about a decade ago Guayaquil was a

1 63


tropical pesthole . Steamship passengers were not per-mitted to land, for fear of dangerous infections . Eventoday "there is some bubonic plague in the dingierquarters of the towns." Guayaquil was called the "HellHole of the West Coast" because yellow fever, typhoidand bubonic plague were endemic. Through the cooper-ation of the United States public health authorities, whofeared this menace so close to the Panama Canal, andthe Rockefeller Foundation, Guayaquil has been cleanedup, making decent living conditions possible.

Most Newcomers Refugees

The bulk of the Jewish immigration entered withinthe past four years. A large proportion of the mostrecently arrived refugees will probably not be able toremain residents of Ecuador, because the low economiclevel of the country makes difficult meeting the require-ments of their entry visas, which stipulate that they workin industry or agriculture . Most of the refugees camewith such professional experience as does not qualifythem for general work . The tropic climate is also agenuinely serious barrier against their becoming laborersor farm hands.

Economic standards in Ecuador are indicated by theexisting low wage levels . The pay rates range fromone sucre (about six and a half cents U.S.) per day fora laborer, to five sucres for skilled craftsmen . A schoolteacher averages 160 sucres per month, or less thaneleven U.S.A. dollars.

1 64


Over ninety percent of the population is Indian ormestizo ; whites range up to perhaps ten percent of thepopulation. Many of the Indians live in the equatorialjungle, where life is cheap and basic foods can be hadfor the picking . Beyond basic needs, the Indians don'tknow their needs ; their wants remain very few . Theylive as though the twentieth century gadget civilizationis yet to be invented . Some of them earn a bit by mak-ing straw hats for the North American Panama hattrade .

Panama Hats Made HereThe famed Panama hats are made in Ecuador, of

jipijapa straw . Some Jews handle these in the exporttrade . The hats are woven by Indians on a woodenform, and about a week is required to weave the averagehat . Indian women receive from ten to twenty-fivecents per hat, depending on the quality of the strawand craftsmanship . Exceptionally fine hats may takemany months to weave . Panama hats are made onlyduring humid nights ; work ceases at sunrise .

An illicit tourist trade exists in Indian' heads-yesheads, not hats ! The Jivaro Indians of Ecuador havea penchant for exercising their secret skills upon theheads of their decapitated enemies . These are shrunkto the size of a man's fist-and kept as souvenirs of thefray. Some of these are brought to the port city ofGuayaquil and surreptitiously offered to tourists, whoare known to buy anything-no matter how gruesome.

1 65


The Government has forbidden the traffic in humanheads, for fear of encouraging murder in the junglelands of Ecuador. But I was offered one in Mantafor fifty dollars, in a furtive manner reminiscent ofspeak-easy days in the United States of America .

Delegation of Delighted Children Greeting the Cameramanfrom "Estados Unidos," at Manta, Ecuador

The Government has also forbidden private traffic inmatches. It has the match monopoly . Hence travelersare warned not to bring matches into Ecuador ; amechanical cigarette lighter is as contraband as fire-arms in American cities . On the other hand, Ecuadoris one country where you can buy stamps wholesale from

1 66


the Post Office, provided you are a licensed stampdealer. But if you want a few stamps, the Post Officewill not sell them to you . It prefers to sell at ten per-cent discount to the petty private trader, who, in appre-ciation of the privilege of serving you, most graciouslylicks your stamps.

Few Small Industries

In the few small cities of Ecuador, handicrafts andsome small industries exist . The Government, however,is not issuing licenses for business and industry torefugees who have entered on other type visas, thougha few have been authorized to establish small enterprises .These include a small paint manufactory, a paper bagfactory, and two textile weaving plants . A few Jewsare also engaged in the interior in gold mining. Ecuadorproduces about 60,000 ounces of gold annually .

Some of the refugees have found positions as teach-ers in the state school system ; primary education is,compulsory to the age of twelve . One refugee, fromItaly, is the calisthenics instructor of the Ecuadoreanarmy. There are also a few Jews in Government service .The Government has been neutral in its attitude towardJews generally, as they constitute less than one-tenthof one percent of the population .

German economic influence in Ecuador is large andthe native friendly feeling has been disturbed by Nazi-inspired items in the press attacking Jews . These attackstake the line that if England defeats Germany, Jewswill get control of Ecuadorean industry, with dire results

1 67


to the workers . The Ecuadoreans have not forgottenthat until recent years peonage was the rule for labor."Today," one official said to me in Guayaquil, "theEcuadorean workingman can labor for whom hepleases."

Senor Max Wasserman in the Small Chapel in Guayaquil,Ecuador

Nazi-Inspired AttacksThe entire industrial group numbers about 20,000

workers in all Ecuador, but they constitute a largeelement among the newspaper readers of the country .Hence Senor Max Watserman, merchant in Guayaquiland communal leader, resident in Ecuador for fourteen

1 68


years, seeks to counteract these press attacks with state-ments of the - truth. But there is no organized Jewishcommunal effort in this connection .

