Initially, I thought this book would encompass some sort of antisemitic relation the immigrated Jews had with the local people of Argentina. And though, there was definitely some hostility that occurred due to patriotic groups not enjoying the newcomers, this book took no time to correct this opinion I had coming into it and which many others apparently had. The introduction was very helpful in clearing up any questions the reader might have in terms of why this book was written. In simplest terms, Raanan Rein writes to show how fútbol was a defining factor in helping Jewish immigrants assimilate into Argentine culture. He said he believes that historians tend to, in a sense, circumvent this topic of sports being a critical tool in the absorption of a new identity for Jewish people in Argentina.
Chapter 1 was primarily for contextualization and helping the reader understand the enormous influx of immigrants at that time through the use of statistics and figures. Jewish immigrants were seeking a new home and were contemplating whether Palestine, a more familiar destination, or South America, a totally foreign land, was a better fit. Argentina became the Jewish immigrant Mecca beginning in the early 1900s, but further escalating during the 20s through the 40s. Something that immediately stuck out was the way these immigrants settled in Argentina. The book discusses the incredibly large percentage of families choosing to stay in the city of Buenos Aires, while the outliers became farmers, who were later labeled as the mythical “Jewish gauchos”. He ended his 2nd chapter by recalling the immense and sudden increase in popularity with the newly conceived club teams which I assume will be the beginning of the league system.
I really enjoyed reading these chapters through with great detail; probably because I am fascinated with soccer. But Rein has done an excellent job capturing my attention through his “anecdotes” and brief stories that help add to the overall message. 1st hand accounts are always good when conveying an argument so I do hope to read more of this going forward. I really do not have any questions for the author regarding the book but one thing I will add is I am excited to see how Jews are further embraced by the local Argentines in the city of Buenos Aires.
