Introduction - American Jewish Archives

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Introduction Exactly ten years ago, while a candidate for the Ph.D. at a Big Ten Uni- versity, I met my newly assigned academic adviser and announced my desire to write my thesis on the history of Latin American Jewry. Pro- fessor Smith looked quizzically at me and asked, "Why don't you write a history of the Smith family?" My adviser was not alone in this reaction. A senior Latin Ameri- canist to whom I next turned confided that, in his forty-year career, he had seen no scholarly work on the Jews of Latin America. Fortunately, he had a large enough vision to grasp the importance of the topic, and encouraged me to go ahead. Seeking to join two disparate fields of knowledge, I next addressed several scholars engaged in Jewish studies. But none knew much about contemporary Latin America. This ignorance seemed all the more odd since medieval Spain and the In- quisition-prelude to the history of contemporary Latin American Jewish communities-have attracted continuing scholarly interest on the part of Jews and non-Jews throughout the centuries. How to explain why writers of Jewish history have overlooked the Latin American branch of the diaspora? How to explain the complete silence concerning Jews which characterizes Latin American studies? These dual questions intrigued me then and intrigue me now. They provided the impetus for my own career and contributed to the emer- gence of a new scholarly subject, Latin American Jewish studies, of which this edition of American Jewish Archives is the latest manifesta- tion. Not surprisingly, Latin American Jewish studies is at this date ill-de- fined, still struggling for recognition within the older cognate fields of Latin American studies and Jewish studies. It draws upon history, eco- nomics, sociology, anthropology, geography, languages, and litera- ture. It embraces the twenty-one Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking republics, with the necessary addition of Curaqao, the former Dutch possession which was the cradle of the Sephardic community in the New World. It concerns itself with Sephardim and Ashkenazim, speakers of Ladino and Arabic, Yiddish, Rumanian, Polish, Russian, German, French-in addition to the more traditional languages for the
I34 American Jewish Archives study of Latin America, Spanish and Portuguese. It encompasses a pe- riod of close to five hundred years, starting with Isabella of Spain's decree of 1501, in which she instructed the governor of Hispaniola to prohibit Jews, Moors, heretics, New Christians, and persons penanced by the Inquisition, as well as their children or grandchildren, from settling in the Indies. The date most commonly assigned to the beginning of the Jewish experience in Latin America is 1492, for one or two conversos may have sailed with Columbus. But 1501 is a far more significant date, for the queen's decree, unlike the identity and purpose of those converso sailors, was clear and unambiguous. It es- tablished beyond doubt that the limits to the Jewish experience were to be set by others-rulers and representatives of a dominant society that was hostile to Jews. It immediately raises hydra-headed questions: To what extent was this hostility ameliorated by political inde- pendence? By the different historical paths the republics took when they tore loose from Spain? By aggiorniamento within the Catholic Church? It forces us to ask to what degree Jews continue to live in Lat- in America on sufferance, and to what extent they have become ac- cepted as citizens-recognizing that the answers will vary for different precincts of the continent. These are all questions to which Latin American Jewish scholars in increasing numbers are turning their at- tention. The extraordinary reach of Latin American Jewish studies, the wide range of disciplines and languages with which scholars are working, imparts excitement to the field. Some of this variety may be sampled in the present issue of American Jewish Archives. Stanley M. Hordes ad- dresses the problems of interpretation which study of the Inquisition raises for historians, most of whom are partisans of one legend or an- other: the Black Legend (Spaniards most cruelly obliterated both dis- sent and dissenters) and the White Legend (Spaniards were no more cruel than their contemporaries, but they were unlucky enough to have their enemies write their history). Some Catholic historians have viewed the Inquisition as the protector of society from immoral for- eign elements and ideologies; Jewish historians have written as though the Inquisition had no other function than to torment judaizers. Nei- ther group has grasped the entire truth, Hordes argues, which will re- main obscure so long as we cling to legends instead of studying objective reality.
