AMIA: Tour the main Jewish institution of Buenos Aires

AMIA: Tour the main Jewish institution of Buenos Aires

With a centennial history, AMIA is the main institution of the Jewish community in Argentina. Created in 1894 by a group of Jewish immigrants, AMIA holds a bond with several Argentine people from the beginning up to the end of their lives. AMIA’s goal is to strengthen educational environments to guarantee continuity and reflect the diversity of the Jewish-Argentine community. The institution works in many different ways, all leading to dignified quality of life for Jewish individuals and families throughout the country, especially those at social risk.

 

AMIA’s origins

Established as the Chevra Kadisha in 1894, the initial activities were geared toward complying with Jewish traditions and one of the first actions was to open a community cemetery. This sought to legitimize the Jewish presence as a minority in Argentinean society.

Soon, its activities grew and diversified with the increase of the country’s Jewish population and its progressive integration to society.  AMIA soon became the place where all the Jewish people could come together and participate in Jewish life.

In 1994, to commemorate its centennial, AMIA organized a series of celebrations that were interrupted on July 18 by the deadliest terrorist attack in Argentine history.

On July 18, 1994, 85 people were killed (and hundred more were injured) in the deadliest terrorist attacks in Argentine history. The moment shocked the nation. The bombing of AMIA left its mark on the country’s history and have inflicted a devastating emotional toll on Jewish citizens of Argentina. It was the second attack against Jewish and Israeli targets on Argentinian soil – the attack on the Israeli embassy took place only two years previously.

The sorrow and grief caused by this attack is compounded by the fact that those responsible for this horrifying act, as for the one preceding it, have not yet been brought to justice.

Every year, AMIA and thousands of people gather in Once district and by AMIA’s new building  to commemorate the anniversary of the AMIA Jewish community center bombing. 

In these community-wide memorial ceremonies, relatives of the victims, friends and people close to the institution, gather not only to remember their loved ones: the search for justice and truth are the great links that keep the whole community united.

Rebuilding of AMIA

Five years after the bombing, on May 26, 1999, AMIA’s new building was inaugurated in the same place where the old one was located. Under the motto “For Justice and For Life”, the institution officially reopened its doors at 9:5am, the exact time the bomb had exploded.

Presently, AMIA offers a wide array of activities and services, including social services; the provision of basic goods such as food, medicines, housing, health and clothing to vulnerable families; educational activities;  supporting, coordinating and facilitating joint projects with other community institutions; employment programs aimed at strengthening the employability of thousands of candidates; and cultural activities such as theatre, conferences, courses and festivals, among others.


AMIA has deep ties with Israel and other Jewish worldwide communities; they also encourage the observance of Jewish traditions and cultural heritage.


On June 13, 2006, AMIA inaugurated its new building at Uriburu 650, where the center of Senior citizens (CIAM, for its Spanish acronym) and the Social, Childhood, Disabled, Volunteer Service area of AMIA’s Employment Service and the Program Valor are located.

Yaacov Agam’s monument

Yaacov Agam a world famous Israeli artist, is the creator of the Monument to the Memory of the Victims of the Terrorist Attack on AMIA. The work asserts both the commitment to the victims’ memory by honoring their spirit and vital legacy, and the demand for justice for their relatives and society at large.

Tour of AMIA Buenos Aires

You can visit AMIA an Institution that is proud to share the cultural heritage of the Argentine Jewish community, within the framework of its most emblematic institution.

The guided tour includes:

  • Reception outside the AMIA headquarters
  • Entrance to the headquarters (declared a National Historic Site)
  • Yaacov Agam Monument
  • Areas to honor the victims of the attacks on the Embassy of Israel and the AMIA
  • Art piece by Argentine artist Sara Brodsky*
  • Temporary exhibits located in the Art Space
  • Visit to the Interpretation Center
  • Audiovisual projection in microcinema

    * The memory of the disappeared Jews is present in AMIA through the work “They are here”, by the artist Sara Brodsky, mother of Fernando, one of the disappeared Jews of the last Argentine dictatorship.


Bear in mind that visits can only take place during week days. So plan accordingly and book ahead of time to make sure you can visit this exceptional institution.

