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, Taringa musician-humorist, former member of the group Les Luthiers
• 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]
• Esteban Benzecry, composer
• Marcelo Birmajer, writer^[7]
• Laszlo Biro, inventor of the ballpoint pen^[8]
• Jácobo Bolbochán, chess player
• Julio Bolbochán, chess player
• Mauricio Borensztein (better known as Tato Bores), comedian
• Daniel Burman (1973–) 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
• Movsas Feigins, chess player
• Rubén Felgaer, 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, soccer player of Israeli National Team (Jewish Father)
• Martín Jaite, former tennis player
• Guido Kaczka, actor, show host
• Mauricio Kagel, classical composer
• Daniel Katz, mayor of Mar del Plata
• León Klimovsky, film director
• Alejandro Lerner, singer/composer
• 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
• Alicia Partnoy, writer
• Raquel Partnoy, painter^[15]
• José Pékerman, soccer manager
• Jiří Pelikán, chess player
• Melina Petriella, actress
• Alejandra Pizarnik, poet
• Isaias Pleci, chess player
• Julio Popper, engineer and colonizer of Tierra del Fuego, from Romania.
• Daniel Rabinovich, musician-humorist of the group Les Luthiers
• Ariel Rot, musician
• Cecilia Roth, actress
• Jaime José Rotman, soccer player
• Lalo Schifrin, composer
• Aaron Schwartzman, chess player
• Diego Schwartzman, tennis player
• Samuel Schweber, chess player
• Ana María Shua, writer^[16]
• Gerardo Sofovich, actor/producer
• Hugo Sofovich, director/producer
• Ariel Sorin, chess player
• Juan Pablo Sorín, soccer player^[17]
• Coti Sorokin, songwriter/musician/ composer
• Ana Maria Stekelman, Tango choreographer
• Adrián Suar, actor/TV producer
• 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
• 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"
• Oscar Strasnoy, classical composer
• IMMI, songwriter/artist

Bolivia

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

Brazil

• Clara Ant, political activist and presidential adviser
• Jom Tob Azulay, film director
• Hector Babenco, film director
• Eduardo Saverin, co-founder and CFO of Facebook.
• Leoncio Basbaum, physician and political activist
• 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
• Claudio Besserman Vianna, comedian
• Joel Birman, writer
• Eva Altman Blay, sociologist and politician
• Debora Bloch, actress
• Jonas Bloch, actor
• Waldemar Levy Cardoso, field marshal
• Boris Casoy, journalist
• Otto Maria Carpeaux, literary critic
• Moyses Chahon, army commander
• Juca Chaves (Jurandyr Czaczkes), comedian, composer and singer
• Victor Civita, journalist
• Deborah Colker, dancer and choreographer
• Arnaldo Cohen, pianist
• Gilberto Dimenstein, journalist
• Alberto Dines, journalist
• Tufi Duek, fashion designer
• Dina Dublon, director
• German Efromovich, entrepreneur
• Benny Feilhaber professional soccer player^[18]
• 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
• Luciano Huck, TV show host
• Roberto Justus, advertiser and TV host
• Isaac Karabtchevsky, musician and conductor
• Jacques Klein, pianist
• Samuel Klein (businessman), entrepreneur
• Samuel Kicis, army commander
• Ithamara Koorax, jazz singer
• Miguel Krigsner, entrepreneur and environmentalist
• Celso Lafer, diplomat
• Cesar Lattes, physicist
• Jaime Lerner, politician (governor Paraná state), urban planner
• Alexandre Levy, musician
• José Lewgoy, actor and director
• Clarice Lispector, writer´
• Gerson Levi-Lazzaris, ethnoarchaeologist
• Carlos Maltz, drummer of rock band Engenheiros do Hawaii
• Leopoldo Nachbin, mathematician
• Noel Nutels, public health physician and human rights activist
• Carlos Nuzman, sportsman and president of Olympic Committee
• 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
• Silvio Santos (Senor Abravanel), TV show host
• Mario Schenberg, physicist
• Moacyr Scliar, writer
• Lasar Segall, artist
• Ricardo Semler, entrepreneur
• Amir Slama, fashion designer
• Henry Sobel, rabbi, community leader
• Aryane Steinkopf, model and DJ
• Mauricio Waldman, sociologist and politician
• Yara Yavelberg, political activist
• Mayana Zatz, geneticist
• Benjamin Zymler, auditor-general

Chile

• Volodia Teitelboim, lawyer, politician and author
• Baruch Arensburg, professor of Anatomy
• Claudio Bunster, scientist (Jewish mother)^[19]
• Roberto Dueñas, modeling agent^[20]
• Daniel Emilfork, actor
• Leonardo Farkas, businessman
• Don Francisco (Mario Luis Kreutzberger Blumenfeld), television host^[21]
• Tomás Hirsch, politician, businessman^[22]
• Alejandro Jodorowsky, film director (Chilean-born)^[23]
• Miguel Kiwi, physicist (Chilean-born)^[24]
• Nicolás Massú, tennis player (Jewish mother)^[25]
• Israel Polack, businessman
• Snooki - Nicole Elizabeth Polizzi - American reality television personality
• Denise Rosenthal, actress, singer and model
• Sebastián Rozental, football player^[26]
• Leon Schidlowsky, composer and painter
• Claudio Spies, composer
• Shmuel Szteinhendler, rabbi (Regional Director Masorti Olami - Latin America)

