List of Latin American Jews
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| List of Jews by country |
| Europe |
| Eastern Europe | North Europe |
| South-East Europe |
| West Europe |
| Americas |
| Latin America | Caribbean |
| Canada | United States |
| Rest of World |
| Oceania | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Arab World | Asia | Israel* |
| (*most are Jewish) |
Jewish immigration to Latin America began with seven sailors arriving in Christopher Columbus's crew. Since then, the Jewish population of Latin America has risen to more than 500,000 — more than half of whom live in Argentina, with large communities also present in Brazil and Mexico. Among the numerous organizations that nucleate Latin American Jews, the Jewish Culture Fund for Latin America (www.jewishculturela.org)is the most visible and the central organ for Jewish outreach. Here is a list of some prominent Latin American Jews, arranged by country of origin.
[edit] Argentina
[edit] Brazil
[edit] Chile
[edit] Colombia
- Jorge Isaacs, Poet and novelist
- Ernesto Cortisoz, Founder of the commercial aviation.
- Moisés Wasserman Lerner, (Dr.), Chemist, rector at National University of Colombia
- Simon Brainsky (Dr.), Former president of the Colombian Psychiatrical Society
- Isaac Nessim, news anchor
- Marco Schwartz, writer
- Azriel Bibliowicz, writer
- Antonio Ungar, writer
- Daniel Coronell, journalist
- Feliza Bursztyn, plastic artist
- Germán Efromovich, Aviation entrepreneur (not Colombian).
- Leo Katz, entrepreneur, restaurateur.
- Harry Sasson, Restauranteur
[edit] Cuba
- Ruth Behar, writer
- Fabio Grobart, Communist Party co-founder
- Olga Guillot, singer
- José Miller, leader of the Cuban Jewish community
- Brett Ratner, film director (Cuban mother)
- Jamie-Lynn Sigler, actress (converted Cuban mother)
[edit] El Salvador
- Juan Lindo, president (1841) (Jewish father)
[edit] Guatemala
- Francisco Goldman, author (Jewish father)
- Alcina Lubitch Domecq, author
- Bernardo Kliksberg, coordinator of the Inter-American Development Bank Initiative on Social Capital, Ethics, and Development; decorated by Guatemala for "eminent services to the country and to the continent"
- Igal Permuth, photographer
- Jaime Permuth, documentary photographer
- Victor Perera, author
- David Unger, author
- Roberto Stein, former Governor of Guatemala
[edit] Honduras
- Juan Lindo, president (1847) (Jewish father)
- Ricardo Maduro, president (2002)
- Salvador Moncada, pharmacologist (Jewish mother)
- Jaime Rosenthal Oliva, Honduran businessman and politician
[edit] Mexico
[edit] Nicaragua
- Herty Lewites, Nicaraguan politician
- Israel Lewites, Sandinista Leader
[edit] Panama
- Eric Arturo Delvalle, president (1987)
- Ricardo Maduro, Honduran president (Panamanian-born)
[edit] Peru
[edit] Puerto Rico
- David Blaine, magician (Jewish mother)
- Sammy Davis, Jr., actor & singer, (convert)
- Ari Meyers, actress (both parents)
- Geraldo Rivera, journalist, (Jewish mother)
- Brenda K. Starr, singer,(Jewish father)
- Rachel Ticotin, actress (Jewish father)
[edit] Uruguay
- Gisele Ben-Dor, conductor
- Jorge Drexler, singer/songwriter (Jewish father, raised Jewish)
- Ricardo Ehrlich, mayor of Montevideo
- Jose Gurvich, painter
- Teresa Porzecanski, writer
- Mauricio Rosencof, writer
- Gabe Saporta, singer/songwriter/bassist of Cobra Starship and Midtown
- Carlos Sherman, writer (Jewish father, Uruguay-born)
- Robert Yabeck, photographer
[edit] Venezuela
- Manuel Blum, computer scientist, Turing Award (1995)
- Andres Levin, keyboardist in Yerba Buena
- Moisés Kaufman, screenwriter, director, founder of NY's Tectonic Theater Project
- Reynaldo Hahn, composer (Jewish father)
- Baruj Benacerraf, immunologist, Nobel prize (1980)
- Teodoro Petkoff, ex-guerrilla, journalist and economist (Jewish mother)
- Ivan Lansberg Henriquez, noted businessman (insurance), university professor and humanist.
- Isaac Chocron, playwright.
- Gonzalo Benaím Pinto, physician.