There is very little organization of any type amongthe Jews in Ecuador . There are two small synagoguesin Quito and a chapel, seating 25 persons, in Guayaquil .There is a small synagogue in Ambato, which is anindustrial-agricultural center of about 19,000 popula-tion, with perhaps 250 Jews . Ambato is known as "thegarden city of Ecuador," because of its temperateclimate and lovely home gardens .

There is no Jewish religious functionary in Guaya-quil. The community needs and has asked me to helpthem obtain some one person qualified to act, amongother capacities, as mohel, hazan, rabbi and teacherof children, of whom there are fifteen . These childrennow receive meagre, unorganized tuition in Jewishhistory and religious practices . The community wishesto regularize the instruction .

Guayaquil has a small Zionist society and a socialclub, with about a hundred members, which meets inrented quarters, with restaurant attached . (One of themembers pleaded with me to help the community obtainthe name of a responsible American shipper of herring .)Each of the Jewish communities owns cemetery space ;that of Guayaquil has space for perhaps twenty inter-ments, thus giving a clear index of the tiny size of thecommunity. One of the recent interments therein is

169


of a harried refugee who died shortly after arrival inGuayaquil, following a hazardous journey around theglobe.

Mass Immigration PossibilitiesBack in 1933 a Comite Internacional de Immigracion

was organized in Paris to study possibilities for Jewishimmigration to Ecuador. The committee did somesurveying, and compiled some data. They found theauthorities ready to welcome Jewish enterprise, whichthey hoped would bring to Ecuador the benefits ofJewish capital and labor, as had been brought to sub-tropical Palestine . The committee thought the landeminently suitable for Jewish mass immigration . Exceptas a last resort, I do not join in their enthusiasm, forthere are lands with equal immigration potentialitieswhich possess more equable physiographic and clima-tologic conditions.

At any rate, in November, 1935, the Comite andthe Government entered into a thirty year contract,under which the Comite received a free grant of about500,000 hectares (about 1/4 million acres) for develop-ment by European immigrants . Three years tax exemp-tion, and citizenship after one year, are among theliberal terms of the contract . The lands unused by1965 will revert to the Government . With Nazi propa-ganda growing stronger in Ecuador and the economicposition of the Comite in Paris weakening, little hasresulted to date from the concession .

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President del Rio Friendly

Senor Max Wasserman has been acting as theHICEM representative in the port city of Guayaquil .Until about a year and half ago the joint DistributionCommittee sent fifty dollars monthly for refugee assist-

Green Gold-Loading Bananas by the Million ontoSteamer at Guayaquil, Ecuador

ance. What help is now needed the community suppliesfrom its own resources, for the inflow of refugees is atiny trickle. It is hoped that through friendly contactswith Dr. Arroya del Rio, recently inaugurated presidentof the Republic of Ecuador, permission will be obtainedfor admitting trained Jewish craftsmen, to the number

1 7 1


of five hundred, because of the great economic benefitssuch immigrants can bring to Ecuador . It is also hopedto obtain transit visas for several hundred refugees, enroute to the United States of America, with permissionto stay in Ecuador until their United States quotanumbers are reached.

Between the tropic coastal zone and the cool high-lands, one can grow almost anything in Ecuador, butaccess to markets is difficult and costly, because roadsare few and maintenance costly. When the presentprimitive pre-Columbus conditions have been corrected,Ecuador has much' to offer. On the whole, however,the immigration and colonization possibilities ofEcuador are not very favorable because of the limitedmaterial resources of the country and the difficultclimatic conditions . But these conditions are subject,within a measure, to modem economic and technologiccontrols. Hence Ecuador should not be overloked in aprogram for colonization-after the war .

1 72

THE JEWS OF COLOMBIA

C is one of the northern republics of South//~,~ America ; the only one bordering on both the

Atlantic and the Pacific. Its area is about 477,000square miles, or, about ten times the size of New YorkState ; and its population is about 8,700,000, of whomabout twenty percent are whites . The Jewish populationtotals about 7,500, and is concentrated principally, inBogota, the capital, Barranquilla, Cartagena and Buena-ventura, the port cities, and Cali, the chief commercialcity on the Pacific side .

Colombia is an equatorial country, but the climateis modified favorably by' the high altitudes, for the greatAndean mountain ranges cut up the country withthree high spurs, giving the terrain wide variationsin climate. These mountains, however, add almost in-superable obstacles to commercial and industrial devel-opment, making highway and railway constructioncostly to construct and burdensome to maintain .

