Graciela Mochkofsky Charts a 'New Kind of Judaism' Across Latin America in CJH Lecture

Argentine journalist Graciela Mochkofsky charts
a "New Kind of Judaism" across Latin America in an event at the Center for Jewish History, which will offer insights into the growth of Judaism from Mexico to Chile on Monday, February 29 at 6:30 p.m.

An unprecedented wave of mass conversions over the past two decades is creating a new kind of Judaism in Latin America as converts establish communities from the ground up. Stemming from a larger continental shift away from Catholicism toward Evangelicalism, conversions are creating new Jewish communities from Mexico to Chile. Rejected by traditional Jews in their countries and lacking a historical connection to Judaism, converts are offering new answers to old questions about what it means to be Jewish. Graciela Mochkofsky, a leading Argentine journalist and former Prins Foundation Fellow at the Center for Jewish History, will provide insights into this unusual phenomenon.

The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street in Manhattan. Tickets: $7 general; $5 CJH members, seniors, students. For more information, visit cjh.org/event/2762.

The Center for Jewish History in New York City illuminates history, culture, and heritage. The Center provides a collaborative home for five partner organizations: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

The partners' archives comprise the world's largest and most comprehensive archive of the modern Jewish experience outside of Israel. The collections span a thousand years, with more than 5 miles of archival documents (in dozens of languages and alphabet systems), more than 500,000 volumes, as well as thousands of artworks, textiles, ritual objects, recordings, films, and photographs.

The Center's experts are leaders in unlocking archival material for a wide audience through the latest practices in digitization, library science, and public education. As one of the world's foremost research institutions, the Center offers fellowships, a wide array of exhibitions, symposia, conferences and lectures. The Center is a Smithsonian Affiliate, and is a partner of the Google Cultural Institute.

The Center for Jewish History is home to the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute, The David Berg Rare Book Room and The Collection Management & Conservation Wing. Public programs create opportunities for diverse audiences to explore the rich historical and cultural material that lives within the Center's walls.