Argentina is one of the most amazing countries in South America. It’s famed for its vibrant culture, world-renowned gastronomy and wine industry – and a sheer passion for life! Argentina is also a treasure trove of diverse natural beauty with the rolling grasslands of the Pampas, spectacular Iguazú Falls, glaciers and ski resorts, and almost 5,000 kms of stunning Atlantic coastline.
Argentina also has a rich Jewish heritage going back 500 years and is an increasingly popular Jewish heritage destination for US tourists. A tailored kosher tour of Argentina is an exciting and memorable experience that will take you to the heart of South American Jewish culture. Not only will you receive a warm and friendly welcome, but you’ll have the chance to sample some of the best kosher food in the world. Jewish Argentina is where the tango meets the Torah – and offers the adventure of a lifetime!
A Brief History of Argentina’s Jewish Community
The Jewish story in Argentina began in Spain and Portugal in the early 1500s. The murderous cruelty of the Inquisitions, and the expulsions of the Jews, largely dispersed the Sephardi communities. Most went to Amsterdam, or settled around the Mediterranean, but a few brave Conversos crossed the Atlantic to explore the New World, including Argentina. After the country gained independence from Spain in 1816, the Jewish community really began to prosper and absorbed new waves of immigrants.
Newcomers from Ashkenazi Europe and Russia (known as rusos) began to arrive in large numbers in the 1850s. Some even settled the Pampas and became known as the Jewish Cowboys. The Ashkenazi immigrants were later joined by smaller contingents from Morocco and the decrepit Ottoman Empire.
The modern Jewish community claims 180,000 core members, with another 330,000 self-identifying as Jewish. There are perhaps as many as 80,000 Argentinian Jews living in Israel and Spain. Most Argentinian Jews live in the capital Buenos Aires (with smaller numbers in the cities of Cordoba and Rosario) and the country’s Jews are generally prosperous, secure and self-confident.
Planning the Perfect Kosher Tour Buenos Aires
When you decide to visit Argentina, the first thing to consider is that it’s in the southern hemisphere. That means that summertime in the US is wintertime in Argentina – and vice versa. Argentina is a big country with a varying climate, so your kosher tour company will work with you to choose the perfect month to travel for your individual itinerary.
Any Jewish heritage tour will focus on Buenos Aires, with the possibility of an excursion to the town of Santa Fé (former home of the Jewish gauchos or cowboys). Buenos Aires is a big, beautiful and bustling city with an ocean view and miles of sandy beaches. It’s also a clean, modern and generally quite safe city, with a great choice of luxury accommodation, including kosher hotels.
A customized kosher tour of Buenos Aires can include visits to its most famous synagogues. The Grand Temple of Paso is both beautiful and peaceful, while the older The Templo Libertad is noted for its spectacular Byzantine style architecture. The Syrian community’s Yesod Hadath Synagogue is particularly interesting for American Jews who have a unique opportunity to experience traditional Syrian Jewish style worship.
The garment district is called Once, and like the Villa Crespo, was once a thriving Jewish quarter. Both are still fascinating places to explore with an English speaking guide. There are still some really atmospheric little streets and squares that conjure up an image of how the city might have appeared when the Russian Jews went about their daily lives.
Argentina is generally very safe and welcoming for Jews, but one tragic event in Argentina’s Jewish history was the vicious 1994 AMIA bombing. The AMIA attack came two years after the bombing of the Israeli Embassy which left 29 people dead and 242 injured. The Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (a popular community center) was destroyed when a suicide bomber drove a vanload of explosives up to the building. The bomber murdered 85 people and injured over 300.
Today, there is a beautiful memorial to the dead in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires. The mural commemorates all the bombing victims and the victims of the Holocaust. It’s a sign of Argentina’s progress as a society that Jewish dead are so respectfully commemorated in a national house of Christian worship.
Buenos Aires also has a memorial to Anne Frank. The Centro Ana Frank Museum accurately recreates her Amsterdam hideout and educates a new generation of Argentinian Jews about the Shoah. There is also a separate Holocaust museum that houses a unique collection of photographs by Heinz Jöst taken in a Warsaw ghetto in 1941. A guided tour of Buenos Aires can include special lectures and insights when you visit the museums.
The Kosher Food Experience in Buenos Aires
If you want to try out some kosher snacks or fast food like empanadas or pizza, the restaurants in the old garment district are amazing. Argentinians take food seriously, especially meat. The Argentinian barbecue (parilla or asado) is a national institution and the average Argentinian eats an astonishing 57 kilos of beef a year – usually accompanied by tangy chimichurri sauce. . Kosher steaks are superb and the size and quality surpass even the best American beef. There is also a kosher McDonald’s in Buenos Aires and football fans love to snack on tasty choripanes or hot dogs. These are made with kosher sausages and there is even a Jewish vendor with a stand outside the national stadium!
Apart from diverse Jewish influences, Argentinian kosher food is influenced by Spanish, Italian, French and even British culinary traditions. Jewish restaurants and snack bars offer appetizing kosher versions of dishes like the classic Italian provolone, a whole range of empanadas, and delicious alfajores cookies and tortas fritas for anybody with a sweet tooth.
Make New Friends in Argentina!
One of the best things about planning a kosher tour with a professional Jewish travel company is that they can use their own networks of local contacts to arrange introductions to Argentinian Jews. These can be organized group meetings, synagogue visits and Shabbat activities, or just friendly get togethers over a glass of Argentinian wine. Argentinian Jews tend to be crazy about sports, so if you fancy a trip to a local game, or a chance to visit a sports club, you’ll find welcoming hosts.
Explore Argentina’s Spectacular Natural Beauty
It’s important to strike the right balance between Jewish heritage activities and a chance to experience some of the other amazing things that Argentina has to offer. If you’re a wine drinker, or you’re interested in viniculture, a trip to the rural tranquility of the mendoza vineyards is a must. The US dollar has a lot of spending power in Argentina, and many US guests love to spoil themselves with an enormous kosher steak, grilled over coals, and a couple of glasses of red wine.
Gastronomy aside, Argentina is a big and beautiful country. We already mentioned the Pampas grasslands, which are easily rivaled by the remote Bariloche and El Calafate regions. The national parks and trails are easily on a par with the USA’s best national parks. If you’re a wilderness lover, talk to your tour company about a trip to Patagonia, Argentina’s exciting southern province. It’s a stunning mishmash of temperate rainforests, fjords and deserts. The most popular destinations include the awesome Perito Moreno glacier and the Andes mountain range.
Argentina’s southern tip ends in Tierra Del Fuego, close to the stormy Cape Horn, and is the last stop before the Antarctic. It’s a wild and spectacular place that is full of surprises and natural wonders, including whales, elephant seals and condors. A well planned excursion to Argentina’s remote south, or even a luxury sea cruise, can be a real adventure to complement the Jewish cultural richness of Buenos Aires.
Whatever you’re looking for in Argentina – Jewish history and culture, stunning encounters with nature, or a chance to meet warm and welcoming people with a vibrant culture – Gil Travel will work with you to create the perfect kosher tour itinerary.