Description
Address: Medrano al 100 (La Sinagoga)
Link: www.coloniajudiamedanos.com.ar
Mail: [email protected]
Medanos is a city in the Southwest corner of the Province of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
In Argentina starting in 1889, Jewish colonies were formed through the leadership of the Jewish Colonization Association in the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. Medanos, a town in the south of Buenos Aires, became an attactive location for some of the local Jews.
In Medanos, the first Jewish organization was founded in 1913 through an initiative of Simón Gueler, who lent his home to perform the first gathering there.
By 1916 there was a large number of Jewish families (over 100) living in Medanos.
They opened a cemetery to bury their dead, a synagogue to practice their faith, ritual baths to adjust to religious norms and an ethnical organization to satisfy their socail needs.
In 1925 the local Jewish community had another organization: the "Israelite Union Youth Center".
Its proximity to the more developed city of Bahia Blanca brought upon the migration of the most important Jewish businemess into the city, starting in the 1930s.
Medanos was a small town and its fields did not provide enough substinence.
SYNAGOGUE
Address: Medrano 100.
Declared Provincial Historical Monument. Its construction began in 1913 and its inauguration took place two years later.
It is currently one of the few sites that speak of the Jewish history of the town. Its last reform was in 1970.
The two Torah scrolls that used to be in the Aron Hakodesh and that came from Europe were donated to the synagogue in Trelew and the Israeli Embassy in Argentina, after the 1992 attack that destroyed the diplomatic office.
It has a red carpet that leads to the Bimah, located in the center of the temple.
There is also a silver menorah on a desk that was brought by the first Jews of Medanos in the early 20th century. There is an iron chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling, and above it there is a golden circle with an engraved Magen David and Hebrew inscriptions.
CEMETERY
Location: In front of the municipal cemetery, two kilometers away from the central square, over an asphalt street knows as the Ombucta road.
It is estimated that the Jewish Cemetery of Medanos was inaugurated some time between 1901 and 1904.
FORMER ISRAELITE UNION YOUTH CENTER
Address: San Martin 228.
This building was inaugurated in 1932 under the name Israelite Union Youth Center.
It is also the place where the third and last Hebrew school of Medanos used to be, until 1986.
"THE STAR" BAKERY
A bakery with great history for the Jewish colony of Medanos.
One of the children of the Ordines family, currently the owners of the store, takes the orders and helps the costumers in the bakery. They sell the same crackers as Ezequiel Goldin, the first owner of the store, used to make in the 50s.
The old tiles, the oven, the high cieling and some of the racks that currently display the pastries are the same ones from Goldin's time. If you pass through Medanos, don't forget to stop by and try the braided bread.
