Israel’s perception of Jews’ safety during democratization in Argentina (1982–1984): the experiences of Israeli diplomats in Latin American contexts of crisis

Abstract

ABSTRACTBy 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.