Montevideo, Uruguay - 1 of 2

We are back in Uruguay but this time in the capital city of Montevideo on the southern coast of the country (est 1724 by the Spanish). With 1.3 million people and 78 sq miles (1/3 of the country), it is the largest city and the cultural, financial, and chief port. With 9% inflation, low unemployment and only 10% at the poverty level, salaries and life here is considered the best in the Country. It is the 19th largest economy in Latin America with a growing GDP each year. A modern and colonial city together making it a popular attraction worldwide. We visited Independence Square with the statue of their revolutionary hero Jose Artigas and Palacio Salvo.

This is the first Latin city to recognize Israel after 1948 and there are 8,000 Jews living here now, so we went on a Jewish oriented tour. There were 50,000 Jews living here 30 years ago but many have gone to live in Israel. In the 1600’s Jews escaping the inquisition settled here (evidenced by a mikveh from that time). The first wave was from Eastern Europe between 1895-1905 and then German and Italian Jews settled here in the 1920s and 1930s. Another wave of Jews came from Turkey and Portugal and started a Sephardic Temple. Unfortunately, in the 1930-40, a dictator ran this country, and many ships of Jews and immigrants were sent away (often to Chile).

We drove by the Sephardic Synagogue, Golda Meir Square, Hebraica-Maccabi Sports Center, the outdoor Holocaust memorial and visited two Synagogues. There were 3 thriving Jewish day schools only 10 years ago but now there is really only one that has 1000 students and a very small Orthodox one (we visited) with 100 students.

Memorial of the Holocaust of the Jewish People (town). 1994:

Rail tracks, Rock, a pink granite wall and the horizon are the main components of this art piece.

The beginning of the memorial is a rail track that is reference to the road without return to the concentration camps. It descends to the wall that represents the Western Wall. The wall ends with a "window-hole" that opens towards the sea. The angles in the memorial and its view of the sea creates shadows and changes during times of the day. Two narrow wooden bridges take you from this point of uncertainty to the Meditation Square, where several stone columns (looking like grave markings) contain famous Jewish quotes.

“Remembering is the secret to redemption” Baal Shem Tov
“Choose life and doing good (free will), the choice is in your hands” Maimonides
“Seven times the righteous falls and seven times he rises again” Proverbs 24-16
“Sadness should always go hand and hand with Hope” Elie Weisel

Note: Ana Balog- only Uruguayan that died in AushwitzRead more