Bogota, the capital, is located deep inland and ona plateau 8,600 feet above the sea . The climate is socool that winter-weight clothing is worn the year round,though Bogota is less than five degrees north of 'theEquator. The population is about 230,000 . About3,000 are Jewish, mainly of Russian, Polish andRumanian origin . Some came about 1910, but most

1 73


of them after the close of World War I . There are about1,000 refugees in Bogota, who arrived in considerablenumbers during 1939 .The Bogota Jewish community also includes a

number of Sephardic Jews, who maintain identificationseparate from the Ashkenazic group. The latter do nothave a synagogue and use a private home for theirSabbath and Holiday services. Unfortunately the smallcommunity, made up of heterogeneous elements, hasnot resolved its discords ; all efforts to create a centralJewish organization have, as yet, been unsuccessful .

Only a small proportion of the community observeKashruth, though there is one religious functionaryin Bogota who serves as mohel and shochet . There is noorganized Jewish religious instruction for the children,who attend private schools for their general education .Under the Constitution of Colombia, the nationalreligion is Roman Catholic. "All teaching in the publicschools must be in conformity with the Roman Catholicreligion" but it should be made clear that there isfreedom for other creeds, provided these "do not con-travene Christian morals or law."

Bogotans Customer Peddlers

The languages spoken among the Jews are Spanishand Yiddish, except that few of the Sephardim speakYiddish. Most of the Bogotan Jews are engaged intrade as merchants and "customer peddlers," thoughthey have not yet evinced enough organizing ability,as have other South American communities, to establish

1 74

THE YEWS OF COLOMBIA

cooperatives to facilitate their enterprise. There are lessthan ten Jewish professional men in Bogota ; theseinclude five doctors, three dentists and one architect .

The most significant Jewish contribution to the fieldof Colombian literature was made two generations agoby Jorge Isaacs, born in Cali, and author of manybeautiful poems and novels. His mother was a Colom-bian Catholic ; his father an English Jew. His greatnovel Maria was published in 1867 ; an Englishtranslation appeared in America in 1890. Though thebook appeared in the days when the books-of-the-monthand other mass production techniques did not exist,its record dims the greatest of our own day. It createda sensation throughout the Spanish literary world ; over8,000,000 copies were printed . Critics acclaimed thisdelightful tale of Catholic-Jewish life in Colombia a"mountain peak of classic literature ."

An American appraisal declared that "it has achievedundisputed position in the front ranks of the world'sliterature ." Another critic rhapsodically wrote, "Heretruth is contemplated by a man of genius, and isexhibited with an art that conceals itself in simplicity."

Barranquilla Enterprising PortBarranquilla is the major Colombian seaport, on the

Caribbean sea, 450 miles due north of Bogota . Thejourney from Bogota to the port takes about nine daysbecause of the difficult topography and need for frequenttransit changes . By plane the trip takes less than threehours. No wonder Colombia was the first South Ameri-

1 75


can country to establish commercial air transport .Barranquilla is a city of about 150,000 population andhas over 500 luxurious modern villas, built by NorthAmerican engineering enterprise, located on an elevationoverlooking the city and the majestic Magdalena River,the main artery of transport in all Colombia .

Wood Burning Stern-Wheeler (Made in U.S.A .) on theMagdalena River, Barranquilla, Colombia

There are about two thousand Jews in this progres-sive community, of whom about six hundred areSephardim. Some of them are well established indus-trialists, operating fairly large rayon, silk and woolentextile plants . Most prominent among the Sephardim

1 76


is the former Syrian, Senor Elios Muvdi . He is theleading real estate developer of the city and is recog-nized as its most generous philanthropist. The Jewishcommunity as a whole is moderately well off, with thebulk making a fair living in trade and industry. Exceptfor a very few old-timers engaged in medicine anddentistry, there are no professionals, because under arecent non-retroactive law none is allowed to practiceexcept Colombia born . The community is as yet tooyoung to furnish graduates from the National Universityat Bogota, which has splendid professional schools .

Seventeenth Century CartagenaAnother segment of Jewish life is found in the

Caribbean port city of Cartagena, one of the most inter-esting cities in all South America . The present Jewishpopulation is about 500 persons, mostly of recent origin.The community possesses an old cemetery, for Cartagenawas the seat of Jewish life early in the SeventeenthCentury. Cartagena was made the seat of a tribunalof the Inquisition in 1610, to guard the territory ofNew Granada against heresy and "Judaizing."

This tribunal continued in operation until 1819, whenit was abolished by order of Simon Bolivar, the liberator .During its reign about 800 persons were brought tothe final stage of condemnation . The records have notbeen studied as to the proportion who were Marranos .Today Cartagena is an active tropic port of 120,000population, kept busy as the terminus of the oil pipeline which brings valuable petroleum products to thedocks from 300 miles distant Barranca Bermeja .

