In the Name of the Community

Over the past several decades, scholars of Latin America have accomplished great feats in documenting the history of immigration in the region and linking it to the wider historiography of global mass migration during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.1 Yet while they have chronicled the migratory process, the formation of immigrant communities, and the construction of New World immigrant identities during the so-called Liberal Era, the development of these newly created communities in the period after 1930 merits further analysis.2 In the realm of politics, for example, scholars are only now beginning to document the way in which immigrant communities both influenced and were influenced by the rise of the populist movements that dominated the political landscape of Latin America for nearly three decades after 1930.3 I seek to expand our understanding of this issue by considering how the Jewish community of Argentina responded to the rise of populism under Juan D. Perón between 1946 and 1955.The election of Juan Perón in February 1946 forever changed the balance of Argentine political and social life. Campaigning on a platform of social justice, political sovereignty, and economic independence, Perón defied the traditional liberal-based political system that had dominated Argentina since the 1860s and mobilized millions of new social actors in support of a populist national vision. Yet, while scholars have devoted a considerable amount of attention to his relationship with organized labor, the Catholic Church, the military, women, and even students, far less consideration has been given to the impact of Peronism on the country’s numerous immigrant and ethnic communities.4 In fact, Peronist corporatism extended to virtually all sectors of Argentine society, and there is evidence to suggest that the regime attempted to mobilize immigrant communities just as it did other prominent social groupings.5 As one of Argentina’s largest and most distinctive ethnic minorities, the country’s three hundred thousand Jews were especially noteworthy in this regard.6 In particular, Perón sought to attract Jewish support for his “New Argentina” in order to improve his tarnished international reputation as a Nazi-fascist sympathizer and as part of his larger effort to create an image of what Mariano Plotkin has termed a “passive consensus” in the country.7 As such, the rise of Perón and his populist political movement represented a great challenge to established forms of Jewish ethnic and political identity in the country, ultimately precipitating an intense struggle to speak for the community and represent it at the national level, between three rival organizations: the Delegación de Asociaciones Isra-elitas Argentinas, the Organización Israelita Argentina, and the Instituto Judío Argentino de Cultura e Información.Prior to Perón’s rise to power, the Jewish community had remained somewhat ambiguous with regard to Argentine national politics. Although individual Jews had become prominent members of the country’s Radical, Socialist, and Communist parties, the community as a whole had remained relatively divided and detached from the surrounding political system. In fact, it was only in 1935 that community leaders were able to come together to form any type of political representation at the national level, in the form of the Delegación de Asociacio-nes Israelitas Argentinas (DAIA). Originally founded to combat the rising tide of anti-Semitism both at home and abroad during the 1930s, this federation of 33 institutions served to represent the community as well, owing to the broad composition of its membership, which included organizations from across the social, political, and cultural spectrum.8 In its dealings with the state, however, the DAIA generally limited its voice to matters of direct Jewish concern (such as the protection of Jewish institutions, religious practices, or public use of the Yiddish language) and avoided becoming too politicized within Argentine partisan politics. “The Jewish collective as such,” read one DAIA declaration, “and the DAIA as its representation, has not and does not participate in questions of Argentine politics, which it understands to be incumbent upon each individual in their condition as Argentine citizens.”9Perón’s rise to power profoundly challenged this ideal. For Perón not only appealed to Jews as individuals, as his more liberal predecessors had done, he also sought to mobilize them as a as he did with the organized the military, or the Catholic In the of of a prominent community “The of Perón a of the community in the political For the in Argentina’s political a political our Perón also sought to upon the as a of support from a members remained of his and of this a for the the national to to Perón’s new and more for a of and the DAIA on both the Peronist and the Peronist DAIA leaders that the Peronist regime more its predecessors in for political of and of national Perón the community to of its from public of his and religious to on of the and the Peronist DAIA leaders did not far in these a of Jews to the Peronist movement created their political in February as a direct challenge to the DAIA and its as the Perón’s this Organización Israelita Argentina sought to with the on matters of Jewish concern and Peronism within the community more the a of more liberal leaders in the community also together in to create the Instituto Judío Argentino de Cultura e by the of the in the the of the both the DAIA and the and the Jewish community to more with the traditional political of the from any public with Peronist what was to the of Jewish in the is the relationship between these three institutions to represent the larger Jewish community that I in this have the of the Peronist and its to the Jewish they have also to the of the DAIA and the I seek to this by the of the as just one of several Jewish to it that Perón attempted to the