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ABSTRACT
By examining reports and discussions among Israeli diplomats from 1982 to 1984, this paper seeks to expand the discourse on Israeli-Latin American-Jewish relations, investigating Israel’s perceptions of Jews’ safety in Argentina during the end of its dictatorship. The analysis deepens the understanding of the experiences and dynamics in Israel’s approaches towards Argentine Jews in contexts of crisis, tracing the development of Israeli views, including difficulties in maintaining relations with the Jewish community during times of political uncertainty. Despite the numerous critical political crises in Argentine and Latin American history, Israeli diplomats’ attempts to cope with Latin American political ambiguity has not received enough attention in Latin American-Jewish studies, especially in terms of the triangle of the Israeli-Latin American-Jewish community. This article proposes to refine these approaches, exploring Israel’s decisions and attitudes in terms of its relations with Latin America and with Jews, not only according to the dichotomy between the politics and ethnicity of the Jewish State.
Note on contributor
Dr Mauricio Dimant is a post-doctoral researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is Coordinator of the Latin American Unit at the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, and Teaching Fellow in the Department of Spanish & Latin American Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 From Dov Shmorak to Gur Arie, Carmi, 30 November 1983, Israel State Archives [ISA] Folio 99, 2016.
2 ISA, Folio 99, 2016.
3 ISA, Folio 99, 2016.
4 Knesset Archives [KA] Nov. 1983, 11.
5 Although not all official documents of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs are declassified, a large amount of material allows a broad examination of the work and understanding of Israeli officials regarding democratization in Argentina, permitting an in-depth analysis of political and institutional views held in Israel on the situation in Argentina, and more specifically, of the country’s Jewish community during this period.
6 In terms of the discourse on Jews in Argentina, see Mualem, “Between a Jewish and an Israeli Foreign Policy”; Rein and Davidi, “Deporte, política y exilio”; Rein and Davidi, “Exile of the World”; Roniger, “Latin American Jews”; Senkman, “The Salvation of Jews”; Sznajder and Roniger, “From Argentina to Israel”; Sznajder and Roniger, “Un extraño sitio de exilio.”
7 This article only explores Israeli views (diplomatic, parliamentary, political) about the situation of Argentine Jews during the end of the dictatorship (1982–1984). It seeks to contribute to the discourse on the Jewish community’s practices and positions during Argentine democratization, an aspect widely examined by different scholars. In both Israel and in Jewish communities, the diaspora is considered part of a triangular relationship that not only affects Israel’s decisions, policies, and diplomatic relations, but also the practices, attitudes, and experiences of these communities, as in Argentina. For example, see Kacowicz, “Triangular Relations.”
8 Regarding the views of Argentine Jews concerning the socio-political stances of the candidates and the military and, on the other hand, the dynamics of their community life and the Israeli government’s attitudes, see for example Caro, “El rabino Marshall Meyer”; Dobry, Los judíos y la dictadura; Herbert, The History of Argentine Jewish Youth; Kahan, “Discursos y representaciones”; Lotersztain, Los judíos bajo el terror; Tarica, “The Holocaust Again?”
9 From Ambassador, Buenos Aires [Ambassador], to Director of Latin America 2 [Director] February 26, 1982, ISA, Folio 271.
10 ISA, Folio 271.
11 From Ambassador to Director, February 26, 1982, ISA, Folio 271.
12 ISA, Folio 264. DAIA (Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas, or the Delegation of Israelite Argentine Associations), is the umbrella organization of Argentina’s Jewish community.
13 Ambassador to Director, March 1, 1982, ISA, Folio 269.
14 ISA, Folio 269.
15 Israeli reports on Argentina during the years of the dictatorship analyzed the press in a special way to determine lines and positions within the government forces.
16 From Ambassador to Director, March 12, 1982, ISA, Folio 259.
17 From Ambassador, Buenos Aires, to Menahem Carmi, Director of Latin America 2, March 15, 1982, ISA, Folio 251.
18 From Ambassador, Buenos Aires, to Menahem Carmi, Director of Latin America 2, May 12, 1982, ISA, Folio 245.
19 ISA, Folio 245.
20 ISA, Folio 245.
21 From Ambassador to Director, July 5, 1982, ISA, Folio 237.
22 ISA, Folio 221.
23 From Ambassadorto Menahem Carmi, Director of Latin America 2, September 16, 1982, ISA, Folio 219.
24 From Director to Ambassador, September 22, 1982, ISA, Folio 200.
25 According to the Israeli embassy, the articles in the press demonstrated the clear policy of the military junta and were not simply the work of journalists. For this reason, the embassy used to send photocopies or transcripts of news articles to exemplify the positions of the Argentine government.
26 From Ambassador to Menahem Carmi, Director of Latin America 2, November 25, 1982, ISA, Folio 191.
27 On 24 February 1983, the military junta decided to call for presidential elections in October of that same year. Furthermore, on April 28, President Bignone signed secret Decree No. 2726/83, which ordered that all existing documentation on the arrests, torture, and murder of the disappeared be destroyed.
28 From Ambassador to Director, May 12, 1983, ISA, Folio 179.
29 From Security Officer, Buenos Aires, to Head of Latin American Unit in the Security Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, May 12, 1983, ISA, Folio 180.
30 From Minister-Counsellor, Buenos Aires, to Latin America Unit 2, June 15, 1983, ISA, Folio 120.
31 The relations between the Jewish Community and Argentine Jews in general, with the Israeli Embassy, and Israel in general during the Junta dictatorship in Argentina (1976–1983), requires a study of its own. However, this article has included some examples of responses and attitudes within the Jewish Community in order to illustrate that the position of the Israeli diplomats effectively put the Ministry at odds with the majority of Argentine society, and thus at odds with most Argentine Jews. This allows us to exemplify their complex relationship and thus, the difficulty the Israeli diplomats had in coping with the context of political uncertainty during the Argentine democratization.
32 Kahan, “Entre la aceptación,” 221.
33 From Ambassador to Director, July 21, 1983, ISA, Report 210, Folio 119.
34 See, for example Rein and Davidi, “Exile of the World”; Kacowicz, “Triangular Relations.”
35 KA Oct. 1983, 10.
36 KA Oct. 1983, 4.
37 KA Oct. 1983, 6.
38 From Shmorak, Buenos Aires, to Carmi, October 3, 1983, ISA, Folio 83.
39 From Ambassador, Buenos Aires, to Director of Latin America Unit 2, October 6, 1983, ISA, Folio 81.
40 From Ambassador to M. Carmi, Director of Latin America 2, October 13, 1983, ISA, Folio 164.
41 From Ambassador to M. Carmi, Director of Latin America 2, October 13, 1983, ISA, Folio 174.
42 *From Ambassador to M. Carmi, October 13, 1983, ISA, Folio 176.
43 *From Minister-Counsellor, Buenos Aires, to Latin America 2, October 14, 1983, ISA, Folio 130.
44 From Buenos Aires to Latin America 2, October 17, 1983, ISA, Folio 151.
45 From Office to Buenos Aires, October 22, 1983, ISA, Folio 147.
46 *From Ambassador to Director, October 27, 1983, ISA, Folio 65.
47 *KA Nov. 1983, 4.
48 From Shmorak, Buenos Aires to General Director, November 23, 1983, ISA, Folio 130.
49 From General Director of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Prime Minister, December 14, 1983, ISA, Folio 92.
50 From General Director of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Prime Minister., ISA, Folios 90–91.
51 Kahan, “Entre la aceptación,” 261.
52 From Ambassador, to Director, October 24, 1983, ISA, Report 288, Folio 67.
53 Report 288, Folio 67.
54 Report 288, Folio 67. According to testimonies of some members of the organizing committee of this public event, the refusal of the DAIA to participate in the event was based on the information obtained through their contacts with the two main political-parties - the UCR and the Peronist party - which considered the organization of such an event a week before the presidential election to be imprudent (Kahan, “Entre la aceptación,” 263).
55 Carassai, “Violencia política,” 390.
56 From Shmorak, to General Director, November 23, 1983, ISA, Folio 130.
57 From Office to Buenos Aires, January, 15, 1984, ISA, Folio 88.
58 From Counsellor, Buenos Aires, to M. Carmi, Director of Latin America 2, December 20, 1983, ISA, Folio 91.