1 7 7

I


Though Medellin is the second city of Colombia,with its 171,000 population, it is inland and off thebeaten path of the hurried traveler . But if a fraction istrue of what a deck-chair companion told me one moon-lit night as we steamed nbrthward, over the phosphores-cent iridescence of the slowly swaying Caribbean, it mustbe an American Shangri-La . "Here is a city," he said,"where spring flows on the whole year through, on asheltered plateau a mile in the sky ."

Medellin-"Jewish" City

It is both an agricultural and industrial center.Colmobians swear that Medillin coffee is the mildest,finest, most aromatic in the world-and only in Medellindo they know how to prepare the bean and the brew.I was sold on Medellin that moonlit night ; it remainsindelibly recorded in my "Notes for Future Trips ."Tomlinson, in his recent New Roads to Riches, haswhetted. my tourist appetite still further, for he says,"Medellin is old Spanish America, the only genuineSpanish America on the continent. No Indians orNegroes in this valley ."

And then -he makes this historically fascinating asser-tion that ought to send some Jewish research fellowpacking- "All are devout Catholics,_ especially theSpanish Jews. Medellin is not only a Spanish city buta Jewish city ." What an opportunity for a_genealogist,,-which Jewish foundation will give the subvention?But some of our proud Norte Americano Judios, who

1 78


control foundation funds, may not like Tomlinson'sconcluding word, "Most of them, although Jews byrace, are Catholics by religion ."

Cali, a city on the Pacific slope, with a populationof about 160,000, lies in the Cauca valley, at 3,400feet altitude, in one of the most productive areas ofColombia. It is the chief western commercial city, witha Jewish population of about 800 persons .The refugees who have come to the Cali area have

created some difficulties through their concentration inmerchandising . As one "old time" Cali Jew explainedit to me, "They have surfeited the community withsmall shops."

Cali Has Only Synagogue

Cali happens to be the best organized Jewish com-munity in all Colombia, with the only synagogue in thecountry. This synagogue, which also serves as a socialcenter, is maintained by the Sephardic group, who in1928 organized the Sociedad Israelita de Bene ficenciaSe f aradi. Most of them came from Syria, Turkey andPalestine.

This group now numbers about 300 persons . Theymaintain a cemetery, jointly with the Ashkenazim . Theyalso make their synagogue available to the Germanrefugee group, who now total about 200 and includemany pious folk . The Ashkenazic group organizedtheir fraternal benevolent society in 1932, called theSociedad Hebria de Socorro . The two communities,however, have not succeeded in establishing any school

1 79


for the Jewish children, partly for lack of teacher andfunds, and partly because, as a comparatively new com-munity, there are not many school-age children .

Immigration Severely Restricted

There is little likelihood of much communal growthfor the duration of the war, because Jewish immigrationwas severely restricted on January 1, 1940 . Only skilledtechnicians, coming with certificates of necessity forColombian industry, are now admitted, and then onlyfor a limited period . Two factors contributed to thisclosing of the gates. One was the spread of Nazi propa-ganda, which charged in the press and by a whisperingcampaign that the "Jewish invasion of refugees" endan-gered the bread of Colombian workers, adding that "theclever Jews will oust the Colombian merchants ."

The other factor arose from the mess produced bya . Colombian consul in a central European land whosold about 1,000 visas for prices ranging from $100upward. When the Goverment discovered the traffic,it ,cancelled outstanding visas and ordered that all visas,from any part of the world, must originate in Bogota,the ;capital. Whereas formerly immigrants enteringColombia were required to deposit with the authorities200 pesos, for two years, the Government further,restricted immigration by raising the required depositto 1,000 pesos .

The Government, on the whole, is very liberal andin: full _ accord with the Good-Neighbor policy of Presi-dent Roosevelt. The people generally are cordial to the

180


United States of America, and call Roosevelt "El Papa."The democratic spirit is widely prevalent, with freedomof assembly, speech and press . Only a very small per-centage of officialdom is pro-Nazi minded . But Nazipropaganda stressed the rising tide of refugees, whofirst began coming in 1936, and in larger numbers= in1939. Almost every ship that docked that year broughttwenty to thirty refugees, who were forced to stay inthe cities because there is, no colonization organization,such as ICA, at work in Colombia .

Goverment Favors FarmersThe Government stood ready to supply land, for

millions of fertile acres are available for colonization,but access and transport facilities were lacking,, and, theGovernment was without resources to build the roadsthrough the jungle and mountains needed to start newfarming areas .

In all of Colombia, I was told in Barranquilla, thereare about ten Jewish families who have establishedthemselves as farmers. On their haciendas, none ofwhich is large, they grow principally sugar cane, cornand rice . They employ peons to assist them and paythe prevailing rate, which is about one peso (fifty cents)per day, plus keep .

