An anti-fascist struggle conditioned by ethnic concerns
Jewish self-defense groups in 1960s South America
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5674552 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Raanan Rein (0000-0002-0249-6084, Tel Aviv University) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 453-470 |
| Publication date | 2023-09-02 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies / Revue canadienne des études latino-américaines et caraïbes (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0826-3663 • E-ISSN: 2333-1461 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/08263663.2023.2223878 |
| OpenAlex | W4385065485 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
Following the kidnapping of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires in May 1960 and the antisemitic wave it provoked in South America throughout the 1960s, Jewish-Argentines, Jewish-Uruguayans and Jewish-Chileans organized themselves into armed self-defense groups and trained in response to growing xenophobia and racism. This little-researched history highlights the efforts of Jewish youth to break away from communal political traditions. They defied the practice of their parents and grandparents who preferred peaceful compromise over direct confrontation with either state officials or extreme right-wing organizations. These Jewish youngsters defined organizations like the Argentine Tacuara or Juventud Uruguaya de Pie as neo-Nazi. They took as a role model the ghetto fighters and the partisans of World War II and were now prepared to resort to violence in their struggle against antisemitism. Based on an oral history project, the article describes how they not only guarded community institutions but also attacked nationalist bullies, printing houses of antisemitic literature and Arab diplomatic legations. However, as this article argues, they did not collaborate with leftist anti-fascist groups, since they were also concerned in promoting Zionism and immigration to Israel.RESUMENluego del secuestro del criminal de guerra nazi Adolf Eichmann en Buenos Aires en mayo de 1960 y de la ola antisemita que provocó en Sudamérica a lo largo de la década de 1960, argentinos, uruguayos y chilenos de origen judío se organizaron y entrenaron en grupos armados de auto-defensa en respuesta a la creciente xenofobia y racismo. Esta historia, escasamente explorada, ilumina los esfuerzos de la juventud judía por romper con las tradiciones políticas comunitarias. Estos jóvenes judíos desafiaron la práctica de sus padres y abuelos, quienes preferían compromisos pacíficos en lugar de la confrontación directa tanto con los agentes del estado como con las organizaciones de extrema derecha. Definieron como neo-nazis a organizaciones como Tacuara en Argentina o la Juventud Uruguaya de Pie. Eligieron como modelo a los combatientes del gueto y los partisanos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, y se prepararon ahora para recurrir a la violencia en su lucha contra el antisemitismo. Este artículo, basado en un proyecto de historia oral, describe la manera en que estos jóvenes no sólo protegieron las instituciones de la comunidad sino también atacaron a matones nacionalistas, casas editoriales que publicaban literatura antisemita y delegaciones diplomáticas árabes. El artículo también muestra que, desafortunadamente, estos grupos no colaboraron con grupos antifascistas de izquierda, debido a su preocupación por promover el Sionisimo y la inmigración a Israel.KEYWORDS: JewsArgentinaUruguayChileself-defenseantisemitismneo-NazisPALABRAS CLAVES: judíosArgentinaChileUruguayauto-defensaantisemitismoneo-nazis Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationNotes on contributorsRaanan ReinRaanan Rein is the Elías Sourasky Professor of Latin American and Spanish History at Tel Aviv University. He is the author of numerous books, including Jewish Self Defense in South America: Facing Anti-Semitism with a Club in Hand (2023); Populism and Ethnicity: Peronism and the Jews of Argentina (2020); and Fútbol, Jews, and the Making of Argentina (2015
Antisemitism · Judaism · Nationalism · Nazi Germany · Nazism · Persecution · Political science · Politics · Racism · Sociology · The Holocaust · Xenophobia · Zionism · Italian Fascism and Post-war Society · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Jewish Identity and Society · History · Law · Philosophy · Religious Studies
| Highly cited | No |
|---|