The Role of Transnational Actors in the Growth of Chabad-Lubavitch among Argentine Jews.

This paper addresses the current rise in acceptability and legitimacy of and participation in Chabad-Lubavitch by non-Orthodox Argentine Jews, both in Argentina and abroad. The study draws on ethnographic and qualitative interview data among three groups of Argentine Jews: those who live in the USA, those who have lived abroad but repatriated to Argentina, and frequent travelers between Argentina and other countries. The study places the migrants (permanent, transitory, or return) at the heart of the analysis and examines ways in which information about Chabad is shared among transnational networks. The result is greater attendance at Chabad enters and a rise in acceptability of the Chabad-Lubavitch, leading to an enlarged network of participants within the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, both at the center and at the margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]