The Libertad Temple (officially named "Libertad Temple - Israeli Congregation of the Argentine Republic") is the first synagogue in the city of Buenos Aires.
In 1862, the Israelite Congregation of Buenos Aires was established (later renamed), the first institution of the Jewish community in Argentina. For many years, the Jewish community living in Buenos Aires gathered in a private home to perform their religious rites until 1871, when the government of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento first sanctioned the activities of the Jewish rabbinate in the country, and Rabbi Henry Joseph became its first spiritual authority. From 1879, he engaged in charity as well as the registration of births, marriages, and deaths within the community. In the same year, he began raising funds to acquire a plot of land to create a cemetery where Jews could be buried according to their ritual. In 1891, the first Jewish school and the Latin American Israeli community, which united Moroccan Jews, also emerged in Buenos Aires.
In 1889, with the assistance of Baron Hirsch, the congregation acquired a plot of land on Libertad Street in Buenos Aires to build a synagogue. On September 27, 1897, they laid the foundation opposite the site of the so-called Miro Palace (now Lavalle Square), from which the first synagogue in the city would be built, at a ceremony attended by the municipal manager Francisco Alcobendas. Due to the significant growth of the Jewish community, the building constructed here was completely remodeled in 1932 and acquired its current appearance. The design of this renovation was developed by architect Norman and engineers Alexander Enkin and Eugenio Gantner. The construction company belonged to engineers Ricchieri, Yaroslavsky, and Texe.
The building has no defined style: there is a clear influence of Romanesque and Byzantine styles. On the facade is a semicircular arch surrounded by sculptural stucco decorations; in the center of the arch is half of a giant horn supported by columns. Above it is the Star of David with six points. The hands on the front door represent the gesture with which the ancient priests of Jerusalem blessed. At the top of the temple are the Tablets with the Ten Commandments from the Book of Exodus. On the iron fence separating the building from the road are twelve medallions representing the twelve tribes of Israel, founded by Moses. The front of the temple faces Jerusalem, located to the East. Natural light enters through the eastern window onto the place in the temple where the Torah is kept. The design was inspired by the grand German synagogues of the 19th century.
The temple, having a solemn appearance, is designed to accommodate 700 worshippers. It has three high naves; the main one, with four marble columns—two on each side—supports the upper side galleries located in the narrow side naves. The walls, with laconic and solemn decoration, are finished in the style of Parisian stone. The floor is laid with granite tiles. The front of the nave is oriented toward Jerusalem, the faithful toward the East. And precisely above the eastern end of the apse with stained glass windows, natural light shines on the place where the Torah is kept. This apse ends with a half-dome, decorated inside with a golden oyster shell pattern. In its center is the scepter of David. In the basement is a crypt for various professions. Among the interior furnishings, the Menorah and the organ above the Ark stand out.
One of the treasures of the Libertad Temple is the symphonic organ. The instrument was specially made for the Buenos Aires synagogue in 1931 by the prestigious German firm Walcker from the city of Ludwigsburg.
Since almost all synagogues in Germany were destroyed during the Nazi terror, the organ in the synagogue of the Israelite Congregation is one of the three surviving Walcker organs in the world made for synagogues before 1933.
Fifteen years after the instrument was taken out of service, on June 8, 2017, in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the organ was reopened after restoration supported by the Cultural Preservation Program of the Federal Foreign Office of the German government. This restoration was carried out with the support of the Federal Foreign Office, made by Argentine specialists between 2016 and 2017 using new pipes produced in Germany.
This visit was regarded by the German government "as a historic event and an event of great significance for the official German delegation"; in a letter sent by the German ambassador Casa Franco, as well as to Professor Enrique Rimoldi, a veteran organist responsible for the repair.
Under the musical direction of Carlos Vitas, in addition to being used for religious services, the organ is also used for weekly concerts in the synagogue in cooperation with Teatro Colón. The instrument is listed among the historic musical organs of the city of Buenos Aires.
Nobel Prize laureate in Physics Albert Einstein passed by the building during his visit to Argentina in 1925 to give lectures. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the current Pope Francis, visited the synagogue in 2007 when he was then Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
In a small hotel adjacent to the temple is the Congregation’s Community Center; and in the neighboring building operates the Jewish Museum of Buenos Aires. This museum, opened in 1967 on the initiative of Dr. Salvador Kibrik, follows the characteristic scheme of many city synagogues by placing a museum with objects of sacred, historical, or artistic value next to the temple.
It includes a Feedback Area, an Art Gallery, and a Library. It is dedicated to collecting, researching, teaching, and disseminating Jewish identity outside religious, political, dogmatic, or sectoral frameworks; it is aimed at all people interested in the life of Jews in Argentina. The museum houses, in particular, original manuscripts of Alberto Gerchunoff’s book "Jewish Gauchos." The collection is devoted to Jewish culture and contains a small exhibition shedding light on Argentine Jewish cowboys (gauchos). These pioneers were assisted through the Jewish Colonization Association (JCA), founded by Baron Maurice de Hirsch. The JCA persuaded them to become farmers in rural Argentina. Today, remnants of JCA colonies can be found about nine hours’ drive from the town of Moisés Ville, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The museum also holds documentation on the history of Jewish immigration to Argentina, as well as documents from Argentine writers and public figures belonging to this community.
Sources:
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templo_Libertad_-_Congregaci%C3%B3n_Israelita_de_la_Rep%C3%BAblica_Argentina
https://thecjn.ca/news/walk-buenos-aires-tough-jewish-history/
