List of Illustrations and Tables  vii

Acknowledgments  ix

List of Women  xi

Introduction  1

1. "If Water Is Sweet": Jewish Women in the Countryside  13

2. "I Worked, I Struggled": Jewish Women in Buenos Aires  42

3. "A Point of Connection": Pathways into the Professions  73

4. "Not a Novice": Prostitutes  105

5. "A Bad Reputation": Family and Sexuality  123

6. "What Surrounds Us Dissatisfies Us": Leftists and Union Members through the 1930s  148

7. "A Dike Against Reaction": Contesting Anti-Semitism, Fascism, and Peronism  172

8. "We the Women Have to Do Something": Philanthropies and Zionism  205

Conclusion  236

Appendix  249

Notes  257

Bibliography  319

Index  363

Winner, 2011 Latin American Jewish Studies Association Book Award

“The publication of Sandra McGee Deutsch’s Crossing Borders, Claiming a Nation marks a major contribution to the history of Jews in Argentina as well as to women’s history. Her nuanced and engaging stories of women from the right, the left, and the center of the Argentine Jewish community and their efforts to distinguish themselves beyond the realm of hearth and home represents the first major monograph on Jewish women in the Southern Hemisphere.”—Donna Guy, H-Judaic, H-Net Reviews

“This pioneering volume traces the history of Argentine Jewish women from the beginnings of Jewish immigration in 1880 through the presidency of Juan Perón. . . . Highly recommended.”—J. D. Sarna, Choice

“Well-researched and well-told, this work is worth reading, particularly in conjunction with other histories of international migration.”
—Mark D. Szuchman, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

“Based on a wide variety of primary and secondary sources, written documents and oral history, this book is highly recommended to anyone interested in Latin American ethnic studies or in the history of women in this region. It will be particularly helpful to students and scholars of Jewish Latin America.”—Raanan Rein, Hispanic American Historical Review

“Sandra McGee Deutsch’s book is a pioneering contribution to Latin American histories of immigration and state formation; it represents the first scholarly monograph to tell the story of immigrant women of any background in the region…. This is a fascinating and highly readable book that should inspire new research to determine just how exceptional Jewish Argentine women really were, and how their stories of national belonging compare to those of other immigrant and women’s groups in Latin America.”
—Jadwiga E. Pieper Mooney, American Historical Review

“I found this book almost impossible to put down. It is written in clear and elegant language, with a balance of historical archival research and personal oral histories… Her book is a magnificent historical meditation that explores a variety of topics in nation-building narratives, ranging from the roles of Jewish women in rural areas and their participation in establishing farms and communities to the roles of urban women in education, politics, and the arts… I am certain that this exemplary book will be a model for future historians interested in gender studies of immigration and Judaism, as well as the specific experience of Jewish women in Argentina… It is the work of a passionate and brilliant historian who is at the same time objective, accurate, deeply personal, and deeply human.”—Marjorie Agosin, The Outlook

“McGee Deutsch’s study is an important contribution to the historiography of women in Latin America. Although the field has expanded tremendously over the past several decades, this volume continues to remind us of just how much remains to be recovered, particularly regarding ethnically marginal groups. In fact, this book is the first major publication on women in an immigrant community in Latin America.”—Patricia Harms, Canadian Journal of History

“Deutsch’s valuable contribution to the scholarship on immigration is of great interest to any scholar of immigration, gender studies, or political activism. Furthermore, her use of anecdotes and her skills as a writer makes her work accessible to the general reader.”—Gregory Hammond, History: Reviews of New Books

“With this book, Deutsch demonstrates the power of women’s history to enlarge the dimensions of historical narrative. The originality of the present work lies in the idea that the ordinary and extraordinary activities of Argentine Jewish women constructed connections to a society that originally marginalised them, turning immigrants into Argentines and adding a Jewish element to Argentine identity.”—Judith Laikin Elkin, Bulletin of Latin American Research

Winner, 2011 Latin American Jewish Studies Association Book Award

“The publication of Sandra McGee Deutsch’s Crossing Borders, Claiming a Nation marks a major contribution to the history of Jews in Argentina as well as to women’s history. Her nuanced and engaging stories of women from the right, the left, and the center of the Argentine Jewish community and their efforts to distinguish themselves beyond the realm of hearth and home represents the first major monograph on Jewish women in the Southern Hemisphere.”—Donna Guy, H-Judaic, H-Net Reviews

“This pioneering volume traces the history of Argentine Jewish women from the beginnings of Jewish immigration in 1880 through the presidency of Juan Perón. . . . Highly recommended.”—J. D. Sarna, Choice

“Well-researched and well-told, this work is worth reading, particularly in conjunction with other histories of international migration.”
—Mark D. Szuchman, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

“Based on a wide variety of primary and secondary sources, written documents and oral history, this book is highly recommended to anyone interested in Latin American ethnic studies or in the history of women in this region. It will be particularly helpful to students and scholars of Jewish Latin America.”—Raanan Rein, Hispanic American Historical Review

“Sandra McGee Deutsch’s book is a pioneering contribution to Latin American histories of immigration and state formation; it represents the first scholarly monograph to tell the story of immigrant women of any background in the region…. This is a fascinating and highly readable book that should inspire new research to determine just how exceptional Jewish Argentine women really were, and how their stories of national belonging compare to those of other immigrant and women’s groups in Latin America.”
—Jadwiga E. Pieper Mooney, American Historical Review

“I found this book almost impossible to put down. It is written in clear and elegant language, with a balance of historical archival research and personal oral histories… Her book is a magnificent historical meditation that explores a variety of topics in nation-building narratives, ranging from the roles of Jewish women in rural areas and their participation in establishing farms and communities to the roles of urban women in education, politics, and the arts… I am certain that this exemplary book will be a model for future historians interested in gender studies of immigration and Judaism, as well as the specific experience of Jewish women in Argentina… It is the work of a passionate and brilliant historian who is at the same time objective, accurate, deeply personal, and deeply human.”—Marjorie Agosin, The Outlook

“McGee Deutsch’s study is an important contribution to the historiography of women in Latin America. Although the field has expanded tremendously over the past several decades, this volume continues to remind us of just how much remains to be recovered, particularly regarding ethnically marginal groups. In fact, this book is the first major publication on women in an immigrant community in Latin America.”—Patricia Harms, Canadian Journal of History

“Deutsch’s valuable contribution to the scholarship on immigration is of great interest to any scholar of immigration, gender studies, or political activism. Furthermore, her use of anecdotes and her skills as a writer makes her work accessible to the general reader.”—Gregory Hammond, History: Reviews of New Books

“With this book, Deutsch demonstrates the power of women’s history to enlarge the dimensions of historical narrative. The originality of the present work lies in the idea that the ordinary and extraordinary activities of Argentine Jewish women constructed connections to a society that originally marginalised them, turning immigrants into Argentines and adding a Jewish element to Argentine identity.”—Judith Laikin Elkin, Bulletin of Latin American Research

“Sandra McGee Deutsch has written a remarkable book, filled with compelling details and prodigious analysis, rich oral histories and archival research. The stories she tells come alive in ways no other scholar has achieved. Crossing Borders, Claiming a Nation is poised to become a classic.”—Temma Kaplan, author of Taking Back the Streets: Women, Youth, and Direct Democracy

“Crossing Borders, Claiming a Nation is a pioneering work, providing historical analysis of the multidimensional experiences of Jewish women in Argentina. It is a valuable and original piece of scholarship.”—Mariano Plotkin, author of Mañana es San Perón: A Cultural History of Perón’s Argentina

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