List of Latin American Jews

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Jewish immigration to Latin America began with seven sailors arriving on Christopher Columbus' 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, Chile and Mexico.^[1]

The following is a list of some prominent Latin American Jews, arranged by country of origin:

Argentina

• Ernesto Acher, musician-humorist, former member of the group Les Luthiers^{[citation needed]}
• Marcos Aguinis, journalist / writer ^[2]
• José Alperovich, governor of the Tucumán Province ^[3]
• Héctor Babenco, film director (Argentinian-born) ^[4]
• Daniel Barenboim, conductor and pianist ^[5]
• Tania Bíder revolutionary fighter ^[6]
• Marcelo Birmajer, writer ^[7]
• Laszlo Biro, inventor of the ballpoint pen ^[8]
• Jácobo Bolbochán, chess player^{[citation needed]}
• Julio Bolbochán, chess player^{[citation needed]}
• Mauricio Borensztein (better known as Tato Bores), comedian
• Daniel Burman (1973 - ) filmmaker^[9]
• Israel Adrián Caetano, film director^{[citation needed]}
• Andres Cantor, Sports Commentator
• Sergio Chejfec, writer^{[citation needed]}
• Mario Davidovsky, composer^[10]
• Ariel Dorfman, playwright^[11]
• Alicia Dujovne Ortiz, writer (Jewish father)
• Giora Feidman, klezmer musician[7]
• Movsas Feigins, chess player^{[citation needed]}
• Rubén Felgaer, chess player^{[citation needed]}
• Daniel Filmus Ex Argentinian Education Minister
• Paulino Frydman, chess player^{[citation needed]}
• Juan Gelman, poet^{[citation needed]}
• Alberto Gerchunoff, writer^[12]
• Max Glücksmann, pioneer of the Argentinian music and film industries^[13]
• Osvaldo Golijov, classical composer^[14]
• Guillermo Israilevich, soccer player of Israeli National Team (Jewish Father)
• Martín Jaite, former tennis player^{[citation needed]}
• Guido Kaczka, actor, show host
• Mauricio Kagel, classical composer
• Daniel Katz, mayor of Mar del Plata^{[citation needed]}
• León Klimovsky, film director^{[citation needed]}
• Alejandro Lerner, singer/composer^{[citation needed]}
• Miguel Lifschitz, mayor of Rosario (Jewish Father)^{[citation needed]}
• César Milstein, immunologist, Nobel prize^[15]
• Marcos Mundstock, musician-humorist of the group Les Luthiers^{[citation needed]}
• Miguel Najdorf, chess player^{[citation needed]}
• Gastón Needleman, chess player^{[citation needed]}
• Carlos Núñez Cortés, musician-humorist of the group Les Luthiers^{[citation needed]}
• Alicia Partnoy, writer
• Raquel Partnoy, painter^[16]
• José Pekerman, former soccer player, former national team coach
• Jorge Pelikán, chess player
• Melina Petriella, actress
• Alejandra Pizarnik, poet^{[citation needed]}
• Isaias Pleci, chess player^{[citation needed]}
• Julio Popper, engineer and colonizer of Tierra del Fuego, from Romania.^{[citation needed]}
• Daniel Rabinovich, musician-humorist of the group Les Luthiers
• Ariel Rot, musician^{[citation needed]}
• Cecilia Roth, actress^{[citation needed]}
• Jaime José Rotman, soccer player^{[citation needed]}
• Lalo Schifrin, composer^{[citation needed]}
• Aaron Schwartzman, chess player^{[citation needed]}
• Samuel Schweber, chess player^{[citation needed]}
• Ana María Shua, writer^[17]
• Gerardo Sofovich, actor / producer
• Hugo Sofovich, director / producer
• Ariel Sorin, chess player^{[citation needed]}
• Juan Pablo Sorín, soccer player^[18]
• Coti Sorokin, songwriter / musician / composer^{[citation needed]}
• Ana Maria Stekelman, Tango choreographer^{[citation needed]}
• Adrián Suar, actor / TV producer,
• Jorge Telerman, Ex mayor of Buenos Aires
• Jacobo Timmerman, journalist
• Bernardo Verbitsky, novelist^[12]
• Horacio Verbitsky, journalist^[12]
• Bernardo Wexler, chess player^{[citation needed]}

Brazil

• Clara Ant, political activist and presidential adviser
• Jom Tob Azulay, film director
• Hector Babenco, film director
• Leoncio Basbaum, physician and political activist
• Moysés Baumstein, holographer, film/video producer, painter, writer
• Manoel Beckman, colonial leader
• Adriana Behar, beach volleyball player
• Olga Benário Prestes, German-born communist militant
• Samuel Benchimol, entrepreneur and Amazon pioneer
• Abraham Bentes, army commander
• Daniel Benzali, TV actor
• Claudio Besserman Vianna, comedian
• Joel Birman, writer
• Eva Altman Blay, sociologist and politician
• Debora Bloch, actress
• Nilton Bonder, community leader and writer
• Waldemar Levy Cardoso, field marshal
• Boris Casoy, journalist
• Otto Maria Carpeaux, literary critic
• Moyses Chahon, army commander
• Juca Chaves, comedian, composer and singer
• Victor Civita, journalist
• Deborah Colker, dancer and choreographer
• Gilberto Dimenstein, journalist
• Alberto Dines, journalist
• Tufi Duek, fashion designer
• Dina Dublon, director
• German Efromovich, entrepreneur
• Benny Feilhaber professional soccer player^[19]
• Fortuna, singer and composer
• Vilém Flusser, philosopher
• Marcelo Gleiser, physicist and writer
• José Goldemberg, educator, physicist and minister
• Mario Haberfeld, racing driver
• Alexandre Herchcovitch, fashion designer
• Wladimir Herzog, journalist
• Marc Horowitz, trader
• Luciano Huck, TV show host
• Roberto Justus, advertiser and TV host [8]
• Isaac Karabtchevsky, musician and conductor
• Jacques Klein, pianist [9]
• Samuel Klein (businessman), entrepreneur [10]
• Samuel Kicis, army commander
• Ithamara Koorax, jazz singer
• Miguel Krigsner, entrepreneur and environmentalist
• Celso Lafer, diplomat [11]
• Cesar Lattes, physicist
• Jaime Lerner, politician (governor Paraná state), urban planner
• José Lewgoy, actor and director
• Clarice Lispector, writer´
• Gerson Levi-Lazzaris, ethnoarchaeologist
• Carlos Maltz - Drummer of rock band Engenheiros do Hawaii
• Salomão Nauslausky, army commander
• Noel Nutels, public health physician and human rights activist
• Carlos Nuzman, sportsman and president of Olympic Committee [12]
• Ivo Perelman, jazz saxophonist [13]
• Flora Purim, jazz singer
• Sultana Levy Rosenblatt, writer
• Ricardo Rosset, Formula One driver
• Edmond Safra, banker [14]
• Joseph Safra, banker
• Ricardo Semler, entrepreneur
• Moise Safra, banker
• Silvio Santos, (Senor Abravanel), TV show host
• Mario Schenberg, physicist
• Moacyr Scliar, writer
• Lasar Segall, artist
• Amir Slama, fashion designer
• Henry Sobel, Rabbi, community leader
• Mauricio Waldman, sociologist and politician
• Yara Yavelberg, political activist
• Mayana Zatz, geneticist
• Benjamin Zymler, auditor-general

Chile

• Volodia Teitelboim Volosky, Lawyer, Awarded Literary figure, Chilean Deputy, Chilean Senator, General-Secretary of the Communist Party of Chile
• Baruch Arensburg, professor of Anatomy
• Claudio Bunster, scientist (Jewish mother)^[20]
• Ariel Dorfman, playwright, novelist, human rights activist^[21]
• Roberto Dueñas, modeling agent^[22]
• Daniel Emilfork, actor
• Leonardo Farkas, businessman
• Tomás Hirsch, politician, businessman^[23]
• Rodrigo Goldberg, football player
• Alejandro Jodorowsky, film director (Chilean-born)^[24]
• Mario Luis Kreutzberger Blumenfeld, Television Host (Chilean-born)^[25]
• Nicolás Massú, tennis player (Jewish mother)^[26]
• Israel Polack, businessman
• Denise Rosenthal, actress, singer and model
• Sebastián Rozental, football player^[27]
• Claudio Spies, composer
• Shmuel Szteinhendler, rabbi (Regional Director Masorti Latin America)

Colombia

• Jorge Isaacs, Poet and novelist
• Ramon Gomez Portillo, Journalist, Writer, Poet

Cuba

• Ruth Behar, writer
• Fabio Grobart, Communist Party co-founder
• Olga Guillot, singer
• José Miller, leader of the Cuban Jewish community
• Meyer Rosenbaum, Rabbi and spiritual leader

Ecuador

• Carlos Alberti Ottolenghi, began pharmaceutical industry in Ecuador.

El Salvador

• Juan Lindo, president (1841) (Jewish father)

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

Honduras

• Juan Lindo, president (1847) (Jewish father)
• Ricardo Maduro, president (2002)
• Salvador Moncada, pharmacologist (Jewish mother)
• Jaime Rosenthal Oliva, Honduran businessman and politician

Mexico

Nicaragua

• William Abdalah, Medical doctor and politician.
• Keith Gould, Honorary Consul of Israel and Physician.
• Herty Lewites, Nicaraguan politician
• Israel Lewites, Sandinista leader
• Michèle Najlis, poet
• Laszlo Pataky, writer
• Sergio Torres, former military commander, judge and now lawyer.

Panama

• Eric Arturo Delvalle, president (1987)
• Ricardo Maduro, Honduran president (Panamanian-born)

Paraguay

• Arditi, formed the first Jewish community in Paraguay. Along with Cohenca, Levi, Mendelzon.

Peru

• Manuel Buchwald, famous physicist, expert on Genetics.^{[citation needed]}
• Eliane Chantal Karp Fernenbug, former First Lady of Peru
• Meredith Monk, performance artist.^{[citation needed]}
• David Waisman Rjavinsthi, Former Second Vice President of Peru. Member of the congress for Alianza Parlamentaria party.
• Barton Zwiebach, Physics Professor at the MIT. Expert in String Theory. Author of the book "A First Course in String Theory".^{[citation needed]}

Puerto Rico

• Alegría Hudes, Quiara - author, playwright. Wrote the book for Broadway's musical In the Heights. Her play, Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2007.^[28]
• Anderson, Axel – actor/director, Anderson made his debut in Puerto Rican television with a sitcom named Qué Pareja a local version of I Love Lucy.
• Artime, Jorge - founder of Almacenes Kress ^[29]
• Blaine, David - magician, Blaine is also an endurance artist and Guinness Book of Records world record-holder.
• Brugman, Mathias – was a leader in Puerto Rico's independence revolution against Spain known as El Grito de Lares (Lares' Cry).
• Castro, Raquel - child actress, won the Young Artist Award for the Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Actress Age Ten or Younger. ^[30]
• Goldman, Max – former Director, Office of Industrial Tax Exemption of Puerto Rico and Member of the Civil Rights Commission of Puerto Rico, 1965–1969. Founding member of the San Juan law firm "Goldman Antonetti & Córdova, P.S.C."^[31]
• Helfeld, David – former dean of the University of Puerto Rico law school.^[32]
• Kaplan, Julio – Puerto Rican chess player and former world junior champion.
• Kopel, Israel - founder of Almacenes Pitusa department stores^[33]
• Leavitt, Raphy – composer, director and founder of "La Selecta"
• Lehman, Manny - DJ and producer.
• Levy, Hila – U.S. Air Force, made history in 2007 when she became the first Puerto Rican Rhodes Scholar.
• Meyers, Ari – actress, Best known for her role as Emma Jane McArdle in the Kate & Allie (1984) TV series.
• Ostow, Micol - author of "Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa" and "Mind Your Manners, Dick and Jane".
• Phoenix, Joaquin – actor, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), Gladiator in 2000 and in 2005, he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, and won a Golden Globe in the same category in 2006 for his role as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line.
• Prinze, Freddie – actor, was best known as the star of Chico and the Man.
• Prinze Jr., Freddie – actor, Prinze starred in several Hollywood films which included Delgo, I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel, as well as She's All That, and Scooby-Doo.
• Rivera, Geraldo – journalist
• Seijo, Jorge – Puerto Rican radio and television personality
• Starr, Brenda K. – salsa singer, her seventh album, Atrevete a Olvidarme, titled, "Tu Eres" earned her a nomination by the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2006.
• Snyder, Aaron Cecil – Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
• Tassler, Nina - President of CBS Entertainment.^[34]
• Ticotin, Rachel – actress, starred in Critical Condition, Where the Day Takes You Falling Down Total Recall and in Con Air, where she earned an ALMA Award for her role as prison guard Sally Bishop.
• Ticotin, Sahaj - vocalist/guitarist from the Rock band Ra.^[35]
• Toppel, George and Harold - founders of Supermercados Pueblo (Pueblo Supermarkets)^[36]

Uruguay

• Monsieur Chouchani, mysterious scholar
• Gisele Ben-Dor, conductor
• Daniel Drexler, singer/songwriter (Jewish father)
• Jorge Drexler, singer/songwriter (Jewish father)
• 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

Venezuela

• Moisés Naím, magazine editor
• Ricardo Hausmann, professor, academic
• Amador Bendayán, actor, comedian
• Ilan Chester, composer
• Karina, pop singer
• 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.
• Jacqueline Goldberg, poet and editor
• Enrique Capriles Radonsky, former Baruta Municipality Mayor and current Miranda State Governor

See also

• History of the Jews in Latin America
• Jewish immigration to Puerto Rico
• List of Jews
• List of Latin Americans
• List of Argentines
• List of Brazilians
• List of Chileans
• List of Cubans
• List of Ecuadorians
• List of Guatemalans
• List of Hondurans
• List of Mexicans
• List of Nicaraguans
• List of Panamanians
• List of Paraguayans
• List of Peruvians
• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of Uruguayans
• List of Venezuelans

References