Kesher Talk

Jews in odd places: Mexico: The Federal Law to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination -- which includes an explicit prohibition on anti-Semitic discrimination -- passed unanimously in both of Mexico's legislative chambers in April and was signed by President Vicente Fox in June.

The law calls for a 300-member National Council to Prevent Discrimination, which is being formed now and will begin operating in January. The council, which will have branches throughout the country, will address alleged violations of the law.

There are about 50,000 Jews in Mexico, mostly in Mexico City, the capital.

Jews have been both welcomed and persecuted throughout Mexican history, as the country has struggled with competing desires to attract immigrants for economic reasons and to maintain a cohesive society. Jewish settlement in Mexico dates back to the Spanish colonization in the 16th century. But Mexico´s inquisition, although not as severe as Spain´s, virtually eliminated the Jewish community. In modern times, significant Jewish immigration began in the late-19th and early-20th centuries with arrivals from Europe, Russia and Syria. Jewish immigration increased when the United States restricted entry in 1924. Mexico prohibited Jewish immigration in 1933 and 1934, but then opened its borders to European refugees fleeing the Nazis.

posted by William @ 11/17/2003 08:13:05 AM