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"In Latin America (and Spain) it is customary for children to bear both the father's and mother's surname. Women used their married names as an addendum to their maiden names. When children were born, they would have a compound surname. If you didn't have the double surname, people knew you were the product of a relationship outside of marriage. Women were always very proud of bearing their father's surname besides their husbands. This custom still abounds in the Spanish-speaking countries." Information supplied by Maria Krane MariaKrane@aol.com There are 19,500 Jews in the countries of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador according to Ilan Architecter, who represents the Jewish Agency for Israel in these five South American countries. Those looking for Spanish-Portuguese Jewish families in the New World Hispanic Division, Library of Congress North and South America Sephardic Sites - Telephone Directories on the Web - Translating - there are many translating services, some for free, available to help with your translating needs in most languages including Spanish and Portuguese. One of these sites is
"Jewish Tales From Eastern Europe" - A description of a soon-to-be-published book authored by Nadia Nagarajan and to be published by Jason Aronson, is described at this Amazon link Argentina Argentina has a Jewish community of some 250,000 of which more than 62,500 members now live below the poverty line, with many of them making up the "new homeless" Argentina has the largest Jewish community in the southern hemisphere. In 2001, 1,400 Argentinean Jews made Aliyah to Israel. That's up from 1,033 in 2000 and is twice the 1998 figure. The Jewish Agency expects to have 3,000 Argentine Jews emigrating to Israel in 2002. That figure has been increased to approximately 40,000 as the economic conditions worsen in Argentina. Jews came to Argentina from Eastern Europe to find freedom. Families were separated. Some went later to the US while others came to Argentina with the support of the Jewish colonization Association, a dream of Baron Hirsch to show the world that Jews could accomplish hard farm labor. At that time, these colonies, some 350 miles from Buenos Aires, were the only such in the world (there were other Jewish colonies established in Uruguay, Brazil, U.S. and in Canada). Many cemeteries with tombstones evidence the hard life of the denizens, who became distinguished personalities in their community. In these villages can be found old hospitals, old synagogues, and houses where Jews formerly lived, as well as old building where Jewish theatre was brought from Buenos Aires. Legends abound. Although the majority of Argentina's Jewish population lives in Buenos Aires, you cannot assume that those you are searching live there. Jews, for example, live in Rosario, Cordoba and Santa Fe. If you can read Spanish, this site may be of interest Should you not read Spanish, you can contact Mario J. Stecher mstecher@swya.com.ar/ who may be available to offer his assistance. AMIA - the central Jewish institution in Argentina that deals primarily with social assistance. Daniel Pomerantz is the administrative director and Bernardo Zugman is the treasurer. The AMIA is the Buenos Aires Jewish Federation Community Center. Argentina Immigration Database - There is an Argentinean immigration database (1882-1929) online at Argentina Jews Database - if you believe than your family may have gone to If you need help to translate from Spanish to English, try this Babel Fish site: Argentina White Pages - phone directory Argentinean Jews article - there is an article in the JTA Global News Service of the Jewish People relative to the Argentinean Jews leaving the country CEMLA - Centro de Estudios Migratories Latinoamericanos - houses arrival records in Buenos Aires which covers the years 1882-1929. The director is Alicia Bernasconi. Some older missing books have been found. Records for 1870-1881 are unaccounted for. Up to 1882, an estimated 30-40% of immigrants arrived through uncontrolled river crossings, and no records ever existed. Massive Jewish immigration began several years later -- the mark being set by the arrival of the Wesser during August 1889. Immigration in 1888 was estimated in 50 persons. The Alliance Israelite Universelle helped members of 8 families reach Argentina. The estimation for 1889 is of 1,000, including hundred on board the Wesser which sailed from Bremen. The CEMLA's database, some books are missing so data transcribed are not complete. Even if your relative came
