Throughout the breadth of the north-tropical zone of Brazil, where Jews have been settling in larger and smaller towns in the course of the past twenty-five years, one can see but rare instances of economic soundness. In all the settlements and towns of the flat northern lands as far down as the milder chains of the south the occupation of the Jews is exclusively peddling, and they do not even ever consider other fields, such as agriculture, which might rid them of their present state of utter dependability on blind fate.
Far different is the Jewish situation in the southern province of Parana. The impression one gets of the healthy, vigorous and progressive Jewish community of Curitiba, the capital of Parana, is certainly refreshing and highly satisfactory. Here one does not note the sense of uncertainty and dependence which prevails among the Jews in the cities and towns of the north; on the contrary there is strength here and self-reliance and stability.
Parana, the most beautiful province of southern Brazil is blessed with very favorable climatic conditions, which have attracted many thousands of foreigners here who zealously threw themselves upon the fertile earth and cultivated it with love and devotion. In fact, it was these foreigners that did the pioneer work of reclaiming the ground from its primitive state and brought agriculture here to its present high and progressive level.
There are only three hundred Jews in Curitiba, but this little community stands remarkably high in the scale of moral and social development. Quite a number of Curitiba Jews have risen to high positions in the various departments of the state government of Parana. Many others have built up very profitable businesses in the lines of furniture, sugar and tile manufacturing. The lumber industry and the growing of “erwamata” plants (a species of tea), both of which are really the chief industries of the province, are largely controlled by the Jews. There are also large plantations belonging to Jews.
The Jewish community of Curitiba lives in a peaceful environment, having the respect and the friendship of the Brazilians, who admire the Jews for their industry, their intelligence and their organizations for mutual cooperation and help.
The good reputation which the Jews have established for themselves here finds characteristic expression in the attitude of the local press. The chief editor of the “Comercia da Parana” is a very warm friend of the Jews. His admiration for the Jewish colony of Parana is so sincere and deep that he makes use of every possible occasion to praise it in his paper. He constantly wields his brilliant journalistic pen against the Poles of Parana who exert themselves to provoke anti-Semitic sentiment among the Brazilians. Nothing can induce this brave noble minded, editor to slacken even for a moment his untiring championship of the Parana Jewry.
And it is only natural that the Jews of Parana should have the respect and friendship of their neighbors. They are a healthy, vigorous economically productive and socially cultured element.
The Jewish community of Curitiba, so far as I have observed, stands higher than any other Jewish community in Brazil. It has reached a stage of economic and moral development which it is hard to find elsewhere. In other cities, in larger cities, the Jews are regarded as bad Russians, but in Curitiba they are looked upon as good respectable Jews.
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.
