Jewish immigration to Latin America began with seven sailors arriving in Christopher Columbus' crew. The Jewish population of Latin America is today (2018) less than 300,000 — more than half of whom live in Argentina, with large communities also present in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela. estimaciones para la Población judía 2008.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Jewish from the indicated country of origin or must have references showing they are Jewish from the indicated country of origin and are notable.
The following is a list of some prominent Latin American Jews, arranged by country of origin.
Argentina
Ernesto Acher – musician-humorist, former member of the group Les Luthiers Marcos Aguinis – journalist/writer José Alperovich – former governor of the Tucumán ProvincePor primera vez un gobernador jura su cargo sobre la Torá Hebrea Héctor Babenco – film director (Argentinian-born) Daniel Barenboim – conductor and pianist Tania Bíder – revolutionary fighterTania – Haydee Tamara Bunke Bider Marcelo Birmajer – writer Laszlo Biro – inventor of the ballpoint penBOLIGRAFO.-Inventado por el Periodista judío, de origen húngaro, Laszlo y Geor Biro. Jácobo Bolbochán – chess player Julio Bolbochán – chess player Tato Bores – comedian Daniel Burman – filmmaker Israel Adrián Caetano – film director Andres Cantor – sports commentator Sergio Chejfec – writer Mario Davidovsky – composerBMOP :: Boston Connection :: Program Notes Alicia Dujovne Ortiz – writer Giora Feidman – klezmer musician Movsas Feigins – chess player Daniel Filmus – ex-Argentine Education Minister Paulino Frydman – chess player Juan Gelman – poet Alberto Gerchunoff – writer Max Glücksmann – pioneer of Argentine music and film industriesWho's Who of Victorian Cinema Osvaldo Golijov – classical composerOsvaldo Golijov: Biography Guillermo Israilevich – football player of Israeli National Team (Jewish father) Martín Jaite – former tennis player Guido Kaczka – actor, show host Mauricio Kagel – classical composer Daniel Katz – former mayor of Mar del Plata Axel Kicillof – governor of Buenos Aires Province León Klimovsky – film director Miguel Lifschitz – mayor of Rosario (Jewish father) César Milstein – immunologist, Nobel prizeCésar Milstein, 1927–2002 Marcos Mundstock – musician-humorist of the group Les Luthiers Miguel Najdorf – chess player Gastón Needleman – chess player Carlos Núñez Cortés – musician-humorist of the group Les Luthiers David Pakman – political commentator Alicia Partnoy – writer Raquel Partnoy – painterThe Tribu of Dina: A Jewish Women Anthology by Irena Klepfisz & Melanie Kaye José Pékerman – football manager Jiří Pelikán – chess player Melina Petriella – actress Alejandra Pizarnik – poet Isaías Pleci – chess player Julio Popper – engineer and colonizer of Tierra del Fuego Daniel Rabinovich – musician and member of Les Luthiers Ariel Rot – musician Cecilia Roth – actress Isaac Sacca – Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Buenos Aires Lalo Schifrin – composer Aaron Schwartzman – chess player Diego Schwartzman – tennis player Samuel Schweber – chess player Ana María Shua – writerThe Book of Memories (Paperback) by Ana Maria Shua. Book Description Ariel Sorín – chess player Juan Pablo Sorín – football player Pekerman y el capítán, Juan Pablo Sorín, "son los israelitas del mundial" Coti Sorokin – songwriter/musician/composer Ana Maria Stekelman – Tango choreographer Oscar Strasnoy – classical composer Jorge Telerman – ex-mayor of Buenos Aires Jacobo Timmerman – journalist Bernardo Verbitsky – novelist Eva Verbitsky Hunt – archaeologist Horacio Verbitsky – journalist Bernardo Wexler – chess player
Bolivia Lene Schneider-Kainer – painter Paul Baender – chess player
Brazil
