One of the first predominately Jewish areas we visited in Argentina was El Once, named after the 11 de Septiembre railroad station. During the years from 1907 to 1925 it became one of the most important Jewish neighborhoods in the city. Most of Once consists of fabric shops, one after another with rolls of difference textures and colors outside for display. While the Jewish community in Once continues to thrive, today there exist many people of other religious orientations and ethnicities as well. For example, I recall that one group had the opportunity to interview a Jehovah witness.

Eugene F. Sofer describes the Jewish community of Once as secular. This seemed accurate though recently many have noticed a shift among the Jewish community, leaning more toward Orthodox. Nevertheless, as a very commercial district within Buenos Aires, many of the stores remain open during Sabbath.  In fact, initially nothing in Once seemed distinctly Jewish. It was not until later in the afternoon that you saw orthodox men and women wearing kippas and long skirts walking through the streets. But there are synagogues and kosher restaurants throughout the area and of course, the AMIA building, one of the largest Jewish organizations in Argentina. We had the opportunity to interview the president of AMIA, as well as the secretary of El gran synagogue Paso. One of the interviews I found most interesting was that of Samuel aka Lito, the owner of a small shop in Once. His family emigrated from Poland and Lithuania, and came as colonist working in agriculture.

Lito grew up very secular, not having received any formal Jewish education since his home town no longer had a large Jewish community when he was growing up. Today, he continues to identify as secular, describing the rest of his family under similar terms. His three children have all received formal Jewish education, can speak Hebrew and are very involved in the Jewish community in Buenos Aires, belonging and attending many clubs and camps. For Lito, it is the conservation of Jewish tradition and practices that are important, not necessarily a connection to the religious. Though it was important for him to give a Jewish education to his children.

When questioned about anti-Semitism in Once, he stated that there is always anti Semitism. Though now he rarely experiences it and finds is less common. He commented that he has many friends of other religions and has not encountered any problems. The bombing of AMIA was a tragedy that touched him both spiritually and physically since he was able to feel it when it took place. He noted that the Jewish community has changed since that event. Other changes that he commented on include the shift toward Orthodoxy among the Jewish community in Once. The synagogue that he attends is getting a new rabbi and thus there will be many changes such as separate seating for men and women during services. This is an idea that Samuel was initially strongly against, describing the synagogue’s previous atmosphere as “light” though later he decides that it will not be much of a problem and that he will continue to attend. What Samuel is experiencing reflects very much what is happening in the community in Once. While for the colonist who first came to Argentina, it seemed like a place of freedom, those living today who have witnessed or felt the effects of tragedies like the bombing of AMIA see Argentina as very anti-Semitic. While second and third generations like Samuel generally considered themselves as secular, a stark contrast with the beliefs of the first Jewish colonists, the generation after them is returning to the religious. While Samuel’s own children are not an example of this, the change occurring within the synagogue he attends reflects this. While there is some resistance, Samuel seems content in continuing his own current Jewish lifestyle among the ever growing orthodox community.

Sarah Brown-Campello

Macabi 1/9/10

Interview with Natalio Furmanski

            Macabi is a Jewish country club located roughly one hour by bus from Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Macabi is owned by all who possess property there, and each have the same type of house and amount of land.  It is possible to be part of this country club and not own a house as well.  There are dorm-style rooms available for rent inside the community attached to one of the largest buildings in the club.  The club offers fútbol, tennis, a large gym, indoor and outdoor basketball, a few restaurants, a large Olympic size swimming pool, numerous activities for all age groups, and space.  The community is gated and walled off from the rest of the town in which Macabi is located in.  There is security at all times of the day, keeping watch for the safety of the members.

            On Saturday, Janurary 9^th, Dickinson interviewed Natalio Furmanski in spanish.  He is a Jewish middle-aged athletic man who has been a member of Macabi his whole life.  He “grew up” during his vacations at Macabi, and is raising his young family there in the same way.  He kept referring back to the wonderful memories and friends he has made at Macabi.  As a child, he made all his friends at Macabi, and at his Jewish school, hence all his friends, including now, are Jewish.  Jewish organizations have always been important to him, and because he is very involved within them, his friends are predominately Jewish, although this is not his intention.

