There is a shortage of Jewish women in the South American republic of Colombia and Jewish men, both Asbkenazic and Sephardic, are intermarrying with women of other religions, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) has been informed by its affiliate, the Jewish Aid Society, at Medellin, Colombia.
The Jewish community has a private synagogue and a cemetery, but it has no rabbi nor schochet, and is somewhat concerned over the difficulties of preserving its Jewishness in the face of its small numbers. The community recently raised a fund to aid German Jews.
The mixed marriages as a result of the shortage of Jewish women have created a religious problem for the community which appealed to the HIAS for a decision. The question is whether men who have married outside the faith may be buried in the Jewish cemetery.
The HIAS here submitted this question to the Union of Orthodox Rabbis and notified the community that the decision was that these men could be buried in the Jewish cemetery but that their graves should be set apart from the others.
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.