Davi Alcolumbre – senator and president of the Brazilian Senate Clara Ant – political activist and presidential adviser Jom Tob Azulay – film director Héctor Babenco – film director Leoncio Basbaum – physician and political activist Rafinha Bastos – comedian and TV host Moysés Baumstein – holographer, film/video producer, painter, writer Adriana Behar – beach volleyball player Samuel Benchimol – entrepreneur and Amazon pioneer Abraham Bentes – army commander Daniel Benzali – TV actor Marcelo Samuel Berman – physicist and writer Joel Birman – writer Eva Altman Blay – sociologist and politician Débora Bloch – actress Jonas Bloch – actor Bussunda – comedian Boris Casoy – journalist Otto Maria Carpeaux – literary critic Moyses Chahon – army commander Juca Chaves – comedian, composer and singer Victor Civita – journalist Arnaldo Cohen – pianist Gilberto Dimenstein – journalist Alberto Dines – journalist Dina Dublon – director Esther Dweck – government minister German Efromovich – entrepreneur Fritz Feigl – chemist Benny Feilhaber – professional football playerFeilhaber – "Outside of my UCLA teammate Benny Feilhaber, I never really thought there were other high-class Jewish soccer players out there" Fortuna – singer and composer Vilém Flusser – philosopher Marcelo Gleiser – physicist and writer Betty Gofman – actress José Goldemberg – educator, physicist and minister Ida Gomes – actress Neiman Gracie – martial artist, member of the Gracie family Fernando Grostein Andrade – cinematographer Mario Haberfeld – racing driver Alexandre Herchcovitch – fashion designer Wladimir Herzog – journalist Luciano Huck – TV show host Roberto Justus – advertiser and TV host Isaac Karabtchevsky – musician and conductor Israel Klabin Jacques Klein – pianist Samuel Klein – entrepreneur Samuel Kicis – army commander Ithamara Koorax – jazz singer Miguel Krigsner – entrepreneur and environmentalist Celso Lafer – diplomat Cesar Lattes – physicist Gastão Rosenfeld – physicist Ruth Sonntag Nussenzweig – immunologist Herch Moysés Nussenzveig – physicist Jaime Lerner – politician (governor Paraná state), urban planner Alexandre Levy – musician Waldemar Levy Cardoso – field marshal José Lewgoy – actor and director Clarice Lispector – writer Gerson Levi-Lazzaris – ethnoarchaeologist Carlos Maltz – drummer of rock band Engenheiros do Hawaii Luísa Mell – presenter and animal activist Leopoldo Nachbin – mathematician Noel Nutels – public health physician and human rights activist Carlos Nuzman – sportsman and president of Olympic Committee Ivo Perelman – jazz saxophonist Olga Benário Prestes – German-born communist militant Paulo Ribenboim – mathematician Sultana Levy Rosenblatt – writer Edmond Safra – banker Jacob Safra – banker Joseph Safra – banker Moise Safra – banker Senor Abravanel – TV show host Eduardo Saverin – co-founder and CFO of Facebook Mario Schenberg – physicist Hertha Meyer – physicist Moacyr Scliar – writer Lasar Segall – artist Ricardo Semler – entrepreneur Dina Sfat – actress Alfredo Sirkis – politician and environmentalist Amir Slama – fashion designer Henry Sobel – rabbi, community leader Renata Sorrah – actress Márcio Stambowsky – martial artist Dan Stulbach – actor Luciano Szafir – actor Eva Todor – actress and dancer Didi Wagner – presenter Mauricio Waldman – sociologist and politician Eva Wilma – actress Yara Yavelberg – political activist Mayana Zatz – geneticist Benjamin Zymler – auditor-general
Chile
Baruch Arensburg – physical anthropologist Claudio Bunster – theoretical physicist Leo Corry – mathematician Julián Elfenbein – journalist, television host Daniel Emilfork – actor Leonardo Farkas – businessman Robert Frucht – mathematician Rodrigo Hinzpeter – Minister of Interior and Public Security (2010–2012) Tomás Hirsch – politician, businessman Alejandro Jodorowsky – film directorAlejandro Jodorowsky Mario Luis Kreutzberger Blumenfeld – television host Ariel Levy – actor Nicolás Massú – tennis playerNicolas Massu Sergio Melnick – Minister of Planning (1987–1989) Israel Polack – businessman Karen Poniachik – Minister of Mining and Energy (2006–2008) David Rosenmann-Taub – poet and musician Sebastián Rozental – football playerThe Jewish Chronicle Leon Schidlowsky – composer and painter Claudio Spies – composer Miguel Schweitzer Walters – Minister of Foreign Affairs (1983–1983) Shmuel Szteinhendler – rabbi and regional director of Masorti Olami Latin America Volodia Teitelboim – lawyer, politician, and author Alberto van Klaveren – Minister of Foreign Relations (2006–2009)
