Fútbol, Jews, and the Making of Argentina

241 Pages·2014·1.51 MB·English

by  Raanan Rein

Fútbol, Jews, and the
Making oF argentina

F ú t b o l , J e w s ,
a n d t h e M a k i n g
o F a r g e n t i n a
raanan rein
Translated by Martha Grenzeback
Stanford University Press
Stanford, California
Stanford University Press
Stanford, California
©2015 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system without the prior written permission of Stanford University Press.
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free, archival-quality paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rein, Raanan, 1960– author.
[Bohemios de Villa Crespo. English]
Fútbol, Jews, and the making of Argentina / Raanan Rein ; translated by Martha Grenzeback.
pages cm
“A shorter, popularized version of this work was published in Spanish . . . under the title Los
bohemios de Villa Crespo: judíos y fútbol en la Argentina (Buenos Aires: Sudamericana, 2012).”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8047-9200-4 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-8047-9341-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Club Atlético Atlanta (Soccer team)—History. 2. Soccer teams—Argentina—Buenos
Aires—History. 3. Jews—Sports—Argentina—Buenos Aires—History. 4. Jews—Argentina—
Buenos Aires—Identity—History. 5. Soccer—Social aspects—Argentina—Buenos Aires—
History. 6. Villa Crespo (Buenos Aires, Argentina)—Social life and customs. 7. Buenos Aires
(Argentina)—Ethnic relations. I. Title.
GV943.6.C486R4513 2014
796.3340982'11—dc23
2014031078
ISBN 978-0-8047-9304-9 (electronic)
Typeset by Classic Typography in 10/14 Minion Pro
To my father, Shlomo, and my son, Omer,
who taught me what it means to love fútbol

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1 From Gringos to Criollos: The City and the Jews 15
2 The Cradle of Tango and Football: Villa Crespo
and the Essence of Buenos Aires 32
3 “The Wandering Jew”: Atlanta in Search of a Playing Field 50
4 Villa Crespo: The Promised Land 71
5 In the Shadow of Peronism 91
6 The Rise and Fall of a Neighborhood Caudillo 112
7 Victories, Fans, and Fight Songs 134
Epilogue 159
Notes 167
Bibliography 195
Index 215

illustr ations
Figures
I.1 The Fryds: Third generation of Atlanta fans 3
I.2 Atlanta fans celebrating, May 2011 5
1.1 Immigrants in Buenos Aires, 1900 17
2.1 Jews dominated the city’s textile industry 44
2.2 Football became a central activity for Jewish Argentine
children in Buenos Aires from at least the early 1920s 45
3.1 The inauguration of the River Plate stadium, 1917 51
3.2 Lifetime membership of Juan José Enrich, 1942 54
5.1 A sketch of the projected new stadium, 1946 103
6.1 León Kolbowski giving a speech to Atlanta fans 118
6.2 “Atlanta al frente,” April 4, 1958 120
6.3 Kolbowski supporters celebrating his electoral victory 124
7.1 Graffiti on a neighborhood wall 151
Maps
1.1 Buenos Aires neighborhoods of Once and Villa Crespo 27
2.1 Villa Crespo: Corrientes Avenue as the axis of daily life 34
Tables
1.1 The Jewish population in Argentina, 1895–1965 18
1.2 Jewish agricultural settlements established by JCA in Argentina 23
3.1 Biggest stadiums in Buenos Aires in the early 1930s 61
4.1 Membership of leading football clubs, 1910–1940 72