on Nazi refugees in South America, “There are indications that Peron received Nazi Funds and access to secret Swiss accounts in payment for allowing people like Eichmann a new start.” Many former Nazi officers served as military trainers and advisers under Peron. On the other hand, Peron also expressed sympathy for Jewish rights and established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1949. Since then, more than 45,000 Jews have immigrated to Israel from Argentina.iPeron was overthrown in 1955, which was followed by another wave of anti-Semitism. In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann who was deeply involved with the formulation and operation of the "final solution to the Jewish question." He drew up the idea of deportation of Jews into ghettos, and went about concentrating Jews in isolated areas with murderous efficiency. The Eichmann trial in Jerusalem, in April 1961, aroused further anti-Jewish sentiment in Argentina.Argentina was under military rule between 1976 and 1983. During this period, Jews were increasingly targeted for kidnapping and torture by the ruling junta; about 1,000 of the 9,000 known victims of state terrorism were Jews. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli government had a special agreement with the Argentine government to allow Jews arrested for political crimes to immigrate to Israel. Once the military’s power waned in Argentina, anti-Semitic attacks also declined.In 1983, Raul Alfonsin was democratically elected as president of Argentina. Alfonsin enjoyed the support of the Jewish population and placed many Jews in high positions.Carlos Saul Menem was elected president in 1989, his Arab origin and support of Peron worried the Jews, however, and he did not follow in Peron’s footsteps. Menem appointed many Jews to his government, visited Israel a number of times and offered to help mediate the Israeli-Arab peace process. After a Jewish cemetery was desecrated in Bu...
