This is just a very personal point of view
there have been jews in Peru as far back in memory as during the Spanish conquest of these lands, but the Spanish Inquisition needs a chapter by itself and there was no such country called Peru back then. In modern times we can divide the jewish peruvian immigration to this land into two main waves. The first one starting at the end of the last century. They settled down soon enough and became quite prosperous but it lasted until a war between Chile and Peru broke out (1879-1884). Peru lost the war, this brought about the collapse of its economy. Jews in Peru fled to other promised lands and the few that remained here were quite reluctant to keep an already jewish community in agony going. they mingled with the local people until they were almost in extintion.
The second wave of european and northafrican jews landed on the peruvian shore during the twenties. They kept coming at a steady pace till the late thirties when the doors were partially closed down to european jews only for political reasons. What drove them leave their wifes and family behind to come to this remote and almost virgin country? There were already the two largest communities in america, the States to the north and Argentina to the south. Sure enough they didn't come visit Macchu Picchu, the indian fortress so popular to modern israeli jews indulging themselves at the end of their long draft, Macchu Picchu was yet to be discovered as a touristic spot.
Some adventurers got here from Brazil when their risky enterprise there left no profit any more. South America was believed to be the place they could become rich soon enough, and in most cases that turned out to be true, it was also the land to enjoy individual freedom, civil and religous rights. they were blessed with fortune and peace and set out to build a jewish life here through jewish institutions also. At present they are suddenly faced with a reality that shows a different picture. The ugly face of poverty in some cases, the crumbling down of an organized jewish life and the need of coming to terms with a new jewish identity or less than an identity at all, which by the way are only the local expressions of a widespread search for, all over the diaspora especially in small ones like this one.
For the first time jewish leaders find out that there's a wide bridge now between the rich and the poor, most jews in between. The myth of the wealthy jews fell into pieces. And the burden of keeping things going fell on very few shoulders. The well known jewish solidarity for their brethren is wearing off, the jewish institutions suffer a chronic lack of money making it difficult sometimes to provide a good service to the community through the Jevra Kadisha, the Bikur Holim, the cemetery and probably the most in need for schlarships are the students attending the only jewish school in Peru, the Leon Pinelo, which is regarded as a well-known and prestigous institution not only here but also abroad. Not to mention the fact that Israel is now considered the big brother, if brother at all, well-off and no more in need of our solidarity.
No doubt, what struck peruvian jews and jews around the world the most, is the need we have to redefine our lack of, or small or confused jewish identity, at a personal level and as members of a people with a common destiny. the alarming mingling with non-jews. Do we want to live with other people or into them? The western world has posed such a challenge to us. The old ghetto cannot protect us from an hostile invironment because they are no more hostile, even the very nature of the ghetto has changed where the synagogue was at the centre of every activity. And the ancient struggle for power between the so called orthodoxs and conservatives. Thank God we have only two parties around here.
A close look at jewish life for our kids here needs spliting time into two periods. the before and the after school. School life spans from the moment they turn three to the moment they finish high school at 16/17. During which life evolves around the school, the one and only sports club, and the zionist movement, Hanoar Hatzioni, which is the only one that survived the ideological debates. But took away the opportunity so dear to jews, to choose to go wherever you feel more at ease with what you believe in.
There's no such thing as college in these countries. After graduating from school you go to the university. And this is a point of no return to what used to be your nest. They meet new people, different in so many ways but at the same time sharing the same feelings young people do and they start developing a bond between them of universal love and friendship where the old prejudice against jews has almost died entirely, at least at campus where having fun and enjoying life is a priority. Quite a number go study abroad and to their parents' dismay remain abroad. In a community of only 2.500 to 3.000 jews, children, men, women included this becomes a serious problem. As parents we are running out of arguments ourselves to explain our children why they shouldn't marry foreigners. Many go to Israel. And we sigh in relief.
Friday nights rabbis feel fortunate to have a good flock going to synagogue. There's a sephardic one and there are two for european jews. For daily prayers things get complicated. Many times minian is reached thanks to people reciting Kaddish for their dead loved ones. This is a conservative community, whatever that means in our everchanging jewish societies. But one could say that the patient here is showing good health. Mixed marriages are frequent enough. If the non-jew is the man the children are in almost all cases raised as jews with the consent of the father. When the non-jew is the woman things get a bit more complicated, sometimes she goes to Miami for a quick convertion which almost no one takes seriously, or she doesn't convert but agrees to send their children to the jewish school. This is a Roman Catholic country so things seem to go either way. In general these couples choose our way. In more open societies like those of Argentina or the United States they would have probably felt no need to make any choise.
Jewish men and women in Peru have been successful in every field of human activities. Not so long ago a jew was appointed minister of government and of foreign affairs. Well-known psychoanalists and psychologists are among them. Jewish leaders will have to step aside soon and give the chance to new ones to face our future. Modern leaders need a closer relantionship with all members of the community, in a more democratic manner, maybe, and try to find answers to questions as to who do we think we are?, where are we heading? What do we want?. Patience and tolerance to cope with what tears us apart and concentring in the huge many things that keep us together.
As one People. And One People Only.