For more information about days, hours and admissions, please contact us

Jewish tour of Buenos Aires

Jewish Tour of Buenos Aires

An in-depth historical tour of Jewish life in the country from the formation of the Argentine state to the present.

Argentina is home to Latin America’s largest Jewish population, with a community of around 240,000, whose history goes back to the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions when Jews fled to Argentina to escape persecution. During the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century, the Argentine Republic underwent unique and far-reaching changes. One of them was the growth of its population (due to immigration from Eastern and Western European countries sponsored by the Argentine government) in such a magnitude that it quadrupled the numbers of its inhabitants in forty-five years. In turn, this increase was made under conditions that substantially modified its composition in proportions that have not changed until today. Today, Buenos Aires is an international hub of Jewish life and boasts a sophistication that is unmatched in South America.

This comprehensive tour is an exploration through Buenos Aires districts that reveals landmarks and institutions of a vibrant Jewish heritage. Lead by experienced guides, this Jewish Tour of Buenos Aires is an unique learning experience that educates visitors about Jewish life in the country from the formation of the Argentine state to the present.

What will I experience?

Jewish Quarter and the Garment District

Begin with a scenic drive through the vibrant neighborhood of Once (Buenos Aires’ most important garment district) an exciting opportunity for immersion in a fascinating religious and cultural experience.

The growth of the population in the city and the urban modifications of the time meant that by 1910 the Jewish presence began to move from east to west, towards the neighborhood popularly called “Once”, named after the September 11 train terminal located in the neighborhood. The Garment District is home to a number of well-known designers, their production facilities, warehouses, showrooms, and suppliers of fabric and materials.

Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe as well as Sephardim from the Middle East settled in Once neighborhood along with its institutions, synagogues, retail stores and best kosher restaurants of Buenos Aires.

Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA)

Founded in 1894, A.M.I.A’s initial mission was to promote the well-being and development of Jewish life in Argentina and to secure the continuity and values of the Jewish community. A.M.I.A soon became the place where Jewish people could come together and participate in Jewish life. Tragically, a terrorist bombing on A.M.I.A in 1994, killed 84 people and left the facility destroyed. The center was re-built in 1999, featuring an original Agam memorial monument to the Victims of the AMIA Bombing 1994 by the Israeli artist Yaacov Agam.

Today, AMIA continues offering responses in employment, childhood, the elderly, youth, care for vulnerable families, disabilities, education, youth, community burials, culture, and support to Jewish communities throughout Argentina.

Paso Synagogue (Ashkenazi Traditional)

The Great Paso Temple is one of the most beautiful in all of South America. The first Talmud Torah (house of religious studies) of the City of Buenos Aires was located here, founded in 1894. Its imposing construction, a historical heritage of the city, was erected in 1929 and contemplates the most beautiful Ashkenazi iconography from which its founders originated.

Gran Templo Paso is a vibrant, intense and thriving community experience, Modern Orthodox oriented, open and friendly.

Shoah Museum of Buenos Aires

The Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires has re-opened to the public after a two-year refurbishment. It hosts groundbreaking exhibits, most notably “Dimensions in Testimony,” a curated, interactive experience—already showing at select museums around the world—where visitors can virtually engage with survivors of the Shoah.

The Buenos Aires Shoah Museum, the only of its kind in Latin America, serves as a museum, memorial and moral reminder by telling the story of the Holocaust and its impact in Argentina and wider South America.

Under the motto, ‘To remember is to avoid repeating history,’ the foundation’s mission is to keep the memory of the Holocaust present, honor those lost and to serve as a poignant reminder of the atrocities that can stem from racism and xenophobia.

Nazi Artifacts

In 2019 the museum took custody of the largest collection of Nazi artifacts to ever be discovered in Argentina. A collector in Buenos Aires was discovered to have more than 70 Nazi artifacts in a house raid. The items were most likely brought to Argentina by Nazis escaping to Argentina to avoid prosecution in Germany after World World II. The collector faced criminal charges for having possession of items of illegal origin.

The museum also has a library of over three thousand volumes of Holocaust-related literature in Spanish, German, Yiddish, and Polish.

Libertad synagogue and the Jewish museum of Buenos Aires

The Libertad synagogue was founded in 1862. In 1932 with an influx of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, the congregation built a new building. Today it is recognized as a historical monument by the city of Buenos Aires- and houses a museum and a Kosher restaurant.