through the Buenos Aires port, and even if you try the appropriate spelling variants, there is a certain chance you might get no results. Missing data might be in the order of 20% or more. Spelling is another consideration. This information was posted on JewishGen by Carlos Glikson cglikson@ciudad.com.ar on 12/14/02 Web site is in English and in Spanish http://www.cemla.org/ See also Argentina Immigration above Until 1985, there was no divorce in Argentina, and so couples would just obtain a 'get' and if they chose to marry again, there was only a religious ceremony. Entre Rios - "the Jewish trail in Entre Rios, Argentina is open. Clara, Basavilvaso, Dominguez and Villaguay are "frozen" villages where Jews lived for many years. They came from Eastern Europe to find freedom. Families were separated. Some went to the USA while others went to Argentina with the support of the Jewish Colonization Association." From a posting by Daniel Teveles Hebraica - a Jewish social and cultural club in Buenos Aires which has almost 600 people with some sort of financial grant request. Juan Imel is on the Board of Directors. IATAMSIG - a JewishGen mailing list comprised of people researching in Latin American countries. To sign up, go to the home page Identification Meanings C.I. = Cédula de Identidad - Identity Card: It is the identity document
issued by the Policía Federal (the Federal Police) or by the Police
departments of the different provinces. If a citizen asks for a passport
from the Federal Police, it will have the same number his C.I. has. Immanu El Synagogue - located in Buenos Aires Jewish Cemeteries in Buenos Aires - in Spanish. The upper box (ingrese) should be filled out with the surname. The next box (todos) may be skipped since it has the names of different cemeteries in the city. Leave it alone unless you know the name of the cemetery. Uscar means search, just
press it. The great thing is that it gives also the maiden name of the ladies. Nombre = name Jewish Genealogical Research in Argentina http://www.ifla.org/\/ifla70/papers/091e-Armony.pdf Jewish Genealogical Society of Argentina (Sociedad Argentina de Genealogia Judia) Juana Azurduy 2223, P. 8, (1429) Buenos Aires, Argentina Contact: Paul Armony is the head of this society. E-mail genarg@infovia.com.ar The Jewish Genealogical Society of Argentina has developed an InfoFile that gives resources for Argentinean Jewish research Legado (Legacy) - a chronicle filmed of the lives of Argentina's first Jewish immigrants; they arrived in 1889 fleeing Russian pogroms. The early farming communities endured drought, floods and locusts. International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, Argentina (5411-382-7872) E-mail cic@cinecic.com.ar Libertad Synagogue - considered the flagship synagogue of Argentine Jewry. It houses the Museo Judio de Buenos Aires
Museum of Family History - Foreign Resources Names given at birth had to be contained in a list approved by the Argentinean government. Nazi Gold in Argentina - there is a documentary that tells the story including the Vatican and Swiss bankers' role in safeguarding the Nazis' stolen wealth. Newspapers in Argentina Pardes Synagogue - Rabbi is Baruj Plavnick. The synagogue is located in Buenos Aires. Their web site is in Spanish A religious ceremony has no civil validity in Argentina. Couples must be married in a civil ceremony, independently of the religious one. Telephone Directory White Pages - When searching this site, you need to denote a "Provincia" (Province). At the bottom of the list is "Todas". This will provide a listing of all surnames form all Provinces. On the left side of the page, select 'Guia Telfonica' where there is a box marked "Apellido y Nombre / Empresa" which is where you enter the surname you are researching. Below this box there is a pull-down menu "Provincia" (Province). One choice is "Todas" (all provinces) "Localidad" means place, as in a specific town name, but it can be left blank. On the Right of the screen, note that the blue tap marked "Buscar" with a magnifying glass, is the search button. Remember that many Jewish names have been changed to be more like a Spanish name and a woman's name with a "de" as part of the surname means that she is married into the family. Largest phone company in Argentina has a web site (in Spanish) covering most of the provinces. La Guia ("The phonebook") Surname = apellido and Provincia = Province. The default is Buenos Aires which has approximately 1/3 of the country's population. Villaguay - Dr. Silvio