List of Latin American Jews

Jewish immigration to Latin America began with seven sailors arriving in Christopher Columbus' crew. The Jewish population of Latin America is today (2018) less than 300,000 — more than half of whom live in Argentina, with large communities also present in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela.^[1]

To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Jewish from the indicated country of origin or must have references showing they are Jewish from the indicated country of origin and are notable.

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
Marcos Aguinis – journalist/writer^[2]
José Alperovich – former 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
Julio Bolbochán – chess player
Tato Bores – comedian
Daniel Burman – filmmaker^[9]
Israel Adrián Caetano – film director
Andres Cantor – sports commentator
Sergio Chejfec – writer
Mario Davidovsky – composer^[10]
Alicia Dujovne Ortiz – writer
Giora Feidman – klezmer musician [2]
Movsas Feigins – chess player
Daniel Filmus – ex-Argentine Education Minister
Paulino Frydman – chess player
Juan Gelman – poet
Alberto Gerchunoff – writer^[11]
Max Glücksmann – pioneer of Argentine music and film industries^[12]
Osvaldo Golijov – classical composer^[13]
Guillermo Israilevich – football player of Israeli National Team (Jewish father)
Martín Jaite – former tennis player
Guido Kaczka – actor, show host
Mauricio Kagel – classical composer
Daniel Katz – former mayor of Mar del Plata
Axel Kicillof – governor of Buenos Aires Province
León Klimovsky – film director
Miguel Lifschitz – mayor of Rosario (Jewish father)
César Milstein – immunologist, Nobel prize^[14]
Marcos Mundstock – musician-humorist of the group Les Luthiers
Miguel Najdorf – chess player
Gastón Needleman – chess player
Carlos Núñez Cortés – musician-humorist of the group Les Luthiers
David Pakman – political commentator
Alicia Partnoy – writer
Raquel Partnoy – painter^[15]
José Pékerman – football manager
Jiří Pelikán – chess player
Melina Petriella – actress
Alejandra Pizarnik – poet
Isaías Pleci – chess player
Julio Popper – engineer and colonizer of Tierra del Fuego, from Romania
Daniel Rabinovich – musician and member of Les Luthiers
Ariel Rot – musician
Cecilia Roth – actress
Isaac Sacca – Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Buenos Aires
Lalo Schifrin – composer
Aaron Schwartzman – chess player
Diego Schwartzman – tennis player
Samuel Schweber – chess player
Ana María Shua – writer^[16]
Ariel Sorín – chess player
Juan Pablo Sorín – football player^[17]
Coti Sorokin – songwriter/musician/composer
Ana Maria Stekelman – Tango choreographer
Oscar Strasnoy – classical composer
Jorge Telerman – ex-mayor of Buenos Aires
Jacobo Timmerman – journalist
Bernardo Verbitsky – novelist^[11]
Eva Verbitsky Hunt – archaeologist
Horacio Verbitsky – journalist^[11]
Bernardo Wexler – chess player

Bolivia

Lene Schneider-Kainer – painter
Paul Baender – chess player
Ricardo Udler – Bolivia's Jewish community leader