The Israeli Embassy Memorial Plaza

This is the last stop of our tour. The Israeli Embassy Memorial Plaza in Buenos Aires recalls in stone the void left by a terrorist attack. At 14.45 on March 17, 1992, a powerful bomb shattered the building of the Israel Embassy in Buenos Aires, taking the lives of 29 people.

On 20 November 2007, a memorial was inaugurated on the site of the former embassy. A marble monument, a replica of the column of the original embassy building, stands today in the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, in memory of those who died who died on that fateful day in 1992, bearing the verse of the prophet Amos:  “I will raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old.”

*This tour is available during week days except for Jewish holidays. The duration of this tour is 4 hours.

Don’t miss this one in a lifetime opportunity of an in-depth discovery experience of immersion into an ancient culture living in the modern times and very best of Jewish Buenos Aires.

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Libertad Synagogue in Buenos Aires

Libertad Synagogue in Buenos Aires

Libertad Synagogue enjoys a vibrant history in Buenos Aires City dating back to the early 1800s and it is proud of its rich and well-documented past.

 

The history of Argentinean Jewry begins with a legend: the story tells that by the end of 1862, on the occasion of the High Holidays, the first minyan in Buenos Aires was gathered. Even though its members had been anonymous, they were responsible for putting down the roots of the communal life in Argentina, and as a result of their initiative some years later the Israelite Congregation of Argentina (CIRA) was founded.  

The origins of a Jewish quarter and Libertad Synagogue

At the beginning of the 19th century, the present-day Lavalle square  was a vacant lot that became important due to the installation of the Artillery Park. Around 1857, with the inauguration of the train station in the place where the Colon Theater is located today, the landscape was transformed until it became an important center of urban circulation. Plaza Lavalle was one of the most attractive spots for recently arrived Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe.

In 1895, 62% of the Jews lived in the area limited by Lavalle, Viamonte, Libertad and Talcahuano streets. It was there that the first ethnic restaurants, libraries, precarious workshops arose, and the Yiddish press took its initial steps. In this vibrant environment, the Israelite Congregation (CIRA) stood out, established in 1862 by a small group of Jewish immigrants of French, German and English origin. Its temple, erected in 1897 on Libertad street, was the first in the city. During the festivities, the tall galleys of the men of the Congregation mixed with the caps of the humblest.


As a result of the wide range of Jewish immigrants who arrived in the country between 1920 and 1930, there was a need to broaden the goals of the organization and also to enlarge the facilities of the synagogue. Thus, in 1932, the new building was founded.

About the stunning architecture of Libertad Synagogue

Its cornerstone is from 1897 but the current headquarters belongs to a new building built in 1932.

The work could be carried out thanks to the important economic contribution of the Austrian businessman Max Glücksmann, who lived in Argentina for work, in part, due to his activity as a representative of the German record company Odeón. His passion for music and his cultivated knowledge of architecture were the reason why Glücksmann worked closely on the design of the synagogue together with the commissioned architect Alejandro Enquin, with whom they shared the same taste and constructive interests.

In the Jewish liturgy, music is one of the key elements. That is why Glücksmann insisted that the ceiling be vaulted to achieve outstanding acoustics that would allow one to enjoy the sound of the tubular organ that he had installed in 1931: a spectacular German Walker-brand instrument that today is one of the three that survive in the world, due to because the others were destroyed by Nazism during World War II.

With an austere aesthetic, the style of the work ranges from Romanesque to Byzantine with one foot set in Art Deco, the quintessential architectural style of the time. There is a great influence from the synagogues of northern France and southern Germany. The semicircular Roman arch is the main element that is repeated throughout the construction. Even at the base of the chandelier – in Romanesque style – that crowns the space, the arches are also repeated.

 

The synagogue has been named a historical monument by the city government.

 The facilities include a museum that addresses the history of the community, exhibits of a diverse range of items related to Judaism, a kosher restaurant, and of course, the synagogue. Within the synagogue two Conservative minyanim are carried out, one traditional and one egalitarian.

We invite you to attend the Kabbalat Shabbat services of the egalitarian minyan every Friday of the year at 7:30 p.m. The daily trades take place in the auxiliary temple, you can send us an email to check the updated schedules.

