Since immigration began in the late 19th century, the Jewish population of Latin America has risen to more than 500,000 — more than half of whom live in Argentina, with large communities also present in Brazil and Mexico. Here is a list of some prominent Latin American Jews, arranged by country of origin.
Argentina
- José Alperovich, governor of the province of Tucumán since 2003
- Hector Babenco, film director (Argentinian-born)
- Daniel Barenboim, conductor & pianist
- Laszlo Biro, inventor of the biro
- Daniel Burman, film director
- Andrés Calamaro, singer/songwriter (unconfirmed)
- Gregory Chaitin, mathematician (Argentinian parents)
- Mario Davidovsky, composer
- Ariel Dorfman, playwright (Argentinian-born)
- Giora Feidman, klezmer musician
- Juan Gelman, poet
- Alberto Gerchunoff, writer
- Osvaldo Golijov, classical composer
- Mauricio Kagel, classical composer
- Daniela Krukower, judo world champion
- César Milstein, immunologist, Nobel prize (1984)
- Marcos Mundstock, musician-humorist of group Les Luthiers
- Miguel Najdorf, chess player
- José Pekerman, former soccer player, coach of the national team
- Alejandra Pizarnik, poet
- Daniel Rabinovich, musician-humorist of group Les Luthiers
- Cecilia Roth, actress
- Walter Samuel, soccer player
- Lalo Schifrin, composer
- Ana María Shua, writer
- Juan Pablo Sorin, soccer player
- Alicia Steimberg, writer
- Jacobo Timerman, journalist
- Horacio Verbitsky, journalist
Brazil
- Hector Babenco, film director
- Adriana Behar, beach volleyball player
- Daniel Benzali, TV actor
- Otto Maria Carpeaux, literary critic
- Vilém Flusser, philosopher
- Ithamara Koorax, jazz singer
- Jaime Lerner, Paraná governor, urban planner
- Clarice Lispector, writer
- Oscar Niemeyer, architect
- Ivo Perelman, jazz saxophonist
- Flora Purim, jazz singer
- Bernard Rajzman, volleyball player
- Edmond Safra, banker
- Silvio Santos, TV show host
- Moacyr Scliar, author
- Lasar Segall, artist
- Hans Stern, founder, H.Stern International Jewelry Company
- Gregori Warchavchik, architect
Chile
Colombia
Cuba
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
- Jacob Bekenstein, physicist
- Sabina Berman, playwright
- Jorge Castañeda, foreign minister (Jewish mother)
- Daniel Catán, composer
- Tito Fuentes, member of Molotov
- Margo Glantz, writer & critic
- Alejandro Jodorowsky, director
- Frida Kahlo, painter (Jewish father)
- Alejandro Marcovich, member of Caifanes
- Marcos Moshinsky, physicist
- Fernando Schwartz, sports comentator
- Ilan Stavans, literary critic
- Henryk Szeryng, violinist
- Ari Telch, actor
- Leon Trotsky, revolutionary (Mexican exile)
- Pancho Villa, revolutionary (Jewish paternal grandfather)
- Jacobo Zabludovsky, tv journalist
Panama
Peru
Uruguay
Venezuela
See also
