Anti-Jewish Agitation in Mexico Spreading: Jewish Schoolboy Killed by Mexican Classmate: Chambers of

The killing of a Jewish schoolboy in Mexico City by a Christian classmate has been added to the troubles of Mexican Jewry, menaced by the rapidly growing antisemitic agitation in the country. The Jewish market-traders who have been driven from the public market-places are in a terrible economic plight, having been refused permission even to set up their stalls in halls which they were willing to hire for the purpose. The movement has spread throughout the country, and no Jewish market-traders are now allowed to have stands in any of the cities throughout Mexico. Chambers of Commerce all over the country have ordered Jewish traders to be rounded up and cleared out of their cities. A list of Jewish traders has been submitted to the Immigration Office with a demand that they should be expelled as undesirable aliens.

The dead Jewish schoolboy was an orphan, 12 years of age, named Boris Rabinovitch, who was brought to Mexico from Russia. The Mexican boy who shot him claims that it was an accident.

The first auto da fe in the New World took place in Mexico in 1574. Four years later three Jews were dealt with by the Mexican Inquisition. The most distinguished of the Mexican Marranos was Luis de Carabajal, who was for some time governor of one of the provinces of Mexico. He was charged with Judaising on the accusation of Dona Isabel de Herrera in 1590, certain members of the Caceres family being included in the same charge. Carabajal’s nephew of the same name was actually executed at an auto da fe in Mexico, in September 1596. In 1607 a relative of his, Jorge de Almeida, was tried by the Inquisition of Mexico on the charge of Judaising, and during the proceedings no less than thirty-two residents of Mexico were denounced as Judaisers.