Community Magazine February 2019

56 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE A lready by 1909, there was a large enough Chilean Jewish community to launch the first Jewish center, called Sociedad Unión Israelita de Chile (The Israel Union Society of Chile). The country’s Jewish population began to take off as the 20 th century progressed, with an influx of Sephardim from the Ottoman Empire, and of Russian Jews fleeing pogroms, who struck deep roots in Chile. However, restrictions on Jewish immigration did not allow the number of new Jewish arrivals to climb above 12,000 between 1933 and 1940, when many European Jews sought to flee from Nazi Germany. Today, according to some estimates, 20,000 to 25,000 Jews live in Chile. Chile recently showed its support for Israel by barring its municipalities from joining the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement. And two years ago, in October 2017, Chilean diplomat Samuel del Campo, who served as chargé d’affaires at the Chilean embassy in Bucharest, in 1941-1942, was honored as a Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, for saving more than 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. JEWISH SANTIAGO Currently, there are three kosher restaurants and a kosher supermarket inSantiago, Chile’s capital, aswell as twonursinghomes, a golf club, and a Talmud Torah. The country is also home to a kosher winery, Luis Felipe Edwards Wines, which exports two brands, Terra Vega and Don Julio. The general population’s relationship with the Jewish community is said to be quite amicable. Politically, some Chileans are frustrated that the country isn’t getting its due on the international stage. Having survived 18 years of the Pinochet dictatorship between 1973 and 1990, Chile has since turned its economy and standard of living around dramatically. It is a flip version of Venezuela, on the other side of the continent, which prior to the 1990s was considered the shining light of South American success, and now, after socialist ruin, fares little better than most Third World countries. Santiago has developed in recent decades its avant garde galleries, boutique shops and celebrated historical destinations. No stop in Santiago is complete without seeing the historical GAM cultural center, where remnants of the country’s long-dead socialist past are intertwined with symbols and stories of renewal and change. Outside, in the courtyard, see the walls designed with panel-to-panel graffiti, an artistic renaissance that is as compelling as it is politically poignant. Actually, painstakingly detailed wall art has made its way throughout many cities and towns in Chile, as self-expression bubbles up to the surface after so many decades of being stifled. Santiago is a stunning pastiche of old-style architecture, and reflects the nation’s process of modernization. It is highly recommended to rent a bicycle and hire a guide to take you around the city’s parks, streets, and landmarks. About an hour and twenty minutes away from the capital is stunning Valparaíso, a port city on Chile’s coast, where the second largest of the country’s Jewish communities resides. In the 1800s, a flood of European immigrants planted roots in the area, bringing with them their cultural architecture. It has lasted until today, and the area is still known as much for its steep and vibrantly colored clifftop homes, as for the eclectic, corner-to-corner street art that stretches throughout downtown’s Plaza Sotomayor. OFF-THE-BEATEN TRACK TO PUERTO MONTT Chile boasts a great deal of wildlife, forest trails, volcanoes (dormant), and island life. That is why visitors to Chile will definitely want to take the off-the-beaten track to the region of Puerto Montt, a two-hour flight out of Santiago. While there, visit themunicipality of Puerto Varas to see the famous Petrohué Waterfalls, in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park. It is said that a stop here is an obligatory rite of passage for all Chileans, at some point in their life – probably like what Niagara Falls is to anyone within a three-hour driving distance. The difference here, though, is CHILE: SOUTH AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN GEM Not much is spoken, or widely known, about the Jews who belonged to the Spanish Conquistadors, who in the 16 th to 18 th centuries set out to colonize the Americas. These were the first Jews to set foot on Chilean soil, arriving there some 500 years ago. DAVE GORDON Santiago