Jewish community as he did with other his movement a challenge to established forms of and one that was not or In fact, the between Jewish institutions and Perón’s and a period of within the to a of new of political as has “The for in the of their under populist of immigrant and ethnic communities new for their collective identities the new all I that the Jewish to Peronism was dominated by a between an of Argentine national and an of Jewish In this the of Jewish political has that Jewish political has on three the the community and the Jewish as a whole In the realm of politics, Perón’s and by its a of Jewish political and liberal of the de or had collective Jewish in national politics. Jewish leaders now to to the Peronist as a this of collective Jewish political to the established of and individual political it in to the political to the rise of political the and the the in the of Jewish politics, both the of and the of the also profoundly influenced and with the of the and For just as Perón was the Argentine political with his and populist political an was the of international Jewish by Perón’s in with the of the World and the struggle for Jewish national in In the of the and the of the of in the of World Jewish from the traditional of the Jewish and the of the In Argentina, this in the of most of the social and institutions by political or their in the World and by a of support for more generally in the community at a Peronism within the Jewish community were from the larger Jewish political and the were together in an In fact, it was this of in the even more the rise of Peronism in the that the and the political of Jews in Argentina during the from 1946 to that only an that appealed to the of the of Argentine Jews the of support and to as their voice at the national was the challenge that the three of Argentine after to a for political in the national that be with the identity that dominated the realm of Jewish politics. I the DAIA was able to the by the and the and as the Jewish by it was able to this populism a within the Jewish community its within Argentine national politics. Although several prominent Jews had become leaders within the country’s political the community as a whole and its institutions had a of with regard to national political this had under the liberal to it now a from Perón and his of the and his liberal Perón appealed to the Jews as a as a the community was to as a collective and to its on the national political this in a of Jews together in February to form the Organización Israelita Argentina, an Peronist political that to for Perón Argentina’s Jewish community and represent that community as a whole the Although its are it the was by a Jewish Peronist served as of the during Perón’s to a of the World Jewish there had been to create a Jewish Peronist in the of these had to of support within the with Perón in power, this effort was with the of to Perón that there were Jews Although there is of its membership, an early in the on February as of the new with other members its of to one of the the of these early members were and with between them other that all were of the was Jews of all cultural and religious Perón and their to as a as other social had In they the of in the “New Argentina” and from the In they that Peronism Jews less a to and in Argentine In their to the Jewish on February in the Yiddish they are with the regime the Jews have to the of Argentina with their and and now has our support the of the Argentine and with it that our be able to the on of the of the and in our In they a on the part of which to a of Jewish had in Argentina after in the leaders of the new upon to with the which for the of Argentine with the national as a of the Perón’s to the Jewish community as a political to be mobilized in support of the regime and the Peronist movement more In a of and under the of the between and Perón his owing to his public of and in the country, Jews participate as a community in Peronist politics. In of for example, he a of that is for the Jewish collective to that in this it has the as all other Argentine it participate in the economic in the political and in the social with the and the as all other In he his the Jewish and in the political for a Jewish representation in the national under the of the Peronist in to a of leaders his in Perón that is able to in our for during the have and for the community to within our political I that one of the that the collective is to participate in Argentine Perón to this the of the was also on numerous In fact, it that Perón to use the as a direct with the Jewish as he the largest of the as his with organized this he to the to his of the Jewish community his to the of in February in the of a in to this Perón even the of in in our of a that that in this are not the of this to the of the the of its our the to our be more as that and within the community on in and in both Juan Perón and their New to the Jewish community of the Organización Israelita the DAIA as he had in for its to Jewish of the of the Peronist the of the national the a of and upon Jews to for the of the Peronist in order to the of the and in order to to the Jews the and they to the for the new national in the Jews to the of the its in even a to the Jewish community in of the to the of he his the Jewish community which has with the of the in order to one of of even more was the of the within the Jewish community leaders sought to the support of the Jewish by in order to as its In the process, they to within Jewish institutions and to the of the of this was by for the Jewish community in of the most of these was on at the of in of Argentina’s of the of the of nearly of all the Jewish leaders of the the of the and even the of Argentina’s Jewish Israelita de by the was to DAIA leaders to the Perón’s of the Jewish in February for example, a of the to Perón for his were however, that the was for other matters and were to the of the after for several of