ARGENTINE JEWRY: ETHNICITY AND PROBLEMS.

The article discusses the challenges and problems faced by Jewish communities in Argentina. They are composed of varied groups, with Jews of East Europe being referred to as Rusos and Sephardim from Arab countries as Turcos. As late as 1960, 55% of the total Argentine population was either immigrant or at most fourth generation native-born. Although a Spanish colony until the 1820s, for the past 100 years Argentina's people have largely been descendants of Italian and Spanish immigrants. The shift to its present population composition began after 1852 when the nation opened its doors to immigration. The immigrants faced the problems of a low standard of living and loose moral standard. The arrivals regarded their cultural standards as higher than those of their non-Jewish neighbors. The lack of contact with an ambience and people that could tempt newcomers to abandon its ethnicity encouraged the newcomers to create their own ethnic institutions. Jews thus became a minority and were excluded, or they excluded themselves from participation in many areas of Argentina life, such as judiciary, the diplomatic field and the armed forces. The survival of Judaism, as conceded by all conversant with Argentina Jewry has become a major problem. There is continued growing disinterest in Judaism, anti-Semitism and the extreme apathy of the third and fourth generations.