Argentina's Jews After The Bomb:

very Monday morning at a few minutes PEDRO BRIEGER before 10:00, the precise moment on July 18 that a car bomb leveled the Argentinian Jewish Mutual Agency in Buenos Aires and killed 99 people and injuredl57, a group oEf Argentinian Jews marches in front of the city's Supreme Court carrying signs reading "No to Impunity." The protestors are demanding to know why investigators have failed to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of the bombing, which not only destroyed the "AMIA" (die Jewish center's Spanish acronym, pronounced "AH- mee-ya"), but ripped a hole in the heart of the -250,000- strong community. v 1 The word "impunity" was not chosen 'lightly: "itnpunidad"'can be understood as a code word for the government's failure to punish those responsible forthe death of thousands in the late 1970s during die mili­ tary government's "dirty war" on Peronists and leftists. For an embittered, fearful and suddenly isolatedjewish community, there is no reason to believe diat the coun­ try's ugly recent history and what some are calling a botched, lackadaisical investigation are unrelated. Unfortunately, the case is not easily cracked —and the. sheer number of scenarios underlines how beleaguered the Jewish community is feeling. At first, the leading con­ tender was Hezbollah, the Islamic Party of God, the Iranian-sponsored organization that has been responsi­ ble for numerous terrorist attacks in Israel's security zone in soudiern Lebanon, as well as in Israel itself. The case against Hezbollah is intimately related to the bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992, Before it was destroyed by a bomb in July (above), the six-story an attack which killed 28. No arrests were made in diat Buenos Aires Jewish heaaquarterts known as AMIA was the community's nerve center, home to its day school network, case either, but Israel is convinced that Hezbollah was social organizations, burial societies and a priceless library. On responsible: The attack against the embassy occurred a August 16, Argentinian Jews took to the streets (opposite) to month after an Israeli attack-helicopter killed the mourn the 100 victims and to denounce terrorism. Hezbollah leader in Lebanon, Sheikh Abbas Musawi, together with his wife and son. Similarly, July's attack on AMIA occurred soon after Israel had ferences with various Arab factions, among attacked Hezbollah bases in southern whom there is some feeling that Menem Lebanon and had apprehended another has "betrayed them." Before his election, important Hezbollah leader, Mustafa Dirani. he boasted of his anti-Zionist position; Both the embassy bombing and the Libyan strongman Moammar Qacklafi con­ bombing of the AMIA, according to this tributed $4 million to Menem's 1989 pres­ reasoning, could have been revenge attacks idential campaign. Once in office, howev­ perpetrated by Hezbollah, each time using er, Menem completely changed his a car bomb operated by a suicide driver, a attitude, and in 1991 became the first modus operandi common in Lebanon Argentinian president to visit Israel, pre­ (reports say the police have identified some sumably to impress Washington. Menem's of the remains and clothing of the sus­ parents, incidentally, were Syrian immi­ pected driver in the AMIA investigation). grants who came to Argentina before he The charge against Hezbollah was ini­ was born. Menem converted from Islam to tially bolstered by the testimony of Catholicism as a youth. He and his wife Monousheh Moatamer, an Iranian defector Zulema were married in an Islamic cere­ who claimed close ties with the Iranian mony, and she has sometimes drawn criti­ foreign ministry. Four Iranian diplomats in cism for connections she maintains with Argentina were detained based on and favors she has performed for officials Moatamer's testimony, but were later in Damascus. The president himself, how­ released by the Argentina Supreme Court ever, is considered persona non grata in Syria because it found Moatamer unreliable. The because of his pro-Israel position. But influential Buenos Aires daily Clarin report­ bombing the AMIA to express dissatisfac­ ed that British diplomats were surprised tion with Menem's change in position that the Iranians were detained on die basis seems excessive and unlikely. of testimony of a source with so litde cred­ Although many of these foreign leads ibility. British sources told Clarin, "Moat­ seem to have run dry, the government, at amer is not what he says he is and we do not least in its public expressions, has practi­ believe his information to be true. It's a cally left aside the possibility that elements total bluff." Discredited, Moatamer was inside Argentina lay behind the attack or, at taken by United Nations' officials first to most, has relegated them to a