HISTORY & LITERATURE OF THE ARGENTINE...

THE HISTORY OF THE SEPHARDIM IN

ARGENTINA

Rita Saccal

Fundacion Judaica

53rd. Annual Conference

Association of Jewish Libraries

2018, Boston, Mass.

AJL PROCEEDINGS JUNE 2018

They came from all over the world: Samarkand, Odessa, Smyrna, Aleppo, Warsaw, Marrakesh

They brought their identity, their scrollsof wisdom and in their hand hardenedby endless despair, a few seed and thedancing steps to enliven their futureharvest time.

They arrived at the Fresh Sea as on a new Ararat there to find the promisedfatherland in a path of men

………….They go on living in the wit, thefaith, the solidarity gesture and in ourdaily hope (Jacobo Drucaroff)


A LA AMERIKA!!!!!


First Sephardic immigration wave came from Magreb (1875)

Followed by the Spanish speaking people of Greece, the Islands and the Balkans

Years later, the larger immigration came from Syria & Lebanon and some from Ierushalaim

1891: First Sephardi born in Buenos Aires

At the beginnings mostly they settled in the Interior of the country (specially in the north)


Sephardim came by its own means (while Ashkenazi immigration was sponsored by philanthropic Institutions)

Need to improve their precarious life and to avoid military enlistment

They left the countries where they were “tolerated” and had freedom of religion

Immigration was individual. Once established they “called” for their families

They developed into different communal networks of organization, centered around its separate cemeteries, religious institutions, charities, burial societies, schools and social clubs.

Women, usually did not have access to education, specially in the interior of the country where they had to help their mothers

The new generations of Sephardic inmigrantshave more social contact with other Jewish groups, and marriage between other Sephardic groups and even to Ashkenasim became more common, although not always welcomed.


Morrocan

Sociedad “Hesed Veemet”

First synagogue: Congregacion Israelita Latina (1915)

Sports Clubs

Chevra Kedusha

Hevra Guemilut Hasadim

Escuela Hebrea y Jardin de Infantes “Yehuda Halevy”

ACILBA (Asociacion Comunidad Israelita Latina de Buenos Aires)


First synagogueIn Buenos Aires(1915)


Turkey, Greece and the BalkansKahal Kadosh y Talmud Tora La Hermandad Sefaradi (1914)

Hesed Shel Emet , Club Social Israelita (1916)

CIS, Comunidad Israelita Sefardi de Buenos Aires (1919)

AISUH: Asociacion Israelita SefaradiUnion Hermanos de Flores

Bene Mizrah : Seminario Judaico & Escuela Judia de Psicologia Social

Templo Chalom

Asociacion Hebrea Argentina de Socorros Mutuos


Torah Scrolls brought from Salonica


Syrian Origin

Aleppo & Damascus

“Halebies” used to speak French among themselves, while those coming from Damascus, the “shamis”, spoke in Arab.

Did not “mix”

The had different Schools, synagogues and cemeteries

They lived in different and separated areas


Damascus Origin• Bene Emeth (1913)• Or Tora (Asociacion Union

Israelita Sefaradi Luz Eterna) (1929)

• Agudat Dodim• Asociacion Israelita Sefaradi de

Cultura y Beneficencia• Circulo Social Hebreo Argentino• Schools and sporting clubs

In 2013, Agudat Dodim Temple and the “mother” entity, Bene Emetcelebrated 100 years.

Maria Azar just published two books:”100 years of Bene Emeth” and “The history of the Jews of Damascus”


Aleppo Origin

Hesed Shel EmethSefaradit (1924)

AISA: Asociacion Israelita Sefaradi Argentina de Beneficencia

Yesod Hadath (Synagogueand School)

Puertas de Sion

Sucath David

Yeshurun

Shuba Israel

Escuela Maimonides


Golda Meir during one of her visits to Buenos Aires


IERUSHALMIM AND OTHER GROUPS

The Ierushalmimassociated with AISA (burials)

Asociacion Israelita Sefaradi Templo Jerusalem

Kehilat Ierushalmit(1920)

Other origins such as Italian, ladino speaking, Yugoslavia, Rumania, bulgarian, Egyptian, Gurdjis, Persians and bujaralies dont havetheir own institutions, usually they sticktogether as Associations.


In 1992,coinciding with the 500th. Anniversary of the Jewish expulsion from Spain, the four groups joined and published the book “PresenciaSefaradi en Argentina” (Sephardic Presence in Argentina) together with the Centro Educativo Sefaradi(Sephardic Educational Center) and with the now disappeared Banco Mayo.

It was a very difficult task because there were no archives, no documents, no written information. Only oral history. There were the child remembrances, genealogy, family papers and oral tradition.

“you have to understand that our way of interpreting history is different to yours (meaning the Ashkenazi way). We keep lots of traditions that are transmitted in oral way, from generation to generation”


“In search of Sefarad”

First documental movie donein Argentina regarding SephardicCulture. The movie speaks aboutthe najes and proud of a group of

Jews that dont want their memoriesand tradition to die or dissappear.


CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION Y DIFUSION DE LA

CULTURA SEFARADI (1975) CI(19DI


Founded in 1975 .

Its origins can be found in theCongregation Chalom, whileMichel Molho was the Rabbi.

In 1976, FESELA, the LatinAmerican SephardicFederation, also establishedtheir offices at the CIDICSEF building

Both Institutions worktogether, and they are in charge of the following áreas:

Musical Area

Language and Judeo SpanishLiterature area

History area

They organize several workshops, seminaries, “nochadas”, sephardiccooking, as well as sixInternational Symposiums onSephardic Studies, with thepresence of internationalleaders.


Musical Area, under the leadership of Eleonora Noga Alberti


CIDICSEF Main Language and Judeo-Spanish Jewish Literature Area in charge of Jose Menascé

Historical Area in charge of Mario Cohen


Different activities, symposiums, exhibitionsMain events organized by CIDICSEF

The International Congress of the Spanish Language . During this congress a tribute was paid to Rabbi Michael Molho for his outstanding researchs on Sephardic Traditions.

“Discovering America” (Photographic exhibition)

First Encounter of Sephardic Songs

First Annual Course on the Sephardic History and Culture

-Dr. Menasche and Dr. Cohen were honored by the King of Spain Juan Carlos I, because of their committment to spread and revitalize the roots of the community in Ancient Sepharad.

Symposium “Meeting Points of the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Culture” (organized together with IWO)

itinerant exhibition on Maimonides 800th Anniversary

Encounter of Faith and Reason

First Latin American Congress dedicated to the Sephardic World

5th and 6th. Academic Congress on Judeo Arab Literature and Music in the Sephardic Diaspora

Symposium on Maimonides, his life and work

These are only examples of the various activities held by the CIDICSEF


Re-opened in 2006, under the auspices of theInternational Sephardic Federation, the SephardicHouse, the Instituto Arias Montano, Asociacion Vidas Largas of Haim Vidal Sephiha and others.

Beatriz Mousalli is the responsable of the Library.

Searching books is very easy, by title or autor.

They are open to public and online requests, specially from abroad.


Maria Cherro de Azar, editor of Sefardica and Beatriz Moussali, director of the Library


Official publication22 volumes


ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR


HISTORY & LITERATURE OF THE ARGENTINE...

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