Brazil

Davi Alcolumbre – senator and president of the Brazilian Senate
Clara Ant – political activist and presidential adviser
Jom Tob Azulay – film director
Héctor Babenco – film director
Leoncio Basbaum – physician and political activist
Rafinha Bastos – comedian and TV host
Moysés Baumstein – holographer, film/video producer, painter, writer
Adriana Behar – beach volleyball player
Samuel Benchimol – entrepreneur and Amazon pioneer
Abraham Bentes – army commander
Daniel Benzali – TV actor
Marcelo Samuel Berman – physicist and writer
Joel Birman – writer
Eva Altman Blay – sociologist and politician
Débora Bloch – actress
Jonas Bloch – actor
Bussunda – comedian
Boris Casoy – journalist
Otto Maria Carpeaux – literary critic
Moyses Chahon – army commander
Juca Chaves – comedian, composer and singer
Victor Civita – journalist
Arnaldo Cohen – pianist
Gilberto Dimenstein – journalist
Alberto Dines – journalist
Dina Dublon – director
Betty Gofman
Israel Klabin
Ida Gomes
Esther Dweck – government minister
German Efromovich – entrepreneur
Benny Feilhaber – professional football player^[18]
Fortuna – singer and composer
Vilém Flusser – philosopher
Marcelo Gleiser – physicist and writer
José Goldemberg – educator, physicist and minister
Neiman Gracie – martial artist, member of the Gracie family
Fernando Grostein Andrade – cinematographer
Mario Haberfeld – racing driver
Alexandre Herchcovitch – fashion designer
Wladimir Herzog – journalist
Luciano Huck – TV show host
Roberto Justus – advertiser and TV host
Isaac Karabtchevsky – musician and conductor
Jacques Klein – pianist [3]
Samuel Klein – entrepreneur [4]
Samuel Kicis – army commander
Ithamara Koorax – jazz singer
Miguel Krigsner – entrepreneur and environmentalist
Celso Lafer – diplomat [5]
Cesar Lattes – physicist
Jaime Lerner – politician (governor Paraná state), urban planner
Alexandre Levy – musician
Waldemar Levy Cardoso – field marshal
José Lewgoy – actor and director
Clarice Lispector – writer
Gerson Levi-Lazzaris – ethnoarchaeologist
Carlos Maltz – drummer of rock band Engenheiros do Hawaii
Luísa Mell – presenter and animal activist
Leopoldo Nachbin – mathematician
Noel Nutels – public health physician and human rights activist
Carlos Nuzman – sportsman and president of Olympic Committee [6]
Ivo Perelman – jazz saxophonist
Olga Benário Prestes – German-born communist militant
Paulo Ribenboim – mathematician
Sultana Levy Rosenblatt – writer
Edmond Safra – banker
Jacob Safra – banker
Joseph Safra – banker
Moise Safra – banker
Senor Abravanel – TV show host
Eduardo Saverin – co-founder and CFO of Facebook
Mario Schenberg – physicist
Moacyr Scliar – writer
Lasar Segall – artist
Ricardo Semler – entrepreneur
Dina Sfat – actress
Alfredo Sirkis – politician and environmentalist
Amir Slama – fashion designer
Henry Sobel – rabbi, community leader
Renata Sorrah – actress
Márcio Stambowsky – martial artist, father of Neiman Gracie
Dan Stulbach – actor
Luciano Szafir – actor
Eva Todor – actress and dancer
Didi Wagner – presenter
Mauricio Waldman – sociologist and politician
Eva Wilma – actress
Yara Yavelberg – political activist
Mayana Zatz – geneticist
Benjamin Zymler – auditor-general

Chile

Baruch Arensburg – physical anthropologist
Claudio Bunster – theoretical physicist
Leo Corry – mathematician
Julián Elfenbein – journalist, television host
Daniel Emilfork – actor
Leonardo Farkas – businessman
Robert Frucht – mathematician
Rodrigo Hinzpeter – Minister of Interior and Public Security (2010–2012)
Tomás Hirsch – politician, businessman^[19]
Alejandro Jodorowsky – film director^[20]
Mario Luis Kreutzberger Blumenfeld – television host
Ariel Levy – actor
Nicolás Massú – tennis player^[21]
Sergio Melnick – Minister of Planning (1987–1989)
Israel Polack – businessman
Karen Poniachik – Minister of Mining and Energy (2006–2008)
David Rosenmann-Taub – poet and musician
Sebastián Rozental – football player^[22]
Leon Schidlowsky – composer and painter
Claudio Spies – composer
Miguel Schweitzer Walters – Minister of Foreign Affairs (1983–1983)
Shmuel Szteinhendler – rabbi & Regional Director Masorti Olami Latin America
Volodia Teitelboim – lawyer, politician and author
Alberto van Klaveren – Minister of Foreign Relations (2006–2009)

Colombia

Main: Colombian Jews

Jorge Isaacs – poet, novelist
Andy Lassner – Colombian-American television producer
James Martin Eder – industrialist, entrepreneur, pioneer
Evaristo Sourdis Juliao – lawyer, diplomat, politic
Ramon Gomez Portillo – journalist, writer, poet
Saúl Balagura – artist, poet
Sandra Bessudo – marine biologist
Simón Brand – film director
Eliana Rubashkyn – pharmacist, chemist
John Sudarsky – senator
Diana Golden – actress, playwright
Isaac Lee – journalist, entrepreneur, television producer

Costa Rica

Eliécer Feinzaig Mint – politician
Leslie Feinzaig – venture capitalist and technologist
Luis Liberman – politician

Cuba

Ruth Behar – writer
Israel Kantor – singer
José Antonio Bowen – author and academic
Fabio Grobart – Communist Party co-founder
William Levy – actor
Jose Miller – leader of the Cuban Jewish community
Meyer Rosenbaum – rabbi and spiritual leader

Dominican Republic

Oscar Haza – journalist
Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal – President
Pedro Henríquez Ureña – essayist, philosopher

Ecuador

Salomon Isacovici – businessman and writer

El Salvador

Juan Lindo – president (1841) (Jewish father)

Guatemala

Isaac Farchi – businessman and politician
Francisco Goldman – author (Jewish father)
Eduardo Halfon – author
Alcina Lubitch Domecq – author
Gert Rosenthal – diplomat
David Unger – author

Honduras

Juan Lindo – president (1847) (Jewish father)
Jaime Rosenthal – Honduran businessman and politician (Jewish father)

