Half of the Jewish couples married here in the last two years read Yiddish, and 50 per cent of them read Jewish publications, mainly in Spanish, a survey conducted here by the Latin American section of the American Jewish Committee indicated. The report of the survey was made public today by Abraham Monk, director of the AJC office here.
A questionnaire had been circulated to all Jewish newlyweds, and answers were received from 97 per cent of the couples married in the last two years. The data showed that 71 per cent of the husbands and 57 per cent of the wives were “nominally affiliated” with some Jewish organization, but only 25 per cent attend Jewish activities.
Of the total respondents, 87 per cent were born in Argentina; 70 per cent had “some” Jewish education; 12 per cent had taken private Hebrew courses; and 34 per cent disapproved of the quality of Jewish schooling here.
The figures also showed that 57 per cent observe the Passover by having a Seder with their parents; 47 per cent fast on Yom Kippur; eight per cent eat kosher food; seven per cent observe the Sabbath; 40 per cent attend synagogue, mainly on the High Holy Days. Ninety per cent thought it was possible to be a good Jew while living outside Israel. Mr. Monk said that the Argentine Jewish community need not expect a demographic expansion, on the basis of this survey, since most of the couples indicated they plan on having no more than two or three children.
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.