 

Keep in mind that for security reasons, it is necessary to present an original passport or ID at the time of admission.

Jewish Museum of Buenos Aires “Salvador Kibrick”

The museum was the first of its kind in Latin America and is located next to Argentina’s first synagogue in Calle Libertad, in the old Jewish neighborhood.

The museum was founded in 1967 by Doctor Salvador Kibrick, member of the Congregación Israelita de la República Argentina. He was the first person to donate personal objects to the collection, including torah scrolls, siddurim, paintings, religious objects, old books, coins, and mezuzot.

The Jewish museum of Buenos Aires narrates the stories of the immigrants, our traditions and the Jewish colonies. Committed to transmit what is characteristic of the Jewish people, we present an interactive tour through a permanent collection in constant dialogue with the present aiming to create a link between the exhibition and interpretation.

The museum is open Mondays through Fridays from 10am to 6pm. It’s mandatory to present your original passport upon entry. Photocopies and digital photographs will not be accepted.

If you want to book a Jewish tour in Buenos Aires with a private local guide, contact us and we will customize a tour that will be meaningful and unforgettable.

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Jewish Immigration to Argentina

Jewish Immigration to Argentina

Movements before 1930

By Ariela Bodner

 

In a political context to promote immigration to Argentina, organized Jewish life in the country was first recorded in the 1860s, when a small group of Jewish immigrants from France, England, and Germany founded the Israelite Congregation in 1862.

However, the immigration and Jewish presence in Argentina began at large scale in the late 1880s. The first organized contingent correlates with the arrival of more than 120 families from Russia and Ukraine, in August 1889; on the German steamer Weser.

This first group of immigrants, mostly religious, gave rise to the unique experience of Jewish agricultural colonization in Argentina. “Hands to work the land” was the motto of the time. That was what Argentina needed around 1880 when it had vast territories of uninhabited land and a Federal Government that encouraged European immigration.

Thousands of Jewish immigrants from European countries who suffered hardships, left discrimination, poverty, persecution and fear behind, taking a step towards the hope of a nation that promised equality, freedom and work; a young and thriving nation that invited them to rebuild their lives.

The negotiations resulted in the landowner Pedro Palacios offering part of his property and the pioneers had no choice but to buy these lands at prices much higher than the real value. Soon after, they founded Moises Ville, (literally Moses Village), 650 kilometers (403 miles) from BA, the mother of all Jewish colonies, as it was later called.

But Palacios soon abandoned them and the colonizing task became a mixture of unfulfilled promises, disappointments, sacrifices and an iron will.

Dr. Lowenthal, a scientist visiting the country on a fact-finding mission, was the first to be moved by the desperation of the immigrants and back to Europe devised a plan that Baron Hirsch learned about through the Jewish Alliance. As a result, in 1891, Baron Hirsch founded the JCA (Jewish Colonization Association), the philanthropic organization, with the goal of facilitating the immigration of Jews from Europe, which sponsored most of the agricultural settlements in Argentina.

Baron Hirsch promoted philanthropy for production purposes, fostering constructive work by providing the basic material resources necessary to obtain worthy means of exit. Agriculture was divided into two models, livestock and agriculture, laying the foundations for agricultural colonization and giving rise to the mythical figure of the “Jewish Gaucho”.

From 1889 to 1940, around 40 Jewish settlements were formed in Argentina.

Going through the tracks of the Jewish settlements is amazing. Most of the colonies are still alive, and Jewish tradition, history, and emotion are evident in every corner.

These are certainly special Jewish tours to trace the tracks of the Jewish Colonies where you will visit remote places lost in an immensity between the Argentine pampas and the sky to rediscover the past, recover an identity and recognize ourselves and the geography where our roots were established.

With subsequent waves of migration that continue to arrive in Argentina attracted by the virtues of what was then a modern version of the promised land, the number of Jews in Argentina began to grow exponentially until after the second war, when 8,000 survivors of the Shoah. But that is another story that we will write in another article.

Argentina is currently home to around 250,000 Jews, making it the largest Jewish community in South America and between the fifth and sixth in the world.

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Are you planning to do a Jewish Tour in Argentina? Are you interested to learn about the Jewish community in Argentina?
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