But colonization projects are practicable, after theend of the war, provided, of course, Nazism is destroyedand its malign influences extirpated . Literally thereis room for millions of immigrants in Colombia, with avast virgin territory. Every project would have to be

18 1

I


under the skilled guidance of a responsible body, withadequate finances and intelligent leadership . All, how-ever, depends upon the outcome of the war and thecessation of Nazi-inspired anti-Jewish propaganda .

Charcoal Burner's Jungle Home, Surroundings Almostpre-Columbus, near Buenaventura, Colombia

There is no organized effort made by the Jewishcommunities in Colombia to meet the anti-Semiticattacks. The geographic setting helps to keep the severalgroups isolated-and the present lack of internalcohesion militates against an early improvement in thesituation. Individual Jews personally take some mattersin hand, but their efforts are frequently frustrated by

1 82


the resentment produced by the misdeeds of a coupleof foul Jews personally involved in local immigrationirregularities .

Permit to Build Refused

Shortly before I was in Colombia, the Bogotansfinally achieved sufficient unity to plan for the erectionof a Jewish communal center, with space for a smallsynagogue, school and social facilities . The Governmentauthority with jurisdiction over such projects was askedfor permission to proceed . He scornfully said, "Go seeJaime" one of the Jews involved in t_heimmigration scandal. Bogotan Jewry understood this tomean that permission to build was refused . The mis-deeds_of Jaime -had blocked the way toJewish progress . This same Jaime (pronouncedChaime), I was told by an indignant Bogota Jew, some-how managed to open a large business in Bogota and_now refuses to have any contacts with Jewish life orhelp in any Jewish cause .Zionism is one of the causes in which Colombian

Jews are interested, but their enthusiasm comes andgoes in waves, as engendered by the representative ofPalestine projects who happens to come to this part ofthe continent. On the whole, however, no importantJew in Colombia refuses to be identified with the Jewishcommunity. This was gratifying to find, after _my dis-tressing observations in Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Airesand Santiago.

The Colombian Jewish communities have yet to find1 83

,)


themselves. They will yet achieve unity and cohesive-ness, for they are but new . They are blessed with aGovernment genuinely dedicated to the high principlesof democracy, which clearly recognizes that thecountry's resources need human capital and intellectualcapital to develop their tremendous potentialities .

it

1 84

VENEZUELAN JEWRY

VVENEZUELA is one of the Caribbean Sea countriesof South America . It has a coast line of 1,750 miles .The area of the Republic is about 394,000 square

miles. Its name, which means "Little Venice," was givento it by the early Spanish explorers because the Indianvillages located on Lake Maracaibo were reminiscent ofVenice. Lake Maracaibo, which has an area of about8,000 square miles and is navigable throughout byocean-going steamers, is an inland lake connected to theCaribbean Sea by a strait about thirty-four miles long .It is the scene of the chief part of Venezuela's famed oilindustry.

The city of Maracaibo is the principal port for oilexport. Its population of 110,000 live in a damp, hotclimate . The temperature averages 82 0 F., and thehumidity makes this mean temperature even worse byranging around 95 percent saturation during the year .The rainfall is very heavy throughout the country andhas produced over a thousand river systems . Theprincipal stream is the famed Orinoco River . In allof Venezuela there are about six thousand miles ofnavigable river systems, which provide one of theprincipal sources of transportation .

The population is estimated at about three and a halfmillion . Tourists approach Venezuela principally

1 85


through La Guaira, a port city located on a beautifulharbor, one of the finest in the world . This harbor isringed around by mountains like Rio de Janeiro . Thepopulation of La Guaira is 9,000 ; the city is connectedto Caracas by an electric railway which makes thetwenty-three mile journey in about an hour and half .The line system ascends mountains, some 9,000 feethigh, affording prospects and vistas of entrancing moun-tain scenery in rare combination with the brilliant blueof the Caribbean Sea .

Caracas Pleasant Capital

Caracas, the capital, with a population of about300,000, was founded by the Spaniards in 1567 . As itis located at an altitude of about 3,000 feet, it has afairly pleasant climate even though located in the TorridZone . The city is provided with excellent municipalfacilities and has quite a number of industrial establish-ments.

The largest manufacturing center in Venezuela isValencia, which is about one hundred miles distantfrom Caracas, and has a population of about 50,000 .The climate here is delightful and the atmospherereminiscent of old Spain . Valencia is the third largestcity in the Republic .

Venezuela is one of the rare countries of the worldwhich is without debt, either internally or externally .This is due to a combination of circumstances revolvinglargely around the discovery and development of oil inthe Lake Maracaibo district. This area ranks among

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VENEZUELAN JEWRY

the most productive in the world and has made Vene-zuela the third largest oil producing country . Thoughthe deposits are not large it is of interest to note thatVenezuela also exports asphalt, derived principallyfrom a hot asphalt lake located at Guanoco, which isabout one thousand acres in extent .

