User:Barujtenembaum

Baruch Tenembaum: A Jewish "Gaucho" on the road of fraternity
Born in Argentina at the "Las Palmeras" colony, a Santa Fe province settlement for Jewish immigrants escaping from the Russian pogroms of 1880. The grandson and son of Jewish 'gauchos' he studied in Buenos Aires and Rosario.

1952 - He graduated from the Higher Institute of Judaic Religious Studies. As a teacher and a professor he taught Hebrew and Yiddish language and literature, the Torah, the Prophets and Mishnah.

1955 - Director of the Moises Ville Teacher's Seminar in the province of Santa Fe where he taught the Old Testament and philosophy.

First General Director of the Argentine-Israeli Cultural Institute (ICAI). Important undertakings in the field of education were set in motion and announced from his office, including bar mitzvah tours and the founding of the Tarbut School, among others. He organised the first Latin-American Bible contest. He translated Spanish classics into Hebrew and 'Haskala' literature into Spanish.

He launched the idea of establishing interfaith monuments by promoting the creation of a fresco by the Argentine master painter Raúl Soldi at the main church in Nazareth, which was carried out in 1968. This monument was visited by more than 10 million pilgrims up to year 2004.

1965 - Latin American promoter of the first visit by a Pope to Jerusalem. Granted an award for his work by the Vatican, he was invited to a ceremony at Vatican City and was received by Pope Paul VI on January 13th, 1965. At a separate public ceremony, Monsignor Antonio Caggiano, Cardinal Primate of Argentina, presented him with an Argentine Church award, granted for the first time to a Jew in Argentina.

1966 - Along with writer Jorge Luis Borges he founded the first interconfessional organisation Casa Argentina en Jerusalem with branches in Buenos Aires and Jerusalem (at 3 Antebi Street).

He was also close in his interreligious initiatives to Rabbi Guillermo Schlesinger, Father Carlos Cuccetti, pastor Sosa and Father Ernesto Segura, who was the first President of Argentine House in Israel.

Baruch Tenembaum academic, Jewish and humanist education is a result of a deep devotion of his teacher and mentor, Rabbi Jacobo Fink, an ortodox who initiated him in the Jewish knowledge and the Caballah, and guided him all of his life. Even if they were far away (he was Great Rabbi in Rio de Janeiro-Brazil, Haifa-Israel, and Buenos Aires-Argentina) so close was their relationship that every Friday they had a conversation, which was never ever postponed until the last day of his life.

He is the author, together with Dr. Shalom Rosenberg, professor of philosophy at the Hebrew University at Jerusalem, of the book 'Holy Places in the Holy Land'.

In early 1976 Baruch Tenembaum was kidnapped by rightwing extremists belonging to the Triple A (Argentine Anti subversive Alliance) a clandestine state terrorist organisation founded under the aegis of José López Rega, a sinister character of great influence during the government of President Isabel Martínez de Perón. Together with members of the military and police intelligence services the Triple A began the forced “disappearance” of people in Argentina which, by the end of the military dictatorship in 1983, came to a total of 30.000.

Tenembaum was kidnapped on January 31st. 1976 and was accused by these terrorist groups of “infecting the Catholic Church with the virus of Judaism” and “of spreading ideas of alleged coexistence so as to destroy Christian principles” through his inter-faith work, which they claimed, “leads to the destruction of the Creole republic”. Additionally they accused him of being a part of the sinister “conspiracy” known as the Plan Andinia.

In a dramatic turn of events, his wife Perla volunteered as a hostage, and was also kidnapped herself. While he was in captivity Father Horacio Moreno spoke out for him, calling for his freedom from his pulpit at Fatima Church and later holding a face-to-face meeting with the kidnappers who self-defined themselves as “concerned Catholics”. Finally, his miraculous liberation was achieved.

After saving his life he left his country of birth. After eight years in exile – during which he continued his untiring interfaith work (see interfaith background) – and following the fall of the military dictatorship, he renewed his visits to Argentina.

During the years of the military dictatorship Baruch Tenembaum did not visit Argentina but continued dedicating his life to humanitarian causes. He searched for gentiles who helped Jews during the Second World War.

Baruch Tenembaum is the father of two sons and one daughter: Dr. Shmuel Tenembaum, a lawyer, is a member of the Israeli Bar and the author of several books. Dr. Yoav Tenembaum is an historian, a graduate of both Cambridge University (UK) with a Master's Degree and Oxford University with a PhD, the author of several books, he coined the definition of the Raoul Wallenberg: “Hero Without a Grave”. Abigail Tenembaum is an MBA graduate of Columbia University, New York and is a strategy consultant. Baruch Tenembaum has six grandchildren.