            Natalio Furmanski described the importance of Macabi as socialistic Jewish institution.  Everyone is given the chance to be a part of Macabi.  Homes can be purchased within the gated Macabi Country Club community.  However, each house is the same size, and they are all close together.  The size encourages people to live outside their homes, and intermingle with the other members of the community.  Natalio states that Macabi is important because it offers the Jewish people a safe place to be among their fellow Jews in a fun environment.  This intermingling is very important in the community and is a reoccurring theme throughout the activities and structure that Macabi offers.  Natalio stated that the community board strongly discourages gardens so that the moment someone walks out of their home, they may converse with their neighbor.  The asados, or outside grills that are built onto the side of the house to cook Argentine meat, also reflect this mentality as they face the asado of the house next to theirs.  This means that at dinnertime, two families may be cooking at the same time and eating close by, furthering this desired social interaction. However, if one lacks monetary funds, one can still be a member of Macabi.  Macabi has dormitory rooms that sleep up to six people, enough room for most families and a possible friend.  He mentioned that while someone at Macabi may have a huge mansion in the city of Buenos Aires, they will have the same size house as everyone else in Macabi.  This system leads to few noticeable class distinctions. The manner of dress is also very informal at Macabi, feeding into the idea of an informal social environment.  While Natalio Furmanski was told he was doing a formal interview, he was dressed in an athletic black shirt and khaki shorts, fitting in with the rest of the community.  This encouraged socializing and informal atmosphere is meant to  develop a stronger, more unified Jewish community.

            While Natalio spoke of how open the community is, he did mention how everyone was predominantly Jewish.  Of the five thousand members of the Macabi country club, seventy percent of them come from an all-Jewish background, whether religious or not.  The remaining thirty percent are of mixed marriages, but in most cases, the children are raised Jewish.  The importance of having an all-Jewish country club is seen by Natalio’s passion in talking about Macabi.  Macabi offers many ways for the Jewish people there to mingle and meet.  Activities for all ages are available, from child-day care and games, to tennis matches and Jewish folk dancing.  This makes sure that for all ages in life, one can be surround by members of their Jewish community. 

            Natalio Furmanski did not speak much about religion in Macabi, rather just the secular aspects of having people who are alike and share the same values around each other.  On campus, there are few religious symbols or relics.  The only religious symbol I observed was the star of David around the pool used as decoration. Other than that, anything “Jewish” was largely secular.  Keeping Kosher did not seem like a large priority of the community, as the three restaurants I observed served ham and cheese sandwiches, a popular meal for Argentines.  The color scheme is largely white and blue, which recalls Israeli colors, and there was some Hebrew on some signs.  The bus to Macabi was also full on Saturday morning, which is still Shabbat, leading me to believe the majority of the community is not largely orthodox or too conservative in any way.  The purpose of this community, seem to be more culturally centered, than religiously.

            Natalio’s interview was long and passionate.  He obviously believes in the importance of the Macabi’s community to the Jewish people, as he has chosen to work here and be the director after being a member of the community his whole life.  He is raising his family there, and at one point in the interview, he asked us to stop taping because he was having an emotional moment.  Natalio’s interview brought light to the importance a secular Jewish place can have in the larger context of the Jewish community.

After interviewing a handful of young adults in the Jewish community of Buenos Aires, we have become aware of a trend toward orthodoxy prevalent among the younger generation. Uncovered through testimonies from both religious leaders and Jews in their early twenties, a pattern has been recognized in what seems to be an effort to revitalize the practice orthodoxy in a community that has been slowly drifting from the more religious aspects of Judaism. Similarly to the United States, Argentina is a country of immigrants and their descendants, many of who are from European countries and the Middle East. Though there is a greater Ashkenazi presence in the Jewish community in Argentina, the Sephardic community is represented as well, with separate temples and community organizations. As the generations drifted from their countries of origin, the Jewish tradition began to shift away from religious ritual toward secular and social tendencies. Over the past decade, however, the suggested movement toward orthodoxy for some young Jews illustrates the distinction between those who define their Jewish identity by their religious efforts, versus those who are simply “just Jewish”.