Coffee and Cocoa Exported

The principal agricultural products of the countryare coffee and cacao. Together they make up a largepart of the exports. The average coffee production isabout one million bags, of 132 pounds each. The pro-duction comes from about 450 million coffee bearingtrees . As Venezuela is located in the Torrid Zone,it is not surprising to find great floral riches, indicativeof which is the identification of nearly seven hundredvarieties of orchids .

The forest resources of Venezuela are tremendous,nearly half the country being covered by jungle growthin which six hundred different species of woods havebeen identified .

There is a comparatively large amount of manufac-turing and industrial activity in the country, due to theready availablility of hydro-electric power . Labor enjoysthe protection of good social laws . Foreign employersmust have on their staff, both in office and factory, notless than 75 percent Venezuelans .

The greatest need of the country is transportationfacilities. Large sections have not been penetrated by

1 87


railways' and highways ; until this has been done theenormous economic potentialities of the country mustwait development .

Venezuela Dictator Ruled

Columbus first sighted the coast of Venezuela in1498 ; about thirty years later the city of Maracaibowas founded . Sir Walter Raleigh sailed up the OrinocoRiver seeking the elusive El Dorado.. Francisco Mirandalaunched his first attempt at independence from Spain_in 1806, the expedition embarking from New York Cityunder his leadership. In 1811 independence from Spainwas proclaimed, but was not recognized by that countryuntil 1845. After liberation from Spain by Bolivar andhis colleagues, Venezeula fell for a century under therule of dictators, the last of whom was the famousGeneral Juan Vicente Gomez, whose death in 1935ended the rule of dictatorship in Venezuela . He wasthe type of Latin American autocratic ruler popularlyknown as the caudillo, the man on horesback.

It is of interest to note that German financial involve-ments in the Caribbean area have been numerous . It isalso of concern to point out that Germany did nothesitate to back up her claims by military force .Germany sent an armed force to Nicaragua in 1878,and to Haiti twenty years later . Then came, in 1902,certain complex financial claims against Venezuela .England and Italy, which also had claims, joinedGermany in blockading the country . Theodore Rooseveltwas President of the United States . When German

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VENEZUELAN JEWRY

warships fired on the San Carlos fortifications, he ex-pressed American indignation by threatening Germanywith the dispatch of Admiral Dewey's fleet if Germanvessels did not leave Venezuelan waters . Germany thensubmitted the matter to the International Court at theHague, where all claims were satisfactorily arbitrated .

Jewish Records Obscure

The early history of Jewish life in Venezuela is quiteobscure. The records indicate that the official Govern-ment census in 1873 showed 30 Jews living in thecountry. By the time of the 1891 census there were 247Jews in the country. In 1917 the Jewish population hadreached a total of about 500. They were mostlySephardim from the Mediterranean Basin, engaged inshopkeeping and peddling, with some few owning andoperating cattle ranches in the pastoral area .

Less than 200 Jews dwelt in Caracas. They wereengaged principally in commercial activity but neitherin Caracas nor in any other community in Venezuelawas there a synagogue. The 1936 Government censusshowed Caracas with a population of 135,000, of whom253 were Jews .

In the entire country at that time the total Jewishpopulation was 882. It is estimated that the presentJewish population of Venezuela is about 1,500 . Theiractivity follows the general _pattern of Jewish life in thetropical sections of South America . They cooperate withthe World Jewish Congress and the Jewish Agency inPalestine in the annual campaign for the upbuilding

1 89


of Palestine and the succor of Jews caught in the war-stricken areas .

The economic potentialities awaiting development inVenezuela are tremendous . There is no doubt thatfollowing the end of the Second World War, the admin-istration of the country will recognize the great oppor-tunities that peace will present by opening_ its frontiersto development. In this program it is hoped that Jewishparticipation will be generously welcomed by the liberalforces of Venezuela.

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A

PAGE

Aboab, Rabbi Isaac9Ackerman, Dean Carl W 156ADCA fights anti-Semitism

in Uruguay37Adler, Elkan74Alvear, Dr. Marcelo T . de .. . 60Ambato, Ecuador169American Jewish Congress

9-157American Union Church,Rio10

Antofagasta, Chile112Armour, U. S. AmbassadorNorman59

Aranha, Dr. Oswaldo3Asuncion, Paraguay121Atahualpa, Inca Emperor 147Autos-da-f6, Lima143Avigdor, Colonia, Argentina

69-79Aztecs of Mexico147

BBaldomir, General Alfredo . .. 37Bananas, in Ecuador171Bank, Communist con-

trolled, in Montevideo35Barranquilla, Colombia 173, 175Barroso, Gustavo24Basavilbaso, Argentina78Bialik Bibliotek, Rio26Bogota, Colombia173Bogota Jewish Center183Bolivar, Simon

