The Jewish youth of Latin America no longer look to Europe for models of Judaism They are convinced that their future lies more with the patterns developed by Jews in the United States.
A report to this effect was presented by Simon Mirelman, president of the Institutuo-Judio Argentino, to the American Jewish Committee. Mr. Mirelman, outstanding leader of Argentine Jewry who headed a delegation which attended the AJC 50th anniversary observance here, said that Jewish communities in Latin America suffer from a lack of rabbis and of Jewish schools for their children.
Of Argentina, Mr. Mirelman said it is just emerging from a dictatorial regime in which all freedoms were suppressed and in which a totalitarian type of anti-Semitism paraded under the mask of a spurious kindness toward Jews. Despite dictatorial restraints, Mr. Mirelman reported, the Jewish community of Argentina has contributed to the preservation of liberal and democratic attitudes among Argentinean Jews and non-Jews alike.
“We advanced the appreciation of Jewish traditions and values and the strength of ties with Jews everywhere. We developed acceptance of the proposition that Jews are entitled to full membership in our national community on the basis of equality with other elements in the population. We promoted Jewish education and opened the way to better understanding among Jews and Christians.”
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.
