Antisemitism in Mexico dates to the establishment of the

Mexican Inquisition The Mexican Inquisition was an extension of the Spanish Inquisition into New Spain. The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was not only a political event for the Spanish, but a religious event as well. In the early 16th century, the Reformati ...

in the 16th Century which involved the persecution of Jews as well as others accused of being

crypto-Jews Crypto-Judaism is the secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith; practitioners are referred to as "crypto-Jews" (origin from Greek ''kryptos'' – , 'hidden'). The term is especially applied historically to Sp ...

.Kahan, S. (1940). The Jewish Community in Mexico. Contemporary Jewish Record, 1(1940). This early form of

anti-Judaism Anti-Judaism is the "total or partial opposition to Judaism as a religion—and the total or partial opposition to Jews as adherents of it—by persons who accept a competing system of beliefs and practices and consider certain genuine Judai ...

morphed over the centuries. In modern times, manifestations of antisemitism in Mexico have occurred throughout the 20th Century at various historical moments, although without forming official state policy. Similarly, such incidents have continued to be present in the early 21st Century. In the early 20th Century, Mexican attitudes towards Jews was characterised as one of sympathetic curiosity, and immigration was permitted during the period when the United States and Canada had closed its borders. Subsequently, concerns over increased Jewish immigration led to public protests, anti-Jewish sentiments were expressed in local newspapers, and antisemitic campaigns were initiated to boycott Jewish businesses. Notwithstanding the migration issue, the full extent of antisemitic activity during this period cannot be attributed to the sole cause of Jewish immigration. In this period, manifestations of antisemitism were documented; however, they seldomly were expressed through physical violence. Manifestations of antisemitism in Mexico that have persisted into the 21st Century include the use of swastika graffiti along with hateful language, the targeting of Jewish public intellectuals, media personalities, and politicians. Targets of antisemitic speech included Claudia Sheinbaum, who successfully ran for the Mexican presidency in 2024. Incidents and trends of antisemitism are tracked by the Jewish community organization, Tribuna Israelita. In 2014, the

Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...

Global100 survey results found that 24% of the adult population harbor antisemitic views and beliefs.

In popular culture

* ''

El Santo Oficio ''The Holy Office'' ( es, El santo oficio) is a 1974 Mexican drama film directed by Arturo Ripstein. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival and won the Silver Goddess for Best Film in 1974 awarded by the Mexican Cin ...

'' (''The Holy Office''), a 1974 film directed and co-written by Arturo Ripstein exploring the antisemitism during the period of the Mexican Inquisition.Aguilar, Carlos (2023)
"The greatest Mexican filmmaker you've never heard of"
''LA Times''. September 12, 2023. Accessed June 4, 2024.

References

{{North America in topic, Antisemitism in Mexico Jews and Judaism in Mexico Discrimination in Mexico Antisemitism in Mexico

In popular culture

Further reading

See also

References