This article uses a theoretical framework of Jewish collective memory to analyze how the memory of Moisés Ville has evolved over time. It proposes that there are three inflection points in the memory of the town that correspond with physical movements to or from Moisés Ville. Each section of the paper concentrates on one of these movements. The first section explores the origins of the epithet “the Argentine Jerusalem.” The next section argues that departure of many Jews from Moisés Ville created a moisesvillense diaspora based on the shared memory of the Argentine Jerusalem and that this departure notably impacted the language of memory in Moisés Ville. The last section analyzes how the memory of Moisés Ville was recreated when the town became a tourist attraction at the end of the twentieth century. This section argues that tourism to Moisés Ville represents a pilgrimage for people with and without familial ties to Moisés Ville because both come to the town to experience the Argentine Jerusalem. The conclusion offers a reflection about the evolution and possible effects of tourism on the memory of Moisés Ville.
Weisberg, J. (2021). The Argentine Jerusalem: Mobility and the Memory of Moisés Ville. Cuadernos Judaicos, (38), pp. 318–331. https://doi.org/10.5354/0718-8749.2021.65788