Teveles is president of the small Jewish community of Villaguay and works to maintain Jewish history. In Dominguez is a Jewish museum. It has many files and important materials about Jewish immigration to the area. Contact: Daniel Teveles e-mail melife@ciudad.com.ar Cities and Towns Bahia Blanca - Basavilvaso - a 'frozen' village where Jews lived for many years. Bernasconi - a small village - Buenos Aires - the major city having the largest Jewish population in the country Tablada cemetery in Buenos Aires Clara - another 'frozen' village where Jews lived for many years. Cordoba - Dominguez - still another 'frozen' village where Jews lived for many years. Mar del Plata - Moises Ville (Moisesville colony) - located 600 km north of Buenos Aires and is still another 'frozen' village where Jews lived for many years. The Jews founded this town that gave birth to the famous Jewish gauchos. It is the first of the Jewish agricultural colonies in Argentina and a few Jewish families still live there. Mario JeifeMarty Protrushtz has created a web site http://www.geocities.com/bargfamily Between 40 or 40 Jewish families remain, but in its golden age (before 1930) the village had nearly 7,000 Jewish inhabitants. It was founded in 1889 by approximately 100 families from Kamenets-Podol'sk, Ukraine. Two years later, the Baron de Hirsch started his Jewish Colonization Association (JCA) and Moises Ville was included in his plan sponsored by the JCA. This information obtained from correspondence with Mario N. Jeifetz mnjeifetz@interclass.com.ar http://www.geocities.com/bargfamily/argentina.html http://www.geocities.com/bargamily/moisesville.htm There is an old Jewish cemetery in existence in Moisesville. In the Winter 2001 issue of Avotaynu, there is a story by Marcia and David Chamovitz describing their visit to Argentina and the locating of many relatives. The Chamovitz' s live in Tel-Aviv M' ville Museum - Eva Rosenthal is Director museo_mv@interclass.com.ar
Rivera - a small village Rosario - located about 185 miles northwest of Buenos Aires, the city was founded at the beginning of the eighteenth century. It is an industrial, commercial and business hub situated in the key agricultural and livestock producing region of the country, and it was one of the places Jews gathered. There are about 8,000 Jewish families living in this town and the Rosario's Jewish community is estimated at about 50,000.. Santa Fe - Villaguay - a 'frozen' village where Jews lived for many years. Barbados 1925 was the year the last Jew living in this Island community died. Most Jews had died or left after surviving a series of hurricanes during the 1800s. During the late 1930s, twenty Jewish families from eastern Europe settled Barbados and were later joined by Jewish families from Trinidad. Although this is a small overall percentage of the total population, they have contributed much to the Island community. Swan Street, was once called Jew Street in downtown Bridgetown where also there was a Jewish cemetery. The cemetery is undergoing extensive restoration. Cemetery Kahal Kadosh Nidhe Israel lies beside a recently restored synagogue of the same name that was founded in the seventeenth century by Portuguese and Spanish Jews escaping persecution in Brazil. There are over 400 tombstones dating as early as 1658 (5418) and all of them using Hebrew, Spanish or Portuguese inscriptions. Take a tour of Barbados at The Milner Site Jewish Barbados with photos Bolivia It is estimated that there are about 500 Jews living in Bolivia according to a report by The Jewish People Policy Planning institute Annual assessment 2004-2005 Brazil
In the year 1500, 'Conversos' arrived with the first settlers of Brazil which had become a Portuguese colony. Because of the Inquisition, these 'secret Jews' arrived steadily in Brazil building up in population which stands at about 130,000 in a general population of about 160,000,000 today. When the Dutch conquered Brazil in the mid 17th century, they allowed the 'Conversos' to openly practice Judaism again. Between 1637 and 1644, Jews enjoyed complete religious freedom under the reign of the local Dutch administrator, Joao Mauricio de Nassau. Jews flourished in the sugar industry and were slave owners. Today, Jews make up less than 1% of Brazil's total population of 171 million. A major Brazilian magazine ranked the Reform Rabbi, Henry Sobel among the 100 most influential personalities for 2007. "A Brief History and Description of the Crypto Jews in Brazil" http://www.jewishcanada.