Mexico

Nicaragua

Herty Lewites – Nicaraguan politician

Panama

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

Paraguay

Alfredo Seiferheld – writer
Carlos Schvartzman – musician

Peru

Eliane Karp – former First Lady of Peru
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski – former President of Peru
Salomón Libman – football player
David Waisman Rjavinsthi – former Second Vice President of Peru, member of the congress for Alianza Parlamentaria party
Yehude Simon – former Prime Minister of Peru

Puerto Rico

Quiara Alegría Hudes – (Jewish father) 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^[23]
Axel Anderson – actor/director, Anderson made his debut in Puerto Rican television with a sitcom named Qué Pareja a local version of I Love Lucy
David Blaine – magician, Blaine is also an endurance artist and Guinness Book of Records world record-holder
Mathias Brugman – leader in Puerto Rico's independence revolution against Spain known as El Grito de Lares (Lares' Cry)
Julio Kaplan – Puerto Rican chess player and former world junior champion
Marco Katz Montiel – composer for Zoey's Zoo and trombonist with Charlie Palmieri and Mon Rivera
Raphy Leavitt – composer, director and founder of "La Selecta"
Manny Lehman – DJ and producer
Ari Meyers – actress, best known for her role as Emma Jane McArdle in the Kate & Allie (1984) TV series
Micol Ostow – author of "Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa" and "Mind Your Manners, Dick and Jane"
Joaquin Phoenix – 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
Geraldo Rivera – journalist
Sally Jessy Raphael – syndicated talk show host
Jorge Seijo – Puerto Rican radio and television personality
Brenda K. Starr – salsa singer, her seventh album, Atrevete a Olvidarme, titled, "Tu Eres" earned her a nomination by the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2006
A. Cecil Snyder – Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
Nina Tassler – President of CBS Entertainment^[24]
Rachel Ticotin – 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
Sahaj Ticotin – vocalist/guitarist from the rock band Ra^[25]

Uruguay

Monsieur Chouchani – mysterious scholar
Gisèle Ben-Dor – conductor
Jorge Drexler – singer-songwriter (Jewish father)
Ricardo Ehrlich – mayor of Montevideo
Gabe Saporta – singer-songwriter/bassist of Cobra Starship and Midtown
Carlos Sherman – writer (Jewish father, Uruguay-born)
Orlando Petinatti – radio host

Venezuela

Main: Venezuelan Jews

Harry Abend – sculptor
Lolita Aniyar de Castro – lawyer and politician
Ivonne Attas – actress and politician
Huáscar Barradas – flutist, composer
Baruj Benacerraf – immunologist, Nobel Prize in Medicine,1980
Margot Benacerraf – film director
Sara Bendahan – Venezuelan physician who was the first Venezuelan woman to complete her medical degree in Venezuela
Amador Bendayán – actor, comedian
Alegría Bendayán de Bendelac – writer, professor and poet
Jose Beracasa Anram – entrepreneur, sportman
Manuel Blum – computer scientist,
Jacques Braunstein – economist, publicist, disc jockey
Carlos Brandt – writer, philosopher
Pynchas Brener, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Caracas
Jacobo Brender – writer
Vytas Brenner – composer, musician
Gerardo Budowski – chess master
Miguel Ángel Capriles Ayala – journalist
Ilan Chester – composer, pop singer
Isaac Chocron – writer
Salomon Cohen Levy – engineer
Leo Corry – mathematician
Elias David Curiel – poet
Susana Duijm – Miss World 1955, model, actress
Daniel Elbittar – actor, model and entertainer
Sammy Eppel – internationalist
Paulina Gamus – politician
Gego – sculptor
Alicia Freilich – writer, novelist, journalist
Reynaldo Hahn – composer (Jewish father)
Joanna Hausmann – comedian, YouTuber
Michel Hausmann – theater director and producer
Ricardo Hausmann – politician, professor, academic
Lya Imber – first woman in Venezuela to obtain the degree of Doctor of Medicine (Paediatrics & Child Care Specialist) and the first female member of the board of the Medical School of the Federal District^[26]
Sofía Ímber – journalist
Jonathan Jakubowicz – film director, writer, and producer^[27]
Karina – pop singer
Moisés Kaufman – screenwriter, director
Betty Kaplan – film director
Geula Kohen Moradov – painter
Ruth de Krivoy – former president of the Central Bank of Venezuela
Andres Levin – musician
Ivan Lansberg – lawyer
Julio Lobo – sugar trader and financier
Yucef Merhi – artist, poet
Moisés Naím – journalist, economist
Elias Mocatta – banker, financer
Isaac J Pardo – writer, poet
Jacobo Penzo – film director
Teodoro Petkoff – guerrilla fighter and politician, journalist, economist
L. Rafael Reif – engineer, president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Flor Roffé de Estévez – composer and writer
Ángel Rosenblat – philologist
Maurice Ruah – tennis player
Eduardo Schlageter – painter
Veronica Schneider – actress
David Smolansky – politician, Voluntad Popular, mayor of El Hatillo, Miranda State
Henrique Salas Römer – politician, former Carabobo State governor
Leon Schorr – master chess player
Ariel Segal – writer and scholar, correspondent of BBC in Israel
Isaac Senior – trader founder of Casa Senior of Coro
Rosalinda Serfaty – actress
Shirley Varnagy – journalist, Globovisión TV host
Abdul Vas – contemporary artist
Ernesto Villegas Poljak – journalist, politician
Vladimir Villegas Poljak – journalist, politician
Geula Zylberman – abstract painter