the Jewish in to his that DAIA were in any of the of this served to a of within the DAIA and to its as the established political representation of the larger Jewish the political from members of the what one as of since the has the power to to seek the and the of in In one of their the of the even their in to three for the construction of a new in the of under the of the Perón they a of the of all the Jewish institutions in the to and a for the to the of the Yiddish the of the a all of Argentine in the Israelita further that the were to be only on a the of the World Jewish in and a community that the was more a of the to community three to a with the of the as under a he to his in New “and it be that the Jews of Argentina are and not any to the DAIA by the of however, the leaders of the to their they did not the DAIA to several of the most institutions that the DAIA In for example, the organized for Perón and as as three thousand to in Yet, of and the DAIA on the as it had on past the now the of the Israelita Argentina to the as the of represented the social and of the country’s Jewish community and its largest by was also the largest of the and by the support of its the a to the of its on the together with to a public with this to his as was with each of the and in of the to a by of the has it that was not to the and that he to an an had the of the DAIA in the of the larger he with of was that the DAIA was the also sought to on Perón’s with the of after as a of its within the As Jewish identity during this was to the national in and the was not of this As early as the that the of be in order to create the Jewish In Perón his to to the new Jewish on February he to in the of an by Perón to the new was other a of from the Argentine to his with the of in Perón to be Argentina’s the of he that the as the between the Peronist regime and the of in to as his of with the Jewish the as to an in which Perón his for the of to a of from great part of the Jewish In and in to Argentina for extended to for the Peronist in the it was the of in which the DAIA and were all of these the remained within the Jewish community as a whole during Perón’s in the to the in did not to for the to the of the did for political any for for Perón at the did only as an individual and not in his as Perón the and to in the on the Peronist he was by a he which included the Jewish of was the only in the in which Perón to the that and from the and the were not to the of the Jewish for were they to support within the community by linking the to far from the of the Peronist state, it that the of Argentine Jews to from organized in Argentina in their between and As a while the did in to as the between the community and the the of Perón in it in in the or as its however, was not the only to represent the Jewish community during this In of the Jewish to his in the the of new the Instituto Judío Argentino de Cultura e under the of the the as that the of the and a from the of the to a from the to the of the its was to a in of for all of the and between the Jewish community and that of other and in of In the sought to public of the of to Jewish the surrounding society, and to and the new of had its in an within the in which a by the Jewish had the in international Jewish and especially its of for in that that DAIA did not in their all the sectors of the the established a the Organización Argentina in with the of for Jewish the to the DAIA as a of the larger community to a more of the from the was in and the from the political the that had the and by early the members of the to the as a direct challenge to the of the and the its support from noteworthy liberal Jewish institutions as the Argentine of the and the Argentina, the represented a of Jews the social and cultural this one not from the of Jews in they form a social which to and is and as an them as further that of Jews that to the in the it that the does not In to its most members included a of had served as the of Argentina’s and an and of the all the leaders of the an of Jewish political in Argentina in with the liberal of the Jews in Argentina not only participate in as individuals, the community also to the of a and in the that In with the sought to the Jewish public political the traditional to was of both the the DAIA for their to the of the larger community to from the to there was concern in the community that the come to the Jews as Peronist this the a of the Peronist any with the that which was there is evidence to suggest that the leaders of the to with the in Argentina the as a of the community and for from the be had the of the as an to In a has as a of our with and In the of public the Instituto has become one of the most of attention also with it In from he that of the had been the and had even the of the for a of the and their was also and was to to of for his In was also on of owing to his in a with Perón’s Juan it is not the had a political in his this was the since a a he was by the to political were as this ultimately most of the public As a the remained in its to represent the Jewish community as a whole or to the community with the of the from the the DAIA the as an in the realm of politics, one the did not any from the As early as for example, the to issue a of the in the Jewish in Israelita on the that of for is not for the of the that the community for collective the which served as representation of the the a for the community of its to from that by be in the our that the Instituto Judío Argentino de Cultura e not only has in the in which it was is In a to the on the leaders of the DAIA “The for which this has been with that were to the as the of the this the DAIA was also by the World Jewish an international Jewish that with the of its the in to leaders were to a great of effort in of the new In and the of the with the DAIA in an effort to a of the in the Jewish in even attempted to a to the of the that has been on are he the Instituto Judío far from a of new