secondary Ecuador, and ultimately die United States, role. President Menem's original response which he entered with the permission of to the AMIA bombing was to attribute the the U.S. State Department. attack to a combination of Nazi groups and Still, some see a motive in Hezbollah's to rebels from the Argentinian army which relationship with Iran, and their shared had revolted four times between 1987 and antipathy for the current Mideast peace 1990. But within four days of die attack he process. Israel has informed the United insisted that responsibility lay with outside Nations that "investigations of both elements, and announced diat he was giv­ attempts point clearly to Iranian participa­ ing Mossad, the Israeli intelligence ser­ tion." Thus far, however, the Iranian gov­ vice, absolute freedom in its investigation ernment has taken no concrete steps to in the belief that the perpetrators had obstruct the current peace process. come from overseas. Moreover, an attack in Argentina would Others, however, like the well-known hardly have much political impact on the investigative journalist Rogelio Garcia parties. If the aim were to unbalance the Lupo, continue to pursue the possibility of region, wouldn't it have been easier to carry "homegrown" terrorists. That trail also out an attack in, say, Jordan while Israeli picks up at the Israeli embassy bombing, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin or Foreign which occurred only five weeks after the Minister Shimon Peres were signing their Argentinian government opened its police various agreements with King Hussein? archives, sealed for more than 50 years, Others have tried to tie the bombing to regarding German Nazis in Argentina. other parts of the Arab world. Argentinian A few weeks before the bombing of the President Carlos Menem has had his dif­ AMIA, Italy had requested, the extradition

52 MOMENT • DECEMBER 1994 S °UOA N HI o a n Jewish demonstrators march in front of the Supreme Court in Buenos Aires, demanding that the authorities "confront terror" and bring the perpetrators of the AMIA bombing to justice. The demonstration takes place weekly, and is modeled on similar protests calling for the punishment of those who led the oppressive mili­ tary regime of the 1970s. of Erich Priebke, a captain in Hitler's SS, AMIA bombing, he was arrested after his given refuge in Argentina since 1948; wife accused him of participating in the Priebke was charged with giving the orders Israeli embassy attack. Investigators found in the murders of 335 Italian civilians dur­ no evidence linking him to the bombing, ing the Second World War. Al this writing, but they did find an arsenal in his home. the extradition case remains unresolved When brought before a judge after his and Priebke is still in Argentina. But his arrest, Sucksdorf declared "I'm a Nazi and case has once again raised the subject of the majority of the members of the Argentina's infamous role in harboring [Agentinian] army are Nazis." Nazis. Coincidentally or not, a Jewish Yet it is hard to tie all these tenuous con­ research committee investigating Nazi activ­ nections to the AMIA bombing in any log­ ities was scheduled to meet in the AMIA ical way. Close observers of the Nazi con­ building on the day of the bombing; their tingent in Argentina say it is highly lives were saved only because the meeting doubtful that they have the means to per­ was postponed. The community's own mas­ petrate an attack of this magnitude. sive documentation of the Nazi period was What about die Argentinian army itself kept in a separate building, and also sur­ and its allied intelligence services? Their vived the attack. prestige and standing in Argentinian soci­ Another possible Nazi connection ety have plummeted since the last military involves Alejandro Sucksdorf, a former government was ousted in 1983, and the Argentinian army intelligence sendee agent army's budget has been drastically reduced. and Nazi supporter. A short time before die continued on page SS

DECEMBER 1994 • MOMENT S3 Argentina's Jews the army maintain a formidable pres­ eradicated. Eastern European Jews ence in organized crime, and the dead­ began immigrating en masse starting in continued /torn jmgc 53 ly attack on the AMIA would pose no the 1880s, and built a formidable net­ Yet the Argentinian army still includes moral or ethical problems for them. work of religious, social and charitable soldiers who were active between 1976 Ruben Beraja, head of DAIA, organizations. But a backlash came in and 1983, when the military regime liq­ Argentina's counterpart of the Anti- 1919, when Argentinian anti-Comm­ uidated its enemies in the name of Defamation League, has been demand­ unists staged a week-long pogrom combating terrorism of the extreme ing that Argentinian authorities fully