Page 2 and 3: Volume XXXIV November, 1982 Number
Page 4 and 5: Contents I33 Introduction Judith La
Page 8 and 9: Introduction I3 5 The bizarre adven
Page 10 and 11: Introduction 137 and offering to ho
Page 12 and 13: Historiographical Problems I39 been
Page 14 and 15: Historiographical Problems 141 pear
Page 16 and 17: Historiographical Problems I43 judg
Page 18 and 19: Historiographical Problems 14 5 ica
Page 20 and 21: Historiographical Problems 147 the
Page 22 and 23: Historiographical Problems I49 and
Page 24 and 25: 11. Ibid., pp. 42-47. 12. Liebman,
Page 26 and 27: Jose Diaz Pirnienta: Rogue Priest J
Page 28 and 29: Rogue Priest ISS ferred to a conven
Page 30 and 31: Rogue Priest IS7 graven images in t
Page 32 and 33: Rogue Priest I59 idea whether the p
Page 34 and 35: Rogue Priest I 61 When Pimienta app
Page 36 and 37: Rogue Priest I 63 thor of The Jews
Page 38 and 39: Search for Identity 165 contemporar
Page 40 and 41: Search for Identity 167 important,
Page 42 and 43: Search for Identity 169 viewed by t
Page 44 and 45: Search for Identity 171 Almost from
Page 46 and 47: Search for Identity 173 As portraye
Page 48 and 49: Search for Identity 175 questions h
Page 50 and 51: Search for Identity 177 Encyclopedi
Page 52 and 53: White Slavery Writings Albert Londr
Page 54 and 55: White Slavery Writings I 8 I agains
Page 56 and 57:
White Slavery Writings 183 prostitu
Page 58 and 59:
White Slavery Writings 185 their wo
Page 60 and 61:
White Slavery Writings 187 microsco
Page 62 and 63:
White Slavery Writings 30. Szichman
Page 64 and 65:
Early Zionist Activities 191 number
Page 66 and 67:
Early Zionist Activities I93 came i
Page 68 and 69:
Early Zionist Activities 19 5 gram
Page 70 and 71:
Early Zionist Activities I97 sponde
Page 72 and 73:
Early Zionist Activities I99 smalle
Page 74 and 75:
Early Zionist Activities 20 I Djaen
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Early Zionist Activities 203 come t
Page 78 and 79:
Early Zionist Activities 20.5 3 I.
Page 80 and 81:
Just Passing Through his exile spir
Page 82 and 83:
Just Passing Through It shares othe
Page 84 and 85:
Just Passing Through 21 I passing a
Page 86 and 87:
Just Passing Through until they saw
Page 88 and 89:
Just Passing Through 21 5 that hero
Page 90 and 91:
Aspects of Intermarriage 217 mous J
Page 92 and 93:
Aspects of Intermarriage Table I: S
Page 94 and 95:
Marriage Cateaorv Aspects of Interm
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Aspects of intermarriage 223 Paulo
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Aspects of lntermarriage 225 Table
Page 100 and 101:
Aspects of Intermarriage 227 points
Page 102 and 103:
Aspects of Intermarriage 229 Conclu
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A Demographic Profile of Latin Amer
Page 106 and 107:
A Demographic Profile Table I: Esti
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A Demographic Profile 23 5 ted by S
Page 110 and 111:
A Demographic Profile 23 7 Birth ra
Page 112 and 113:
A Demographic Profile 23 9 crease,
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A Demographic Profile 241 males and
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A Demographic Profile 24 3 encing a
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A Demographic Profile 24 5 during t
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A Demographic Profile 247 born. Thu
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Book Reviews Murphy, Bruce Allen. T
Page 124 and 125:
Book Reviews 251 But how can Murphy
Page 126 and 127:
Book Reviews 25 3 Kalechofsky, Robe
Page 128 and 129:
Book Reviews 25 5 as official separ
Page 130 and 131:
Book Reviews 257 long, unbroken par
Page 132 and 133:
Brief Notices Best, Gary Dean. To F
Page 134 and 135:
Brief Notices 261 Rabbi Plaut's aut
Page 136 and 137:
Abolitionism, 123 Abrahams, Lionel,
Page 138 and 139:
Bene Kedem (Argentina), 191, 198, 1
Page 140 and 141:
Congregation B'nai Israel (Davenpor
Page 142 and 143:
Federal Theatre (WPA), 29 Federatio
Page 144 and 145:
Hirsch, Maurice De, I 16 Hirsch, Sa
Page 146 and 147:
Jewish identity, 160, 164-165, 17-1
Page 148 and 149:
Luz, La (Buenos Aires), 197 Luzzatt
Page 150 and 151:
Oral history, 132 Order of St. Greg
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Rodgers, Richard, 5, 7, 17, 21, 25,
Page 154 and 155:
Syrian Jews, 193, 194, 196, 198, 19
Page 156:
influence on popular music, 5, 7, 3
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Introduction - American Jewish Archives

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