Reports on the status of anti-Semitism in Argentina were submitted here today to the general assembly of the DAIA, the representative organization of Argentine Jewry, by Dr. Isaac Goldenberg, president of the DAIA, and Dr. Abraham Gorbatt, secretary.
Dr. Gorbatt stated in his report that the church hierarchy in the country had not exerted sufficient energy in censuring the many priests who were regularly delivering anti-Jewish sermons and aggravating already tense situations especially in the various slum districts. He said it was not enough for the Government to close the headquarters of the Tacuara and other anti-Semitic groups, if their activities were not curtailed.
Dr. Goldenberg said that, while it was fortunate that Argentina had achieved political stability in the last elections, it was still necessary to secure “social normalcy.” “All factors which have endangered Jewry continue intact,” he declared. He stressed that it was not a direct attack on Jewry which must be feared but the new tactics which the demagogues use in blaming the bulk of social problems on the Jews.
He reported that there were 18 Nazi organizations in Argentina which, though not yet united, can pool their activities in the future. He asserted that anti-Semitism was considered “bad political currency” at the present time. At the same time he warned that the new administration taking office next month, which he described as a democratic regime, may find it even more difficult to stop the Nazis without extraordinary powers since the laws are not stringent enough.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.