against the "Russian" Jews, regardless of left. Anti-Semitism was an undeniably pursue these native connections. their politics. The president con­ important component of the regime, Homegrown anti-Semitism in Argen­ demned the attacks, and immigration and the ideology of its supporters has tina is like a chronic virus: often con­ continued apace through the 1920s. not changed. Many of those who left tained, even suppressed, but never In the 1930s, a new, pro-German gov­ ernment rose to power and official poli­ cies severely limitingjewish immigra­ tion were matched by an increase in individual anti-Semitic acts. Juan Peron declared sympathy for the Jews and To help Jews understand Israel when he came to power in the wiry Judaism doesn't accept the Christian messiah, late 1940s, but Argentina nevertheless JEWS FOR JUDAISM, North America's full-time counter-missionary organization, is now offering the following books and tapes at excellent prices that include postage and handling. became a haven for Nazis and a world­ wide center of anti-Semitism. 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Even the attack on the Israeli embassy FOR fl RBBBI LS HS TYPE OF CAR 22/5/04- 1/8/04- was different, seen as part of a conflict 31/7/84 31/8/04 Egalitarian Conservative Mt affecting another state. The AMIA A FIAT UNO STING 126 bombing was a frontal attack on all Jews synagogue in the heart B PEUGEOT 205 AC 175 in Argentina, even those uninvolved in C CITROEN ZX1.4 224 of the Pittsburgh C MAZDA 323 245 \>lr Jewish community life. And the non- Jewish Community C* PEUGEOT 4051.6 280 Jews who now shun the Jews are doing M MINIBUS FORD 476 so out of simple fear for their own lives seeking Rabbi. N SUBARU BABY BUS 322 AL TOMATIC CARS + AC %> and property. Argentina's Jews, who Small, friendly, D CHARADE 1.3 231 periodically served the country as scape­ intergenerational E MAZDA 323 294 1 goats, have now become its pariahs. F NISSAN SUNNY 322 congregation. G SIERRA 1.8 420 On Friday, August 12th, 25 days after K GMC SAFARI PS 595 #% the bombing, the government put the X PEUGEOT 4051.0 478 Part-time position XL MITSUBISHI GALANT2.0 560 entire nation on a state of alert and ideal for teacher, SX VOLVO 940 630 mobilized police and intelligence agents because of the reported fear of mohel or someone with FREE CELLULAR PHONE another terrorist attack. The attack a second profession. IN EVERY CAR TBS never came, but the result of the alert Please respond wilh letter and resume to: PAYMENT FOR USE ONLY AT THE END OF THE RENTAL PERIOD was a kind of collective psychosis. Memories of military repression have M. Jampole SPECIAL CARS FOR left many Argentinians wary of any New Light Synagogue HANDICAPPED DRIVERS mobilization of the police or military. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. USA. A CJUM1M They especially fear a more active intel­ HOIKINON St m^jmHMNT.l ligence apparatus, even though it Pittsburgh, PA 15217 800-938-5000 might deter terrorist bombs. 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88 MOMENT • DECEMBER 1994 tory, ordinary Argentinians are dis­ de Olaso, noted at the time, "When a Intermarriage tancing themselves from anyone and father loses a son, he does not send con­ continued fiom page 57 anything Jewish not out of anti- dolences....he receives them. The fact Semitism, but out of fear. In the weeks that Menem hurried to give his con­ As already noted, people who were after the attack, weekend athletic com­ dolences is a serious symptom. It's a raised as gentiles, provided they had petitions that included Jewish teams way of saying, 'These dead people are one Jewish parent, are counted as Jews were cancelled by their opponents. not ours.'" and dieir marriage to (anodier) gentile The American Jewish Joint Dis­ On August 5th, an article in Clarin is counted as a Jewish-gentile inter­ tribution Committee reported that identified the Argentinian counterpart marriage. As might be expected, given neighborhood associations want to of the ADL as "the political arm of die their non-Jewish upbringing, they all oust synagogues because of the possi­ Jewish community in Argentina and, in married gentiles. This inflates die inter­ bility of terrorist violence and practice, its leader states everything marriage figure by about two points. decreased property values. Students at that the Israeli Embassy, from its diplo­ Next: To determine whether ajew­ a nonjewish school near ajewish com­ matic position, cannot say." Neither ish respondent's spouse was Jewish, the munity center asked to be moved to die association nor die Israeli embassy NJPS interview did not simply ask, "Is another school out of fear of future ter­ denied diis characterization; indeed, your husband/wife Jewish?" or words to rorist attacks, while some Jewish stu­ there has long