111, 113, 177, 188Bolivia111British Propaganda25Buenaventura, Colombia173Buenos Aires, Argentina43Buenos Aires Synagogues 87Bunge-Born in Argentina 43

INDEX

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C

PAGE

Cadoche, Dr. Moises50Cali, Colombia173, 179Calles, David44, 93, 94Campos Francisco21Caracas, Venezuela186, 189Cartagena, Colombia 173, 177Castillo, Ramon S. Castillo .. . 82Castoriano, J154Catholic clergy in Argentina 56Cerro de Pasco, Peru148Children's Home, Buenos

Aires102Chile, the "Paradise"127Chilean Jewish Congress

134, 135Circulo Israelita, Santiago

128, 129Cohen, Ambassador Benja-mino133

Cohen, Colonia, Argentina .. . 69Colombia, Jews of173Colonization possibilities,

Colombia181Colonization, Post-War,

Argentina107Colonization, Post-War,

Chile140Columbia University,New York156

Comite Internacional de Im-migration, Ecuador170

Communists in Uruguay36Concepcion, Chile129Concepcion, Paraguay125Concordia, Argentina83Congress Weekly7, 156Cooperatives, Jewish, in

Buenos Aires44Cooperative Customer

Peddlers, Montevideo32

PAGE

Cooperative Bank,Montevideo33

Cordoba, Argentina47Cordoba Cathedral Gates 57Customer Peddlers, Bogota 174Cuzco, Peru162

DDATA in Argentina49, 78Davis, Hon. Monett B59Decree against Jews, Bolivia 118"Diario Da Noite," Rio,

Attack in24"Diario Illustrado," San-

tiago, Chile134

EEcuador, Jewish Life in 161"El Comercio," Lima, Peru 156"El Diario," La Paz, Bolivia 120Erujimovitch, Gregorio82Eskahadio, Deputy Calle 15 7

FFAIA in Argentina65Farmers, Jewish, in

Argentina77Federico Santa Maria Tech-

nological Institute, Val-paraiso, Chile132

Fifth Columnists inArgentina54, 63

Fifth Column activities4Ford, Henry, "InternationalJew"156

Free Synagogue ChildAdoption Committee90

Francia, Dr. GasparRodriguez122

Freiman, Bernardo82

GGerman Embassy Propa-ganda25

1 92


PAGE

German Propaganda inArgentina55

Gold, Rabbi Wolf48Goldman, Rabbi Moises78Goldman, Dr . Moises51, 78Gomez, Juan Vicente188Good-Neighbor Policy 141, 180Grandes Dispensas

Argentinas43Guani, Dr. Alberto40Guadalupe Church,

Mexico City148La Guaira, Venezuela186Guayaquil, Ecuador

162, 163, 171

HHatikvah26Heads, Indian, Trade in165Hebrew University,

Argentine Chair62Heller, Senor Max154Hellman, Dr . Jacob49Herring, Dr . Hubert2Herzl, Theodor, memorial

meeting27Hevrah Kadishah, Buenos

Aires50, 92Hicem103Hirsch, Baron Maurice de,

71, 80, 86Hirsch, Lucien80Hirsch, Senor Adolfo100Hochschild, Senor Mauricio

114, 116Hospital, Jewish, Buenos

Aires91

IICA contract72Immigration, Jewish Statis-

tics, Argentina104Inca Empire113

PAGE

Immigration possibilities,Ecuador170

Immigration restricted,Colombia182

Industries, small, inEcuador167

Industria Argentina101Inman, Dr. Samuel Guy

2, 59, 61, 153Inquisition in Cartagena 177Inquisition in Peru143Inquisition, Holy30Integralismo in Brazil22, 24Inter-American Jewish

Conference6, 126Izquierdo, Guillermo134Isaacs, Jorge175

JJapanese menace, Peru

155Jewish Colonization

Association66Jewish Farmers in

Argentina65Jewish Interne Assaulted53Jewish population, Brazil13

Chile128Paraguay125Peru151

Jewish records, Venezuela 189Joint Distribution

Committee101Jewish School, Santiago,

Chile130Jews, entry forbidden,

Paraguay126Jews, Few in Bolivia119

KKaplan, Isaac66Kamenetz-Podolsk80Kehillah, Lima, Peru153Kruikov, Agronomist74

INDEX

1 93

L

PAGE

"La Clarinada" inArgentina55

Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela . ..185Lake Titicaca112La Paz, Bolivia112"La Prensa," Buenos Aires 58Leprosy Mission, Paraguay 125Levin, Julio66, 67Lima Jewish Community,

Attack on157Lima, Peru145Lima, Peru, Jews151Lopez, Francisco122Luque, Dr . Rudolfo58

