Vol. XV No. 10 October, 1960 INFORMATION ISSUED BY THE. ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH REFUGEES IN GREAT BRITAIN t FAIRFAX MANSIONS, FINCHLEY ROAD (Comer Fairfax Road), Offict and Consulting Hours : LONDON, N.W.3 Monday to Thursday 10 a.m.—I p.m. 3—6 p.m. Talephona: MAIda Vala 9096'7 (General Officel Friday 10 a.m.—I p.m. MAIda Vale 4449 (Employment Agency and Social Services Dept.} 'Rudolf Hirschfeld (Monlevideo) a few others. Apart from them, a list of the creators of all these important German-Jewish organisations in Latin America would hardly con­ tain a name of repute outside the continent. It GERMAN JEWS IN SOUTH AMERICA it without any doubt a good sign that post-1933 German Jewry has been able to produce an entirely new generation of vigorous and success­ I he history of the German-Jewish organisations abroad '"—to assert this would be false—they ful leaders. =8ins in each locality the moment the first ten consider themselves as the sons of the nation In conclusion two further aspects have to be r^Ple from Germany disembark. In the few which has built up the State of Israel, with the mentioned : the relationship with the Jews around thp "if- ^^^^^ Jewish groups were living before consciousness that now at last they are legitimate us, and the future of the community of Jews from ne Hitler period the immigrants were helped by members of the national families of the land they Central Europe. Jewish life in South America ne earlier arrivals. But it is interesting that this inhabit at present. is of recent date. It really only began in 1903, ^'P was almost always limited to relief institu- This development has not always been a fully after Kischinev, if one does not take into account ons and scarcely ever touched religious life, conscious one. The argument that all, or nearly organisations like the Congregacion Israelita rom which the earlier settlers had already become all, the Jews from Germany became Zionists, is de la Republica Argentina, founded almost 100 estranged. of no help here, for the concept of Zionism has years ago, the Hirsch settlements in Argentina, „. ?''8anisations. mostly of a congregational become problematical since 1948. the Jewish congregation founded in 1870 in Lima naracter, arose everywhere "from the Rio There are, however, few or no Jews in our and a few other organisations. At the time of our rande to Tierra del Fuego ". Societies and asso- group today who would not confess to a belief in immigration we found lively organisations of s fj'ons of all kinds were also formed and either national Judaism. If we Jews from Central Europe Eastern Jews and Sephardim. When we approached the '^'^ to, integrated in, or affiliated with differ in any respect from the rest of the Jewish them in our misfortune both groups proved the Ore '• I'snfivolent societies, lodges, women's mass, it is in that we all, or almost all, are sensible truth of the expression " Jewish solidarity ". But ^ ganisations, sport associations, youth groups, of the close connection between national Judaism beyond this, our Yiddish-speaking friends, in par­ ore •'^"- ^''^'ess-book of these German Jewish and religious Judaism, a feeling largely unrecog­ ticular, found it hard to get on with us. A man ganisations in Latin America would make a nised and unshared by other Jewish circles in coming from Germany with only 10 Marks in his '•It volume. South America. pocket still remained middle-class, although an lo r .'^e^^. "rsanisations developed in the several impoverished member of that class, and it was This leads us to mention another characteristic exceptional for even the poorest to become a caiities without mutual assistance or connections. of the life of our organisations: it is a religious J, 's interesting that their history was practically proletarian. Burdened, troubled and needy, he still life, irresf)ective of the particular religious per­ kept his white collar, and this gave rise here and iq^/^'ne everywhere. During these years from suasion. On the one hand this explains the great '^^6 (or, rather, 1938) to 1956 they began every- there to slight tensions that are completely forgot­ influence of the Rabbis on the lives of these ten today. When the German Jews then recon­ "^f? Irom rock bottom, with " minjanim " in the 60,000 people; on the other, it gives rise to certain structed their personal life and simultaneously their hoi? ^^'i dining-rooms of the so-called boarding- problems concerning co-operation with other sec­ organisations, a period of friendly co-operation setn H • ™'Ti'8tants. All, or nearly all, are now tions of the Jewish mass. with all sections of the Jewish collective set in. lied in their own congregational buildings. We have the following picture today: in Rio de In many towns the organisation of Jewish life on airn ^"°'hs'' important sphere there is also an Janeiro. Sao Paulo. Montevideo. Santiago de a " Landsmannschaft" basis was acepted as a ^nnost identical development in 19 towns and 14 Chile. Lima. Porto Alegre, Cochabamba. Bogota. fact and even regarded as an advantage. For the 35 "''•'es throughout the continent. Each began Guayaquil, Osorio, etc.. we find "comprehensive" most part the Yiddish-sf)eaking and Sephardic faith °'^^^"'S2''on of German emigrants of Jewish congregations which both foster religious life and congregations (often the Hungarian also) united of i' °F ^i^&W we say '" of former German citizens are also concemed with welfare, the organisation with ours to form local federations, which took fo J'^Y,'^*' faith ". Only here and there did they of youth, homes for the aged, cultural activities, over the representation and leadership of the •" local Zionistic groups'". etc. Alongside them there is in almost all these whole Jewish community. Today, after 20 years, towns a large number of societies with multi­ in many of these federations our people are the Jewish National Groups farious aims, which are actually, if not legally, leaders, or at least the most active members. subordinate lo the congregations, or which at tran°^^-' ^^ years later, the picture has been least occupy a lower level in the hierarchy. This furnishes an obvious transition to thc histn '^^'^ ^^ ^^^ development of our Jewish concluding point of our remarks: organisation 'tself ^ A" '^""^e'- the world and South America In Buenos Aires, on the other hand, there exist on a " Landsmannschaft" basis is only possible new f people must be described today by a today in our circle five organisations of a con­ as long as no specific Latin-American Jewry exists, cult , """^tila, which at first sight may seem diffi- gregational type, which serve mainly the religious like North American Jewry. This is. however, Amer tJ"derstand : here and now in South needs of their members without, however, having purely a question of generations, leading to the etnier ,* they are " Jewish nationals who have remained at the stage of the synagogue associa­ question of the future of our work. In the 'efiitim ^''011 Germany and, as such, are tion. Alongside these are large, important, and early years there were present, in the minds Ami-^^^ members of the relevant South financially strong organisations like the benevolent of some, comparisons with the Sephardic congre­ ^er'can national famihes ". " Hilfsverein", the " Juedische Kulturgemein­ gations of, e.g., England or Amsterdam, which count''^'^'9tJsly or unconsciously, according to the schaft " and .the Theodor Herzl Society, which existed for centuries, still speaking Spanish or nation ,. '" question, the European concept of pursue their own specific aims. This complexity Portuguese. To have contemplated a future on norma? c' '^ unrecognised here. Here it is the goes so far that the Buenos Aires congregations such lines is commonly regarded as a mistake tion f ^ ^"^' ^^^t' 't' '^t^ ^^"^^ ^'^^ fourth genera- engage in youth and cultural work and, con­ today. What we today foresee is a peaceful, cou^,f°' * man who plays a leading part in his versely, organisations like the IKG and the friendly rivalry between the " Landsmannschaft" tt'nist *^ ^ member of parliament, as senator, Thef)dor Herzl Society organise services of worship congregations for the honour of being the leading origj. ' Of even president, to acknowledge his on the High Fesitival days. Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking congregation of at a" ^""^ say he is an Italian or a Spaniard or. All these congregations of both types, together the next generation of children immigrants from Spaj,;/j'^^'^' "^^ ^°^ °^ grandson of Italians, with the host of their member societies and every country of origin. Many of our congre­ the Do ^" ^•'^uchmen, Germans, etc. Formerlv organisations, have carried out big building gations have made great strides in this direction, f^semM'li°° °^ ^^^^ •" these " national families " projects in the course of the years, e.g., homes especially in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In States f ^^^^^ unnatural status in the national for the aged and for children, schools, stadiums, others, only the youth organisations are in the ^td no? D^i^'^*'^" There they were not Germans, week-end holiday homes, etc. process of losing their exclusively " Landsmann­ thiIKs r,? Poles ; on the other hand, Jewishness in It is remarkable that the great work done in schaft " character. At any rate, in this sphere 4roun^""?<^tion was not understood by the world South America has been accomplished, with lies a great task before our congregations in term c..'^"i as a national but as a religious easily enumerated exceptions, by a new generation future: to pass on the inheritance of German Hence tv,"'^*^ '^"^^ '^^ position is quite different, of Jewish organisers. Here, of the active Rabbis Jewry to the Latin-American Jewry that is in bindDinjsj li.1,.