Simon Rubinstein or Rubenstein ( fl. 1900-1939) was an Argentine Jewish businessman and pimp, who headed the criminal organization

Ashkenazum The Ashkenazum was an organized crime group active in Argentina in the first half of the 20th century. Ashkenazum was founded by Simon Rubinstein as a splinter group from the larger Zwi Migdal, an organized crime group that stretched across five ...

, an offshoot of the larger

Zwi Migdal Zwi Migdal ( yi, צבי מגדל, Polish: Cwi Migdał) was an organized-crime group by Polish Jewish individuals, founded in Poland and based mainly in Argentina, that trafficked in Jewish women from Central Europe for sexual slavery and forced ...

, in the first half of the 20th century.

Biography

Rubinstein arrived in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

from Odessa in the year 1900, and quickly became the owner of a condom factory. He was a very successful businessman and was heavily involved in the silk trade of the country. At some point he became involved with the Zwi Migdal, which trafficked thousands of Jewish women from

shtetls A shtetl or shtetel (; yi, שטעטל, translit=shtetl (singular); שטעטלעך, romanized: ''shtetlekh'' (plural)) is a Yiddish term for the small towns with predominantly Ashkenazi Jewish populations which existed in Eastern Europe before ...

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

across the world for sex slavery. He founded a splinter group of the Zwi Migdal, called the Ashkenazum, and had over 700 agents working for him in Argentina. Members included pimps, madams, ''porteras'' as well as the spouses of the male members. He was the owner of most of the ''bordellos'' in

San Fernando San Fernando may refer to: People *Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia Places Argentina *San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...

, a city in the province of

. Rubinstein was said to be so well connected that he stored the furniture for a Buenos Aires judge in one of his brothels. The Ashkenazum was a financial success, and like the Zwi Migdal, had a plot of land and a cemetery of its own on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.Kupferboim, Rona. “Argentine Jewry's Dark Secret.” Ynet News, Jewish World, 25 May 2007.
/ref> The sex trafficking trade was dismantled after a former member betrayed it to authorities, leading to the conviction and deportation of 108 pimps to

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

References

1880s births 1965 deaths Argentine pimps Jews from the Russian Empire Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Argentina Businesspeople from Buenos Aires {{sex-stub

Biography

See also

References