Colombia
Jorge Isaacs – poet, novelist Andy Lassner – Colombian-American television producer James Martin Eder – industrialist, entrepreneur, pioneer Evaristo Sourdis Juliao – lawyer, diplomat, politic Ramon Gomez Portillo – journalist, writer, poet Saúl Balagura – artist, poet Sandra Bessudo – marine biologist Simón Brand – film director Eliana Rubashkyn – pharmacist, chemist John Sudarsky – senator Diana Golden – actress, playwright Isaac Lee – journalist, entrepreneur, television producer
Costa Rica Eliécer Feinzaig Mint – politician Leslie Feinzaig – venture capitalist and technologist Luis Liberman – politician
Cuba
Ruth Behar – writer Israel Kantor – singer José Antonio Bowen – author and academic Fabio Grobart – Communist Party co-founder William Levy – actor Jose Miller – leader of the Cuban Jewish community Meyer Rosenbaum – rabbi and spiritual leader
Dominican Republic Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal – President Pedro Henríquez Ureña – essayist, philosopher
Ecuador Salomon Isacovici – businessman and writer
El Salvador Juan Lindo – president (1841) (Jewish father)
Guatemala Isaac Farchi – businessman and politician Francisco Goldman – author (Jewish father) Eduardo Halfon – author Alcina Lubitch Domecq – author Gert Rosenthal – diplomat David Unger – author
Honduras
Juan Lindo – president (1847) (Jewish father) Jaime Rosenthal – Honduran businessman and politician (Jewish father)
Mexico
Nicaragua
Herty Lewites – Nicaraguan politician
Panama Eric Arturo Delvalle – president Ricardo Maduro – Honduran president (Panamanian-born)
Paraguay Alfredo Seiferheld – writer Carlos Schvartzman – musician
Peru
Eliane Karp – First Lady of Peru Pedro Pablo Kuczynski – President of Peru Salomón Libman – football player David Waisman Rjavinsthi – second Vice President of Peru, member of the congress for Alianza Parlamentaria party Yehude Simon – Prime Minister of Peru
Puerto Rico
Quiara Alegría Hudes – (Jewish father) author, playwright. Wrote the book for Broadway's musical In the Heights. Her play, Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2007 Axel Anderson – actor/director, Anderson made his debut in Puerto Rican television with a sitcom named Qué Pareja a local version of I Love Lucy David Blaine – magician, Blaine is also an endurance artist and Guinness Book of Records world record-holder Mathias Brugman – leader in Puerto Rico's independence revolution against Spain known as El Grito de Lares (Lares' Cry) Julio Kaplan – Puerto Rican chess player and former world junior champion Marco Katz Montiel – composer for Zoey's Zoo and trombonist with Charlie Palmieri and Mon Rivera Raphy Leavitt – composer, director and founder of "La Selecta" Manny Lehman – DJ and producer Ari Meyers – actress, best known for her role as Emma Jane McArdle in the Kate & Allie (1984) TV series Micol Ostow – author of "Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa" and "Mind Your Manners, Dick and Jane" Joaquin Phoenix – actor, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Gladiator in 2000 and in 2005, he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, and won a Golden Globe in the same category in 2006 for his role as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line Geraldo Rivera – journalist Sally Jessy Raphael – syndicated talk show host Jorge Seijo – Puerto Rican radio and television personality