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=124676 Belem - there are Jews living here that are descendants of Moroccan Jewish immigrants. Belo Horizonte - capital of the state of Minas Gerais, has about 15 recently re-converted Jews. Fortaleza has about 120 Jews Jewish Genealogy Society of Brazil - site is in Spanish and Hebrew. You may have to cut and Manaus - there are Jews living here that are descendants of Moroccan Jewish immigrants. Natal has about 40 Jews Port of Santos - A site containing arrivals at the Port of Santos, in Sao Paulo state, Porto Alegre - Sephardic Community Recife - there are known Marranos in the city. More information about them can be found in James R. Ross's book "Fragile Branches: Travels Through the Jewish Diaspora" On September 7, 1654, a group of 23 Dutch-speaking Sephardim set sail from this city of Recife, for New Amsterdam (New York) in an effort to escape the Inquisition imposed by Portugal, which had defeated Holland for control of Brazil. The Dutch held the city from 1630 to 1654, and most of the Jews fled after the Portuguese re conquest. In the twentieth century, a small community of Ashkenazim grew in Recife, but the city's center -- like Curacao and Manhattan, situated on an island -- went to seed. More information can be found in an article by Alan M. Tigay in the March 2004 issue of Hadassah Magazine. With the decline of Dutch rule in 1654 and the reinstatement of the Portuguese regime, Recife's Jews were forced to leave. Some of them did, sailing off to the Caribbean or North America, though most of them stayed, undergoing public conversion to Christianity while continuing to practice Judaism in secret. After WW I, a large number of Eastern European Jews began arriving as immigrants. Today, Recife has about as many Jews as it did in 1654. There is an 85 year old Jewish school, the Colegio Izraelita Moises Schwartz with 150 students. Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue - located in downtown Recife, has been recently restored and is now a museum and documentation center. It is located, ironically, on Rua do Bom Jesus, or Street of the Good Jesus, in the heart of Recife's port area. The Mikvah and original pavement stones can be seen along with the bema and the Holy Ark. Tania Kaufman is the director general of the Arquivo Historico Judaico de Pernambuco, a non-profit group whose employees include both Jews and non-Jews. Bet Habad - the only functioning synagogue in the city. Rabbi Alexander Mizrahi is spiritual leader. Jewish Historical Archive of Pernambuco - Brazil Rio de Janeiro - the largest synagogue in the city is Associacao Religiosa Isrealita. It is a Reform synagogue led by Rabbi Sergio Margulies and Brazil's first female rabbi, Paraguayan born Sandra Kochman, a Conservative rabbi. One thousand families make up this congregation, which was founded by German immigrants in 1943. Sao Paulo Jewish Genealogical Society - the center of Jewish life in Brazil - both web sites are in Spanish Sephardic Blogs and much more, but in Portuguese Sociedade Genealogica Judaica do Brasil http://www.netjudaica.com.br/novaNetJudaica/default.asp?subMenu=Genealogia&novaPagina=Textos/mostraSubCat.asp&id=30 Translations  LingvoSoft Dictionary software English <-> Yiddish for Windows - 400,000 wordsWith this LingvoSoft smart dictionary software on your computer, you can easily switch between English and Yiddish or Portuguese and many other languages), for prompt translations of 400,000 words both ways! Download Free Trial now Sociedade Genealogica Judaica do Brazil Chile
There is a substantial Jewish population living in Chile, concentrated mostly in Santiago. The Chilean government Cabinet has the most Jews in the world, outside of Israel serving as public officials. Three Jewish Ministers and one Deputy Minister. The cabinet posts are: Minister of Public Works, Minister of Planning and Cooperation, Minister of Mining and Energy, and Deputy Foreign Minister. From a posting by Norman Levin on 11/15/06. The only site I have found to date that seems to be of interest, although it is in Spanish, is Communidad Israelita De Santiago and is located at Naming Customs in South America - Customarily, in most South American countries, as well as in Spain and Portugal, children use their father's surname, unless there is an irregular situation like a single mother's children, in which case they use their mother's surname. Additionally, common surnames such as Sanchez, Garcia, Fernandez, Levi, Rabinovich, etc. the individual may use both the fathers and the mothers surnames. Married women use both surnames and some will use the 'de' which means "of", possessive. Costa Rica
