Congregation Shearith Israel

Every tallit hanging here is used by someone who calls this community home. At Congregation Shearith Israel, you don’t just attend, you belong. We are a kehillah built on warmth, tradition, and the simple but powerful act of showing up for one another.
Come find your place.

Everything you need for a smooth, meaningful Seder night can be found at: https://conta.cc/40ipYUb

Our group set off for Tigre in the morning. We spent some time exploring the Tigre outdoor market before embarking on a boat ride along the Paraná River delta. Tigre, Argentina, is renowned as the rowing capital of the country.
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After the boat ride, we visited Hacoaj, founded in December 1935 as a Jewish rowing club and renamed officially the next year in honor of its namesake club in Vienna, Austria, which was ultimately destroyed by the N***s in 1938. Hacoaj spans 88 acres and holds the distinction of being the first place to hoist the Israeli flag in all of Argentina. With 10,000 members, the sports and country club boasts five locations, and we visited the largest one in Tigre, which resembled a resort. Notably, Diego Schwartzman, a former internationally ranked tennis player, began his career on the club’s courts and has a court named for him. Hacoaj also offers a children’s school for ages 6 to 12, accommodating 500 students. The facility includes two residential buildings with 200 apartments available for rent.
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We all had lunch at Hacoaj, which turned out to be the largest lunch we had…until the next day, that is. More on that in a bit. Now I understand why Argentina is often referred to as the land of fleishiks, with lots of great kosher meat. After the salad, we were served sausage and shish kebab, which we thought might have been the end of the meal, and, if so, dayeinu! But then came the tenderloin and beef spare ribs. And that would have been dayeinu as well… but then we were served chicken, and eventually even pareve ice cream.
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After lunch, we ventured into the predominantly Orthodox neighborhood of Once, Buenos Aires. The history of this area is deeply intertwined with the first pogrom against Jews in 1919, which occurred on Viamonte Street. We delved into the firsthand account of this devastating event, witnessing the significant damage inflicted upon Jewish property.
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Our journey continued to Cafe Zman, where we discovered a unique initiative that provided jobs and counseling and training for young adults with mental disabilities. These individuals have found meaningful employment at the cafe, enabling them to actively participate in the Jewish community. We also read about the memories of Andres Neumann (who grew up in Once), born to an Italian-Spanish mother and a Jewish German father. His story resonated with the common theme of being raised to mixed religious parents, a narrative that is prevalent both in Once and in the United States.
Finally our tour led us to Hasofrim Judaica, where we did some Judaica shopping.
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For dinner, we embarked on a culinary adventure at the Argentine Experience, where we celebrated the first night of Hanukkah together. We were treated like family, and our meal was a feast of 16 dishes accompanied by 5 different wines.
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Our culinary journey began with Argentinian trout tartare, followed by empanadas. Valentina, who turned out to be a member of the tribe, shared her expertise in identifying the filling of empanadas based on their shape. She then taught us the art of making our own empanadas, allowing us to fashion our own delicious creations.
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Next, we delved into the world of chimichurri, learning how to make this flavorful sauce and incorporate it into our dishes.
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One of our courses was Crioscia, a delightful combination of char fritters and chickpea flatbread, topped with cheese and tomato.
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Our next chapter featured tofu marinated in soy sauce, soy sauce mushrooms, and pea encroute in dough and creole sauce.
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The following course included a salad, roasted eggplant, and roasted potatoes to accompany our salmon from Patagonia, which we topped with the chimichurri we had made.
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Of course, we finished our meal with dessert, which included flan caramelized in front of us, dulce de leche, a “birthday cake” made with cookies, and a chance to make our own alfajores, a favorite Argentinian treat.
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The Argentine Experience was truly memorable, filled with rich history, delicious food, and a sense of belonging.
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Our first stop was the United Nations Plaza to visit Florales Generica, a sculpture resembling a flower petal. Two petals were broken in a storm a few years ago but were recently restored. The “flower” used to open and close with the sunrise and sunset.
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Next, we visited Puerto Madero, which was once the port area of Buenos Aires. The former ports have been transformed into lofts and offices. We passed San Martín Square, which includes a plaque commemorating the Falkland War, and the Monumental Tower.
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We walked across the Woman’s Bridge, designed by Santiago Calatrava, who also designed the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge here in Dallas and the Light Rail Bridge in Jerusalem.
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Then, we took a boat ride to La Boca. La Boca used to be a shanty town in the 1950s, but it has been revitalied, and contained houses that were pained in bright colors. Benito Quinquela Martin played a significant role in this revival, and the area is known for its museums. There are also many souvenir shops where we had time to shop for “chatchkes”!
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Our next stop was the Libertad Synagogue and the Jewish Museum. The synagogue, built in 1932, is considered the first in Argentina, although smaller kehilot likely existed before it. Construction spanned 35 years, from 1897 to 1932. During our tour, we explored the museum, which housed several works by Abel Pann, a close friend of Marc Chagall. The museum’s eclectic design incorporated various architectural styles, including Art Deco and Byzantine. As part of the Reform movement, the synagogue is renowned for its beauty, featuring 18 Sifrei Torah and a recently restored organ. Weekly Shabbat services continue to take place there.
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For our farewell luncheon, we visited another kosher restaurant called Fuego Lento, where our new friend carne was the star of the show. We started with appetizers like meat empanadas and two types of loaded fries, one topped with brisket, and the other with pastrami and eggs and onions. Our main courses showcased every part of the cow, including ribs, sausage, brisket, flank, even small intestine, with chicken for the faint of heart. To conclude, we indulged in pareve ice cream and coffee.
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And just like that, eight days had flown by and we were on our way to the airport for our return home… looking forward to sharing these stories and also to our next congregational trip with Shearith Israel!
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(Update Provided by Nathan Weisman)