An Unexpected Visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina 

Traveling is always an educational experience. In March, my husband, Ira, and I traveled to South America. We started our trip with a Jewish tour of Buenos Aires that included a visit to the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano (Latin American Rabbinical Seminary). 

Did you know Buenos Aires has the largest Jewish Community in Latin America? 

The Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano, also known as the Marshall T. Meyer Latin American Rabbinical Seminary, was founded in 1962 by Rabbi Marshall T. Meyer (z“l). The Seminario is one of JTS’s educational affiliates, with satellites in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. It is the academic, cultural, and religious center of Conservative/Masorti Judaism in Latin America. The main goal of the Seminario is to train and ordain rabbis with the aim of spreading and perpetuating Judaism in Latin American communities. Many members of the Seminario faculty were trained at JTS. Seminario students spend a year in Israel, often studying with rabbinical students from Israel and New York. More than 100 rabbis, including 10 female rabbis, have been ordained. Other Jewish study programs are offered, including cantorial training, graduate programs in Jewish studies leading to MA and PhD degrees, teacher training for primary and secondary schools, and many other cultural and educational programs. The Seminario also includes training institutes to prepare scribes (sofarim) to write religious documents such as Torah scrolls and parchments for mezuzot, and mohalim who can perform religious circumcision ceremonies (brit milah).  

At the Seminario we met Rabbi Ari Burzstein, Dean of Academic Affairs. It was so nice of him to keep our appointment even though school was on summer break (December–mid March). The Seminario campus is two four-story buildings comprising a small synagogue, classrooms, meeting rooms, and a library.  

Rabbi Burzstein was very proud of the accomplishments his school has made. He talked with us in the Seminario Library, which houses the largest Judaica library in Latin America with approximately 63,000 volumes in Hebrew, English, Spanish, German, Yiddish, French, and Italian. I asked if I could see a Haggadah, as Pesah is my favorite holiday and I have a collection of Hagaddot from around the world. Rabbi Burzstein showed me the Haggadah translated into Spanish by the Seminario, printed in 1982 and now out of print. I took photos of a few pages. Interestingly, Rabbi Burztein shared that enrollment has increased significantly since the pandemic began and they initiated virtual classes. He stated that only 10 percent of the students are from local areas. They have 30-40 students in the rabbinical program (a four- or five-year program) and 100 in the graduate programs. 

It was thrilling for me to see the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano after raising funds for Torah Fund for over three decades! I thanked Rabbi Burzstein for taking the time to tell us about the Seminario and I hope many reading this article will be able to visit soon. 

Donate to support the students of the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano.