Herman Schiller is an Argentine journalist. He was the editor-in-chief of Nueva Presencia,[1] an Argentine Jewish newspaper,[2]: 356  from its founding in 1977 until 1987.[3] He also co-founded the Movimiento Judío por los Derechos Humanos with rabbi Marshall Meyer in August 1983,[4][5] and was later involved in the creation of Memoria Activa.[6]: 271  He hosted a radio program called Memoria y realidad ("Memory and reality") on FM Jai until it was cut in 1999.[6]: 271 

Herman Schiller
Herman Schiller standing behind a microphone in front of a banner
Schiller speaks at a Movimiento Judío por los Derechos Humanos event at the Obelisco de Buenos Aires on 25 April 1984
OccupationJournalist
Organization(s)Nueva Presencia
Movimiento Judío por los Derechos Humanos
Memoria Activa

Nueva Presencia

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With Schiller as editor-in-chief, the Jewish newspaper Nueva Presencia was one of the only publications that advocated for human rights during the Dirty War and the National Reorganization Process.[7] It expressed support for the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, setting it apart from the Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas,[2]: 356  and put photos of the group on its cover. The publication additionally criticized the administration of Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and supported Palestinians. It was accused of antisemitism by other Jewish publications including the Sephardi magazine La Luz and the Haredi publication La Voz Judía.[7]

In 1981, the presses that produced Nueva Presencia were bombed twice, but Schiller did not tone down his criticism of the National Reorganization Process.[7]

Schiller left the newspaper in 1987, and Nueva Presencia ceased publishing in 1993.[8]

In November 2007, the legislature of Buenos Aires honored the publication "for its commitment to human rights and struggle against the recent military dictatorship". Schiller gave a speech at the unveiling of a plaque at the former editorial offices of Nueva Presencia on 9 December 2008, describing it as having been dedicated "to taking up the revolutionary tradition of Jewish workers".[1]

Movimiento Judío por los Derechos Humanos

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Schiller co-founded the Movimiento Judío por los Derechos Humanos with rabbi Marshall Meyer in August 1983.[4] The organization denounced the National Reorganization Process despite the risk that was involved in doing so.[5]

Memoria y realidad

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Schiller's radio program Memoria y realidad was initially broadcast four days per week for two hours each day. In 1999, it was first cut to a single hour per day and then ended entirely by the management of FM Jai, the Jewish broadcaster in Buenos Aires that hosted the program. The termination of the program was presented as a business decision, but may have been influenced by political factors; Schiller did not support Carlos Menem's government and was critical of Israeli government policies.[6]: 271  Several hundred supporters of Schiller and Memoria y realidad listeners protested the cut. Members of the Buenos Aires legislature unsuccessfully asked FM Jai to reinstate the program. The legislature allowed Schiller to continue the program with one-hour broadcasts on Saturday nights on Radio Ciudad, an AM radio broadcaster supported by the city's government.[6]: 272 

References

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  1. ^ a b Kahan, Emmanuel Nicolás (24 September 2018). "Nueva Presencia and Resistance to the Military Dictatorship". Memories that Lie a Little. Brill. pp. 204–233. doi:10.1163/9789004388031_009. ISBN 978-90-04-38803-1.
  2. ^ a b Sznajder, Mario; Roniger, Luis (2005). "From Argentina to Israel: Escape, Evacuation and Exile". Journal of Latin American Studies. 37 (2): 351–377. doi:10.1017/S0022216X05009041. ISSN 0022-216X. JSTOR 3875690.
  3. ^ "Herman Schiller recuerda al medio que dirigió en la dictadura" [Herman Schiller remembers the publication he led during the dictatorship]. ElArgentino.com (in Spanish). 28 May 2010. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b Gurwitz, Beatrice D. (1 January 2017). Argentine Jews in the Age of Revolt: Between the New World and the Third World. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004329621_009. ISBN 978-90-04-32962-1.
  5. ^ a b Wang, Diana; Brunet, Constanza; Ruano, Virginia (2004). Los niños escondidos: del Holocausto a Buenos Aires. Marea Editorial. p. 186. ISBN 987-21109-5-6. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d Klich, Ignacio (1999). "Argentina". The American Jewish Year Book. 99: 263–275. ISSN 0065-8987. JSTOR 23606003.
  7. ^ a b c Dobry, Hernan (7 July 2013). "Periódico ejemplar" [Exemplary newspaper] (PDF). Perfil (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
  8. ^ Dobry, Hernán (14 July 2013). "Nueva Presencia, el periódico que desafió a la dictadura" [Nueva Presencia, the newspaper that challenged the dictatorship]. La Voz del Interior (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 May 2021.