Colombia

Main: Colombian Jews

• Jorge Isaacs, poet, novelist
• Jaime Gilinski Bacal, banker, real estate developer, philanthropist
• Isaac Gilinski Sragowicz, banker, ambassador
• Andy Lassner, Colombian-American television producer
• James Martin Eder, industrialist, entrepreneur, pioneer
• Ramon Gomez Portillo, journalist, writer, poet

Cuba

• Ruth Behar, writer
• José Antonio Bowen, jazz musician and president of Goucher College
• Fabio Grobart, Communist Party co-founder
• Olga Guillot, singer
• José Miller, leader of the Cuban Jewish community
• Meyer Rosenbaum, rabbi and spiritual leader
• William Levy, actor

Dominican Republic

• Oscar Haza, journalist
• Dominican President Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal
• His son Pedro Henríquez Ureña

Ecuador

• Salomon Isacovici, businessman and writer

El Salvador

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

Guatemala

• Francisco Goldman, author (Jewish father)
• Alcina Lubitch Domecq, author
• David Unger, author
• Eduardo Halfon, author
• Gert Rosenthal, diplomat

Honduras

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

Mexico

Nicaragua

• Herty Lewites, Nicaraguan politician
• Sergio Torres, former military commander, judge and now lawyer.

Panama

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

Paraguay

• Alfredo Seiferheld, writer
• Carlos Schvartzman, musician

Peru

• Manuel Buchwald, famous physicist, expert on Genetics.
• Eliane Karp, former First Lady of Peru
• Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, former President of Peru
• Salomón Libman, football (soccer) player
• Meredith Monk, performance artist
• 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".

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.^[27]
• Sandy Alomar, Sr., father was Jewish but an agnostic who allowed his children to be brought up as a Catholic
• 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.
• Blaine, David, magician, Blaine is also an endurance artist and Guinness Book of Records world record-holder.
• Brugman, Mathias, leader in Puerto Rico's independence revolution against Spain known as El Grito de Lares (Lares' Cry).
• Kaplan, Julio, Puerto Rican chess player and former world junior champion.
• Katz Montiel, Marco, composer for Zoey's Zoo and trombonist with Charlie Palmieri and Mon Rivera.
• Leavitt, Raphy, composer, director and founder of "La Selecta"
• Lehman, Manny, DJ and producer
• Levy, Hila, U.S. Air Force, in 2007 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.
• Rivera, Geraldo, journalist
• Sally Jessy Raphael, syndicated talk show host
• 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.^[28]
• 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.^[29]

Uruguay

• Monsieur Chouchani, mysterious scholar
• Gisele 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)
• Freddy Nieuchowicz, aka Orlando Petinatti, radio host

Venezuela

Main: Venezuelan Jews

• Harry Abend, sculptor
• Huascar Barradas, flutist, composer
• Baruj Benacerraf, immunologist, Nobel Prize of 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
• Manuel Blum, computer scientist,
• Jacques Braunstein, economist, publicist, disc jockey
• Carlos Brandt, writer, philosopher
• Pynchas Brener, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Caracas
• Vytas Brenner,composer, musician
• Gerardo Budowski, chess master
• Miguel Ángel Capriles Ayala, journalist
• Henrique Capriles Radonski, former governor of Miranda state^{[Note 1]}
• 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
• Paulina Gamus, politician
• Gego, sculptor
• Eva Golinger, journalist, politician
• Alicia Freilich, writer, novelist, journalist
• Reynaldo Hahn, composer (Jewish father)
• Joanna Hausmann, comediant youtuber
• Michel Hausmann, theater director and producer
• Ricardo Hausmann, politician, professor, academic
• Lya Imber (Odessa, Russia, 1914-Caracas, 1981), the 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.^[30]
• Sofía Ímber, journalist
• Jonathan Jakubowicz, film director, writer, and producer^[31]
• Karina, pop singer
• Moisés Kaufman, screenwriter, director
• Betty Kaplan, film director
• Ruth de Krivoy, former president of the Central Bank of Venezuela
• Andres Levin, musician
• Nicolás Maduro, president of Venezuela (Sephardi Jewish paternal family ancestry)
• Yucef Merhi, artist, poet
• Moisés Naím, journalist, economist
• 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
• Rosalinda Serfaty, actress
• Shirley Varnagy, journalist, Globovision TV host
• Ernesto Villegas Poljak, journalist, politician
• Vladimir Villegas Poljak, journalist, politician
• Geula Zylberman, abstract painter

See also

• History of the Jews in Mexico
• History of the Jews in Latin America
• Jewish immigration to Puerto Rico
• List of Jews

Notes

References