List of Latin American Jews
Since immigration began in the late 19th century, the Jewish population of Latin America has risen to more than 500,000 — more than half of whom live in Argentina, with large communities also present in Brazil and Mexico. Here is a list of some prominent Latin American Jews, arranged by country of origin.
Argentina
- Daniel Barenboim, conductor & pianist
- Laszlo Biro, inventor
- Andrés Calamaro, singer/songwriter
- Gregory Chaitin, mathematician (Argentinian parents)
- Giora Feidman, klezmer musician
- Osvaldo Golijov, classical composer
- Mauricio Kagel, classical composer
- Daniela Krukower, judo world champion
- César Milstein, immunologist, Nobel prize (1984)
- Miguel Najdorf, chess player
- Lalo Schifrin, composer
- Juan Pablo Sorin, football player
- Jacobo Timerman, journalist
- Horacio Verbitsky, journalist
Brazil
- Hector Babenco, film director
- Adriana Behar, beach volleyball player
- Daniel Benzali, TV actor
- Otto Maria Carpeaux, literary critic
- Vilém Flusser, philosopher
- Ithamara Koorax, jazz singer
- Jaime Lerner, Paraná governor, urban planner
- Clarice Lispector, writer
- Oscar Niemeyer, architect
- Ivo Perelman, jazz saxophonist
- Flora Purim, jazz singer
- Silvio Santos, TV show host
- Lasar Segall, artist
Chile
Cuba
- Ruth Behar, writer
- Jamie-Lynn DiScala, actress (converted Cuban mother)
- Fabio Grobart, communist party co-founder
El Salvador
- Juan Lindo, president (1841) (half Jewish)
Honduras
- Juan Lindo, president (1847) (half Jewish)
- Ricardo Maduro, president (2002) (born in Panama)
Mexico
Panama
- Eric Arturo Delvalle, president (1987)
Peru
Uruguay
- Gisele Ben-Dor, conductor
Venezuela