Natalie, a 20-year-old Jew living in El Once, Buenos Aires, describes the growing orthodox community as expanding right before her eyes, literally. Having lived in the same apartment her whole life, Natalie has witnessed first hand the changing religious climate. In the past 5 years, a new (and relatively large) orthodox temple was built across from her building, and, not long after, many of the surrounding restaurants began offering Kosher menus. Historically, El Once is a particularly Jewish area of Buenos Aires, though residents of the greater city have explained that now many Jews commute in to the area for work rather than live there as well. Natalie and her family, however, live in what she considers an “all-Jewish” building, and she has noted the increase of Orthodox residents. Furthermore, she expressed a distinct separation between them and the rest of the community. In her opinion, the Orthodox community rarely, if ever, blends with the conservative, secular, or non-Jewish communities surrounding them.

For Natalie, and other young Jews, this movement is more than just an observation, it is an intensely personal experience. We have heard a few stories from younger Jews who have, as they put it, “lost friends to the Orthodox community.” Sabrina Toker, another 20-year-old interviewee, described her friend’s experience with the conversion. Like Sabrina, who we met at the Jewish social club “Macabi,” she was raised by Jewish parents and celebrated her Judaism through “Jewish socializing,” and a Jewish family atmosphere. Though it was unclear exactly how or why she chose to convert, the Sabrina explained that within a year the friend had married and had a child. Sabrina was visually agitated by this and expressed her confusion and hurt toward her friend, who seemed to have changed from what the she described as “a normal girl,” to covering herself and raising a family by age 20.

Though the reactions from their peers seem aggressive, those who have chosen to practice in the orthodox tradition have done so for their own reasons. Ezra, a 24 year-old interviewee living in El Once, offered his personal insight into the trend. His conversion to Orthodoxy began after he attended a trip to Israel, advertised by an unnamed Jewish organization. He describes the process as being “gradual,” and “slow”. With his first trip to Israel acting as the catalyst (he has been four times in total), he then began to study Judaism with a greater interest. He describes his ultimate transformation to be purely spiritual, and commented many times about “feeling” Judaism and “finding meaning in everything he does”. Additionally, Ezra has found a love for this community, a place to share his thoughts, his practices, even his meals. While his parents have remained conservative, they have learned to support his choice, a choice Ezra defines as “his happiness”.

Though the perspectives of these young Jews offer little to each other, they help to color the big picture, and support a theory of growing Orthodoxy among the younger generation. Through Ezra, we catch glimpses of the appeal such a decision has: a sense of community, a deeper spirituality, security through an alternative understanding of the world; while through testimonies such as Natalie’s and Sabrina’s, we learn about the societal frustrations from Jewish peers who could never imagine such a lifestyle. Though the trend itself remains to be understood, these interviews bring us closer to one of the many worlds inside the Jewish community of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Dickinson students, Denise del Gaudio and Lily Hoffman, interviewing Hilda Krawieki at the Macabi Club near Buenos Aires, 1/10/10

Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Since January 6, 2010, 8 Dickinson students, along with numerous Argentinean students who are part of ORT’s Oral History Project, have been visiting neighborhoods, shops, synagogues, libraries and other cultural institutions, and also conducting oral interviews with a wide range of Jewish community members: young and old, religious and secular, Ashkenazic and Sephardic… The group spent 2 days at the Macabi social/sports club’s “camp” in San Miguel, Buenos Aires, and is currently traveling for 3 days to several Jewish colonies in Entre Rios, to the northwest of Buenos Aires: Villaguay, Dominguez, Villa Clara, and Concordia.  Next, we will be traveling to Carlos Casares, a Jewish colony to the southwest of Buenos Aires.