References

^ (in Spanish) estimaciones para la Población judía 2008. Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
^ Jorge Fernández Díaz. "Marcos Aguinis: un hombre del renacimiento".
^ Por primera vez un gobernador jura su cargo sobre la Torá Hebrea
^ "Héctor Babenco: el argentino renegado".
^ "elmundo.es – cultura".
^ Tania – Haydee Tamara Bunke Bider Archived 2009-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Terra – Libros Dogma Birmajer: Entrevista al prolfico escritor> 4-10-2000".
^ BOLIGRAFO.-Inventado por el Periodista judío, de origen húngaro, Laszlo y Geor Biro. Archived 2009-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
^ Taylor, Ella (2006-12-22). "What, Him Worry? (Why Yes, Actually)". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on 2006-12-23. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
^ BMOP :: Boston Connection :: Program Notes Archived 2007-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
^ ^a ^b ^c "From the Field". www.neu.edu. Archived from the original on 19 March 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
^ Who's Who of Victorian Cinema
^ Osvaldo Golijov: Biography
^ César Milstein, 1927–2002
^ The Tribu of Dina: A Jewish Women Anthology by Irena Klepfisz & Melanie Kaye
^ The Book of Memories (Paperback) by Ana Maria Shua. Book Description
^ (in Spanish) Pekerman y el capítán, Juan Pablo Sorín, "son los israelitas del mundial" Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
^ Feilhaber – [1] "Outside of my UCLA teammate Benny Feilhaber, I never really thought there were other high-class Jewish soccer players out there"
^ "Tomas Hirsch, Chilean candidate for the social utopia". Archived from the original on 2007-02-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ Alejandro Jodorowsky
^ Nicolas Massu
^ The Jewish Chronicle
^ "Hedgebrook". Archived from the original on 2009-07-21.
^ "THR's Latino Power 50 – Latin Gossip".
^ "antiMusic – musicNews: Your daily source for the latest music news!".
^ "Google Translate".
^ "'Secuestro Express'".

[1] (in Spanish) estimaciones para la Población judía 2008. Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine

[2] Jorge Fernández Díaz. "Marcos Aguinis: un hombre del renacimiento".

[3] Por primera vez un gobernador jura su cargo sobre la Torá Hebrea

[4] "Héctor Babenco: el argentino renegado".

[5] "elmundo.es – cultura".

[6] Tania – Haydee Tamara Bunke Bider Archived 2009-04-17 at the Wayback Machine

[7] "Terra – Libros Dogma Birmajer: Entrevista al prolfico escritor> 4-10-2000".

[8] BOLIGRAFO.-Inventado por el Periodista judío, de origen húngaro, Laszlo y Geor Biro. Archived 2009-12-15 at the Wayback Machine

[Burman1-9] Taylor, Ella (2006-12-22). "What, Him Worry? (Why Yes, Actually)". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on 2006-12-23. Retrieved 2006-12-22.

[10] BMOP :: Boston Connection :: Program Notes Archived 2007-07-06 at the Wayback Machine

[autogenerated1-11] "From the Field". www.neu.edu. Archived from the original on 19 March 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2022.

[12] Who's Who of Victorian Cinema

[13] Osvaldo Golijov: Biography

[14] César Milstein, 1927–2002

[15] The Tribu of Dina: A Jewish Women Anthology by Irena Klepfisz & Melanie Kaye

[16] The Book of Memories (Paperback) by Ana Maria Shua. Book Description

[17] (in Spanish) Pekerman y el capítán, Juan Pablo Sorín, "son los israelitas del mundial" Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine

[18] Feilhaber – [1] "Outside of my UCLA teammate Benny Feilhaber, I never really thought there were other high-class Jewish soccer players out there"

[19] "Tomas Hirsch, Chilean candidate for the social utopia". Archived from the original on 2007-02-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[20] Alejandro Jodorowsky

[21] Nicolas Massu

[22] The Jewish Chronicle

[23] "Hedgebrook". Archived from the original on 2009-07-21.

[24] "THR's Latino Power 50 – Latin Gossip".

[25] "antiMusic – musicNews: Your daily source for the latest music news!".

[26] "Google Translate".

[27] "'Secuestro Express'".

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]