A bit of History
The first Jews arrived in our lands under hidden identities in the 16th century, fleeing the Inquisition from Spain and Portugal. Their massive arrival took place towards the end of the 19th century, in the context of the great immigration, with the landing of numerous groups from the Tsarist Russian Empire. Historians mark 1889 as the beginning of organized Jewish immigration to Argentina. In that year, 120 families, some 820 Russian Jews, arrived in Buenos Aires aboard the German steamship Wesser, escaping Tsarist persecution. The following year, the first Jewish colony in Argentina, Moisesville, was founded in the province of Santa Fe. Moisesville was followed by several other agricultural colonies throughout the country located mostly in the provinces of Entre Ríos and Buenos Aires. It was with the second generation of Jewish settlers that urban migration to the country's major cities began, primarily attracted by better educational opportunities for their children. At the beginning of the 20th century, the total Jewish population in Argentina was estimated at around 110,000.
Immigration had been promoted by Argentine governments since the mid-19th century. At the same time, social conflicts began to emerge in the early 20th century, affecting immigrant communities. By then, Jewish immigrants were already organized, and many were accused of being linked to revolutionary movements. In January 1919 took place a pogrom in Buenos Aires the first violent anti-Semitic demonstration in Argentina´s History, within the context of the “Tragic Week”
Following a global trend, in the 1930s Argentina began restricting immigration, arguing that it was protecting the employment of national labor, while in Europe, Hitler's expansionist policies and the beginning of World War II forced thousands of people to flee. At that time, Jewish organizations mobilized to facilitate refugees' entry into the country. Despite the restrictive and discriminatory immigration policies maintained during World War II, Jewish refugees continued to arrive in the country legally or indirectly through neighboring countries. Argentina received the largest number of Jewish refugees in the region during the Holocaust and the postwar period. Many chose to stay, chose our country as a place to rebuild their lives, and even today we hear them speak with gratitude of what this country was able to offer them.
At the end of World War II some Nazi war criminals and members of collaborationist governments sought refuge in American countries, including Argentina.
History has ensured that the Holocaust and the postwar period are not events foreign to Argentine society; on the contrary, they have generated greater involvement and sensitivity towards these events.
Argentina´s commitment to the History and Remembrance of the Holocaust
Probably linked to its history as a country of immigration forged by the contributions of diverse migrant communities, for Argentina Holocaust education and memory, and the fight against all forms of discrimination, including antisemitism, are priority issues. These are intertwined with a commitment to peace and the promotion of human rights within a framework of freedom and equality for all inhabitants.
Therefore, Argentina embraces the priorities of IHRA and places special value on memory. We have learned from the lessons of our own history that memory is the bridge between the past, present, and future; that remembering also means accepting the events of the past as they happened, without distortion, and transmitting them to new generations to prevent future atrocities in the world.
Expanding the frontiers of Remembrance
The vision of the Argentine Presidency has as its central focus expanding Holocaust memory as a way to raise awareness about the consequences of indifference and ignorance. The Holocaust was made possible by the actions of many, but also by the indifference of others.
In this context, the Argentine Presidency will seek to promote greater knowledge about its own History in relation to the Holocaust and to encourage other Latin American countries to do the same. Latin America was a geographically distant region, but not untouched by the Second World War and the Holocaust. While the interests and urgent needs of our countries in the southern part of the American continent have differed from those of European countries, the region was part of the postwar international landscape.
Latin America was subjected to much external pressure during the war. In most of our societies, pro-Nazi and anti-Nazi sentiments coexisted. The Argentine Presidency intends to shed light on this shared past.
At the same time, during the Argentine Presidency, we will strive to bring the work of IHRA closer to the countries of the region, reinforcing the idea that the Holocaust agenda has a global nature, linked especially to the promotion and protection of human rights, and is not limited to the European countries where the Holocaust took place. The motto of the Argentine Presidency, “Expanding the Frontiers of Remembrance”, emphasizes precisely this vision.
In this task, we feel supported by the testimony of thousands of survivors who chose our countries to rebuild their lives and who taught us with their examples of resilience and hope. The idea of expanding the frontiers of remembrance is also a recognition of their legacy.
Along with the idea of deepening the knowledge of the history related to the Holocaust in our countries, we consider it essential to protect the data that underpins that history. From the 1990s to the present, Argentina has been declassifying all archives related to the Holocaust and the Second World War. The Argentine Presidency intends to protect and facilitate access to these archives, beginning with those held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, and with the aim of extending this initiative to documents held in other institutions. Argentina has experience in protecting and opening archives related to its own democratic history, and we will put that experience to use for the documentation related to the Holocaust.
The importance of Education
Another key aspect of the Argentine Presidency's vision is linked to education and research on the Holocaust and on the Roma Genocide, as a way to prevent and counteract the growing trends of Holocaust denial and distortion, as well as antisemitism, and to prepare present and future generations to address the misuse of new technologies.
Persecution and Genocide of Roma/Gypsies during Nazism.
Following the priorities of the IHRA, we are working with Roma/Gypsy community organizations living in our country.
These are communities of Romani, Ludar, and Calo origin who arrived from the second half of the 18th century onward, and most of them before the Holocaust.
It is important to work with them to deepen our understanding of the persecution and genocide suffered in Europe under Nazism, with the aim of improving their current situation and preventing them from being subjected to discrimination and negative prejudices based on this history, which many are unaware of.
Tenth Anniversary of the IHRA definition of Antisemitism
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. From Argentina's perspective, the definition has become a crucial tool for identifying instances of antisemitism. The Argentine Presidency aims to recognize the work of IHRA experts and reaffirm the importance of the definition, especially in a context of rising antisemitism and Holocaust distortion worldwide.
The Way Forward. Challenges
The challenges we face are many. We are particularly concerned about the unprecedented increase in antisemitism globally in recent years, the difficulties in reversing this trend, and the attempts to politicize the agenda. From the Argentine Presidency, we hope to achieve consensus among all Members to deepen the work of experts in the fight against antisemitism. We believe that at this historical moment the Alliance is one of the few organizations, if not the only one, that is in a position to make concrete contributions to support the efforts of states and organizations in the fight against antisemitism in different environments.
At the same time, the Argentine Presidency will mark the beginning of the design of the Alliance's new strategy. In this context, we are interested in promoting the expansion of the Alliance's membership. We hope to achieve consensus among all so that more countries embrace the legacy of the Alliance's founders and commit to making efforts to continue the memory of the Holocaust and the fight against antisemitism.
The Argentine Presidency hopes to be a link of continuity in the Alliance's global agenda while also making a difference regionally.
To this end, we intend to continue working alongside IHRA members, partner organizations, and civil society organizations with the aim of eliminating all forms of discrimination and racism in our societies and strengthening Holocaust education and remembrance, as well as the fight against antisemitism in all its forms.
This vision will be implemented in conjunction with the main Jewish community organizations in Argentina, gathered in the IHRA Local Chapter. We count on them to keep these issues on the national agenda.
In developing this vision, we will rely on an agenda of shared values, and we look forward to the collaboration of the entire IHRA family.