to the with the by the DAIA on the was to become more the leaders of the a public to the DAIA in the of their and that Instituto to be the representation of the does it to any does it to in the of any of was not to the composition of the DAIA as an of institutions, the in which institutions that the as and the also their in the these institutions had been the members of the they not be from the the not only an to the an one as was in of the their of in the and were by a of just Although the was to the that members of the had to their and not to its as such, the election represented a for the and established it as a in has been on the a for the World Jewish “and the Jewish are the and the between the organizations to a on the of the that the had an during its on to a new with one the of and the other to the incumbent it was to the for at one in an effort to and a the however, his in the by an with other in an effort to DAIA leaders with from both the and the it that was not to one the other in order to the of the and in the of a was between and the as of the while members of the be to its had the DAIA from an by the while the a voice in DAIA to the in New have now to of our the of the and in this what is in of its political the was the community at it remained an to its from early the of just it remained on the Jewish for of its of by the to its its to the a that an and Jewish of also had a on public this in an from the was able to by that Jewish public in is not influenced by the and is of their for their it that the of the not in its as such, in the political it within the in of the DAIA to the of the within the Jewish community and remained as the of the World Jewish Argentina in he any Jewish or in this that does not the DAIA as the Jewish for this was that the the and the only the in the within the the Jewish political and avoided too to the larger political the DAIA was able to the balance between and that the community to as an within the larger Argentine society, while at the its Argentine from the and the the DAIA its of the that it was able to to the of its by to to the and the of that the with the of at the of the during the and of with Peronist several even far as to the Peronist he to an by in which he to the in an effort to improve Argentina’s public with the Jewish community and the to a from in is to to from Jewish leaders and Jewish organizations in the to a in public Perón’s and that he with and that Argentina is a for Jews it was under the Although the was his to the regime by that the DAIA be to improve Argentina’s international As a he to the of the even as the the as his with the In this relationship was a of the World Jewish in Perón his to that Jews abroad with regard to the Argentine in the DAIA even far as to the of a in in Perón’s and to a of the most noteworthy the Jewish Perón it was within the of Jewish that the DAIA In this was the DAIA at its most level, an to the of a Jewish in represented a in is “The one more and in the Jewish in Argentina organizations in America or As early as of Jews had in to their support for a Jewish the of on a of in the to in the of the of Argentina’s of independence, de the of and the de to his to Perón on in a as was for an the was by the that of Jews had all the with and to the of a great part of these to be by a of political and the In to an within Jewish institutions as well, political and their the of social and organizations from Jewish and cultural to the DAIA an in this both as an between Argentine and its in other and as an of in Argentina For example, even as the of the political of the DAIA in early the DAIA with a that the Argentine at of the to in of the of the of the state, it was the DAIA that its new of all the Jews in at the great in the it was DAIA in the of Argentine the that the Argentine be the Latin to the new Jewish the of of the DAIA further its the of the community and Jews to the of the this the DAIA to on of the of the DAIA the to the international Jewish political of the the of Communist Jews and the of in with the and of Communist members in of them of Jewish were of as for an international to the of the wider Communist other the included the of Jewish and even the Jewish communities of In the DAIA a to the Jewish that its as the for the the of the Jewish community in the the document DAIA has with the in the the and the of “The it is with and as an part of a of the of Argentina with all the of its the of by anti-Semitism and and that the of an in does not have to be by a in of the movement to a within the community and the DAIA to Jewish institutions that to the more however, it also the and Perón to by a in support of and Communist the DAIA was not in the of or it new for its as the its in the of Jewish politics, the to its direct with and the to its with the Jewish not the DAIA was able to its as the of the community by in of from both the Peronist and the three only the DAIA a that the between the realm of Argentine and the realm of Jewish that political and As one in “The DAIA had other or the of the this the DAIA the one the DAIA was able to in national political the of the to the by its to the regime and its to the Peronist the the DAIA also remained to the that and the political of the of Argentina’s Jews within the community and its the have a challenge to the DAIA in the national political realm to its Jews remained of its in the of Jewish politics, to its with the Jewish As for the the that it from the Argentine it was able to the of Argentine Jews its of political under the Peronist and to the political of the Jewish community as from larger of the Peronist from the Peronist between 1946 and served to the and established it as the of the larger Jewish community in which it to the attention to the of populism in the of ethnic and identity in Latin America and the for to the Jewish in Argentina was or was by other ethnic communities during this

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