Come explore the history of the Jewish people in Argentina, from its colonial times to modernity. As we navigate the history, traditions and landmarks of a 300,000+ community, we'll explore the neighborhoods of Once and Tribunales.
We'll go beyond tradition as we explore how politics and the broad history of Argentina shaped and made its Jewish population into what it is today.
Our day will start at fast-paced Once: the utmost Jewish neighborhood and largest bulk-trading district of Argentina, where you'll find anything from fabrics, to toys, to Quinceañera party supplies. Here, we'll see AMIA -known as "the mother institution" of Jewish life in Argentina-, that was targeted by a terrorist attack in the 90s. We'll explore different memorials both for the victims of AMIA and for the unsung heroes of those days: the first responders and doctors, exploring the concept of "active memory" and the long quest to bring the perpetrators of this attack to justice. We will also pay a unique visit to IWO, the largest archive of Yiddish culture in South America that was nearly destroyed in the AMIA bombing. Before leaving the community, we’ll stop at one of the oldest Delis in the city to try some kosher snacks!
Later, we'll move on to Tribunales, the first jewish neighborhood of Buenos Aires, to visit the Jewish Museum and Libertad Synagogue. You'll learn about the Jews who escaped the European Inquisition by coming to Latin America, how the population became organized as waves of Jewish immigrants entered the country in the late 1800s, the Jewish Gauchos and the relationship between the Peronist political movement and the Nazis. We'll finish our day at the old site of the Israeli Embassy, which was destroyed by a car-bomb attack in the early 1990s.
In our tour you'll hear about, the 1919 Buenos Aires pogrom, the communist heritage of the URSS Jews, the "disappeared" Jews of the last Argentine dictatorship and all the challenges, rifts and situations faced today by our community.
