It is surprising to many, but Argentina has a large population of Jews. The question people ask is “Why?” I wondered the same thing. This is what I learned after reading up on the subject.

• Argentina is home to around 250,000 Jews, making it the sixth largest Jewish community in the world, and the biggest in Latin America.
• The vast majority of Argentina’s Jewish population is now located in Buenos Aires. There are smaller communities found in other parts of the country, especially Rosario, Córdoba and Santa Fe.
• 85% of the Jews in Argentina descend from France, Germany and Eastern Europe. The remaining 15 % are descendants of those from the Iberian Peninsula, the Middle East and North Africa. The majority of the 15% are Orthodox.
• A small amount of Jewish settlers came to Argentina very early on, to evade the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitions. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries some came as ‘conversos’ or secret Jews.
• After Argentina gained independence from Spain 1816, there was a spike in Jewish immigration, mostly from France, with others coming from England and Germany.
• At the turn of the 20th century another wave of immigration diversified the community, with Sephardic Jews arriving from Turkey and North Africa.
• In the 20th century Jewish immigration to Argentina peaked following both world wars and the Holocaust.
• According to the 1960 national census, there were 275,913 Jews living in Argentina, though it is believed that this figure was more like 310,000, representing the peak of the Argentine Jewish population in the 20th century.

Since the first surge of Jewish settlers, Argentina has been both a safe haven and a place of persecution for Jews. Today Jews in Argentina are in need of the same transforming Gospel as the Argentines. Pray for them with me.

We are continuing the series, “Questions I am asked”. I am often asked, “What is the weather like in Argentina?”. In fact, I am asked this question almost weekly. While this does not really focus in on the spiritual position of Argentines, it is a question people frequently ask. The answer however, is not a concise one.

Argentina is vast. There is a subtropical climate in the northeast of the country. There is no dry season there, which makes the area the most humid in the country. Over in the west, in Mendoza, the climate is very dry. While it is hot and humid in the north, the south is quite different.

There are glaciers and penguins in the south of Argentina! Ushuaia, the southern most city in Argentina, does not get as cold as some might think, but still has a sub-polar climate.

Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, is close to the same distance to the equator as Atlanta, GA (there is only about a 60 mile difference). There are four seasons in the capital, albeit spring and autumn can be volatile. The city almost never gets snow because it is on the River Plate. The summers are very humid and are usually in the 80’s F.

So the weather in Argentina is truly dependent on where you are in the country. Although the climate is different in various locales, the need is the same. Every city, town, village, and house needs the Gospel of Jesus!

General: Albania is set on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, with Montenegro and Serbia to the north, Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the south. A little larger than Maryland, Albania is composed of two major regions: a mountainous highland region (north, east, and south) making up 70% of the land area, and a western coastal lowland region that contains the most densely populated part of Albania.

Population: 3,020,000

Gospel Need: Largest religion is Islam

• Islam – 62.4%
• Christian – 30.4%
• Evangelical (those who believe in salvation by faith in Jesus) – 0.5%
• Other – 6.7%

Albania is in need of Gospel laborers. There are fewer long-term missionaries now than in the initial rush after the country opened; more committed workers are needed. For more information, click here.