MMalach, Leon99Manaos, Brazil13Manta, Ecuador166Maracaibo, Venezuela185"Maria," Novel by Isaacs 175Medellin, Colombia178Mellibovsky, Benjamin105Mendoza, Argentina47Mennonites Colony,

Paraguay123Menorah Journal99Mexico141Miranda, Francisco188Mirelman, Jose44"Mogen Dovid"104Moisesville, Argentina

74, 78, 84Mollendo, Peru 112, 117, 150Monzo, Dr. Navarro54Montevideo, Uruguay31Muniz, Dr. Carlos Toao

3, 11, 29Muvdi, Senor Elios177

NNarcisse Leven, Colonia,

Argentina82


PAGENazi Activity, Uruguay37Nazi Influence, Ecuador 167Nazi Propaganda, Chile133

Colombia182Peru155

Nazi "Relief Fund"133New York Board of Jewish

Ministers17

0Orphan Asylum, Buenos

Aires89Ortega, Minister Abraham 137Ortiz, President Roberto M .

63, 82Oungre, Colonia, Argentina 69

PPropaganda, GermanEmbassy25

Palacios, Dr. Pedro79Palacios, Senator Alfredo56Palestine, Comparison withArgentina84

Palestine EconomicCorporation84

Palmar, Colonia, Argentina . .. 82Palomar land scandal56Panigel, Dr. Joseph H89Panama Hats165Panama Canal21, 164Pan-Americaner Yiddish

48, 153Paraguay121Parana, Argentina, Governor

Praises Jewish Farmers 82Patagonia, Argentina, Nazi

Plot in60Perez, Manuel144Peru143Pernambuco, Brazil9, 15Pizarro, Francisco

114, 145, 147

194

PAGEPolitical activity interdicted

in Brazil25Population data, Jewish,Argentina70

Population, Jewish, Brazil10Porto Alegre, Brazil14Potosi, Bolivia114Prado, President Manuel 157Prizes, Jews win many farm 81

Q

Quebracho wood122Quito, Ecuador162, 169

RRabinovich, Samuel48Raleigh, Sir Walter188Recife, Brazil9, 10Refugee Problem, Brazil29Refugee Colonia Franca,

Paraguay125Refugee Gauchos,

Argentina106Refugee situation in Chile 136Refugee work in Brazil101Refugees become Catholics 30Refugees become farmers68Refugees become farmers,

Chile138Refugees create difficulties,

Argentina104Refugees in Brazil create

Industries12Refugees in Ecuador164Refugees, Legalization,

Argentina106Refugees, Legalization of, in

Brazil29Rio, Brazil Community15Rio de Janeiro, Brazil14Rio de La Plata37Rockefeller Foundation164

PAGERoosevelt, Franklin D54, 180Roosevelt, Theodore 54, 188Rothschild, Baron78

SSan Marcos University145Santiago, Chile128Santo Domingo67Sao Paulo, Brazil14Sao Paulo Jewry19Schlesinger, Rabino Dr .

Guillermo87, 95Schools, Jewish, in

Montevideo31Schools, Jewish in Rio16Sevi, David66, 75, 81Shearith Israel, Congrega-

tion, New York9Sherwood, Robert E56Sucre, Bolivia112Sugar Loaf Mountain, Rio .. . 23Synagogues of Buenos Aires 87Synagogue, Libertad,

Buenos Aires95

TTenochtitlan, Mexico162Temuco, Chile128Teubal, Ezra44, 62Tomlinson, Edward115, 178Tucker, Dr. H. C29Tzekinovsky, Rabino Mordco 17

UUnion Israelita del Peru

153Uruguay31

VValencia, Venezuela186Valparaiso, Chile128Valt, Rabino David17

INDEX

195

PAGEVargas, President Getulio

3, 21, 22Venezuelan Jewry185Vicuna Colchas117Villa Sacaba, Refugee

Colony, Bolivia119Villarica, Paraguay122Visa, Scandal, Bolivia119

WWasserman, Senor Max168Weill, Felix81Weil, Leopold154Weil, Senor Simon71, 81White Slave Traffic,

Buenos Aires98Wise, Dr. Stephen SV, 17WIZO, Argentina47World Jewish Congress

2, 41, 49, 136, 189

YYanqui Imperialismo141Yerba Mate122, 124Yiddish, Pan-Americaner5Yiddish, Prohibition of39

ZZionism in Argentina46

Colombia183Ecuador169

Zionist flag prohibited,Argentina48

Zionist activity, Peru152Uruguay39

Zionism, Mizrachi48Zionism prohibited in

Brazil26Zionist building in Buenos

Aires47Zionist flag sacred symbol 26Zionists in Chile136

Education

Jewish life in_south_america-j_x_cohen-1941-201pgs-rel