I am thrilled to have on Barbara Krystal, Taking Back the Narrative’s Director of Educational Outreach. Barbara poignantly shares her family’s history of how they immigrated from Russia to Argentina.
Members of my family ended up in Argentina due to the Czar’s pogroms in the beginning of the 20th century, and thanks to Barbara, we learn about the multiple waves of Jewish immigration to that region.
Barbara goes into great detail about the fabric of Jewish society in Argentina throughout the centuries (we even touch upon Jewish cowboys and pirates!), and the complex relationship between Israel and Argentina – trailing from the extraction of Adolf Eichmann to the bombing of the AMIA in 1994, including nefarious cover ups on the side of the Argentinian government.
On the other side of the world, we also provide an overview of how some Jews ended up in China in the 20th century. How many people know that the city of Harbin was built by Jews?
No matter where Jews ended up in the Diaspora, and the different sub-cultures and customs that emerged, one thing was a constant and that was Zionism. Barbara and I also discussed the importance of Zionism throughout the Diaspora, both past and present.