been a quiet power that effect. Instead, it asked three sep­ dents were likewise withdrawing from struggle between the Jewish establish­ arate questions: (1) What was your the day schools, according to the Joint. ment and the Israeli embassy for the spouse's religion at birth; (2) in what No one thinks that Jews will be loyalties of the community. religion was your spouse raised; (3) forced into ghettos, but the defenses At a demonstration set up by the what religion is your spouse now? To being built around Jewish community Jewish leadership four days after the each of these questions, the question­ buildings, schools, and synagogues— attack, people sang "Hatikva," the naire provided five possible answers: often sand-filled drums meant to Israeli national anthem. Three Israeli Jewish, Protestant, Cadiolic, Other, and thwart a potential car bomber—give -a representatives delivered speeches. None. Over 20 percent of die recendy similar feeling of segregation. Formerly Messages from Rabin and Peres were married (the group included in the 52 inconspicuous Jewish institutions now read. But not a single nonjewish pub­ percent intermarriage rate) answered stand out like urban fortresses, and lic personality spoke, not even a reli­ "other" or "none" to all three questions there is a tendency for everyone—Jew gious leader, and the majority of on the religion of their spouse, making and nonjew alike—to avoid routes that demonstrators were, of course, Jewish. it difficult to determine whether their pass nearby. Says Chief Rabbi Salomon This over-representation of Israelis spouses are really Jewish or gentile. Ben Hamu, "It may now appear that it left a bad taste in the mouths of many Highlights arbitrarily treated almost all is not possible to cohabitate with Jewish Argentinian Jews. spouses described as having "other" religion as Gentiles and almost all diose people in die Republic." The Jews of Argentina have begun with "none" as Jews. Truth to tell, the Another isolating element have the slow process of rebuilding their identities of some marginal Jews are so been the reporters and politicians, shattered communal life. The AMIA murky and the NJPS evidence is so who, knowingly or not, emphasized the building was the mother institution of inconclusive that it is extremely diffi­ "otherness" of the Jews. "Manyjews Argentinian Jews of Ashkenazi origin, cult to decide who is a Jew; different and innocent victims had died" in the representing more than 70 percent of researchers can easily come to different bombing, it was said—by television per­ Argentina's Jewish population. The conclusions. I searched the data myself sonality Marcelo Tonelli and others— Jewish school network, the communi­ for other clues such as holiday obser­ as if die Jews had been guilty of some­ ty's social organizations, synagogues, vance, organizational affiliation, etc. thing. There has been a tendency to cemeteries, die most importantjewish as to wheUier marginal spouses (those identify Argentinian Jews so closely library endowed with unique and irre­ characterized as "Other" or "None") with Israel as to put into question their placeable documents, were all con­ were Jews. In almost four percent of status as Argentinians. In the week centrated and coordinated there. The cases , my judgment was different from after the AMIA bombing, many news­ blast destroyed all but die rear of the the Highlights researchers'. paper and magazine reports used six-stoiy building. The dead included "Israeli" and 'Jewish" interchangeably. most of die staff of the welfare depart­ A more important deficiency The government news agency Telem ment, all of die unemployment depart­ involves the "weighting" procedure referred to the AMIA building as "die ment and the burial society. used by the Highlights researchers. seat of the Israelite Mutual Their functions are now being car­ Weighting is a technique researchers Association," omitting the word ried out by others in other buildings. use when certain types of people (for "Argentinian" and making it sound like There has been little talk of emigra­ example, those with less schooling) a foreign entity. President Mentem con­ tion, either to Israel or elsewhere, and respond to a request to be interviewed, tributed to the confusion when he much talk of healing. But until the per­ say, less frequently than people with expressed his condolences for the casu­ petrators of the attack on AMIA are more schooling. If we lenow that a sam­ alties to Rabin—as if the victims were apprehended, that process may be a ple should contain a certain percent­ citizens of Israel, not Argentina. As a long time in coming. ® age of people with little schooling, we prominent professor of philosophy at can "correct" for this imbalance by the University of Buenos Aires, Ezekiel continued on page 95