Most Jews can trace their ancestry back to Zelechow, Poland. For more information about Costa Rica, I suggest reviewing an article in the December 2006 issue of Hadassah Magazine authored by Stacy Perman. She states that the Spaniards named the country "Rich Coast" in the hopes of finding gold." Costa Rica is located between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean. The Jews that live there co-exist with the mostly Catholic population. The first Jews were actually conversos, arriving here in the 16th and 17th centuries. Next came the Sephardic merchants from Curacao, Jamaica, Panama and the Caribbean in the 19th century, themselves descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews. Following WW I, Jews came in the early 1930's and later before WWII, Jews fled Europe to Costa Rica. Many Costa Ricans today trace their history to a single Polish village, Zelechow. In recent years, a growing number of expatriate American retirees have moved to Costa Rica along with Israeli transplants. Today, it is estimated that there are some 2,600 to 3,000 Jews, most residing in San Jose including the suburbs of Santa Ana and Escazu. B'nei Israel Congregation Cemeteries in Costa Ricau4j Centro Israelita Sionista de Costa Rica - located in San Jose, is the oldest and largest Jewish resource in the country. The Centro publishes a monthly newsletter - Hayom. The Jewish cemetery is located on the grounds, behind a stone wall adorned with a plaque listing the names of Holocaust victims whose descendants have ties to Costa Rican Jewry. Jewish Costa Rica Jewish Costa Rica - into the 21st century! Jews in Costa Rica - though there are only 2,500 Jews ... an interesting article in the Miami Herald Lockstein Center of Bar-Ilan University B'nei Israel Chabad of Costa Rica Shaarei Zion - is the first synagogue (Orthodox) and was established in 1933 in the capital city of San Jose. It will hold 1,000 and separates men from women and offers 3 mikvahs and two kosher restaurants. The original structure is still standing at Avenida 5a, Calle 648 and now houses a church. Cuba
Adath Israel - Luis de Torres, a Converso, or Jew forced to convert to Christianity, arrived on the island as Christopher Columbus' interpreter. After the expulsion from Spain in 1492, small groups of Jews made their way to Cuba. Centuries later, Jewish pirates prowled the seas off of the island's coast. An excellent article, authored by Linda Morel, was published in the December 15th issue of The American Jewish World. The island lies 90 miles south of Key West, Florida with about 12 million living Most of Cuba's 1,000 Jews live in the capital, Havana. At one time (prior to 1960), there were about 10,000 Jews now dwindled down to about 1,000. There were Jewish converts among the first European settlers on the island in 1492. Groups of Jews fleeing from Brazil during the Portuguese Re-conquest (17th century) settled in Cuba despite inquisitional persecutions and promoted a flourishing trade with the West Indies. The contemporary Jewish community does not represent a line of continuity with the Jews of the 18th century. Its formation began after
independence from Spain was achieve in 1898. By 1924, there were 24,000 Jews living in Cuba - a number of them having come from Turkey. There are about 1,000 Jews living in Cuba; mostly residing in Havana and the remainder are spread among the provinces in 2007. Before Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, there were about 15,000 Jews and five synagogues in Havana alone. There is an excellent article in Hadassah Magazine of January 2005 and authored by Ben G. Frank providing a great deal of information about Jews and Jewish life in Cuba. "Adio Kerida" (Goodbye Dear Love) is a documentary about revisiting Cuba by Ruth Behar e-mail rbehar@umich.edu "Bridges to Cuba" - edited by Ruth Behar and published by the University of Michigan Press "The Chosen Island: Jews in Cuba" - authored by Maritza Corrales Beth Shalom - located in Havana and the Cantor is Fernando Lapiduz Cuba Movie Clip 1957 Cubaweb.cu - an online portal from Cuba There are (or were) Jews living in: Camaguey Cienfuegos Guantanamo Havana Sancti Spiritu Santa Clara Santa de Cuba Addresses
There are three operating synagogues in Havana. Havana Adath Israel (Orthodox) (one of only 3 active synagogues in Havana) Centro Hebreo Sefardide - Templo (Sephardi Conservative) |
Books
Shaarei Zion Synagogue, San Jose
Photo from Hadassah Magazine Jan. 2005