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Sculpture of Albert Einstein, Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico City’s trendy La Condesa neighborhood is populated with cafés, fashionable boutiques, and tourists. The hipster neighborhood, however, is also a hub for Mexico’s Jewish population. [1] Parque México, located in the heart of La Condesa, features a famous bust of Albert Einstein. The sizable bronze sculpture was erected in February 1980 and boasts the inscription “A gift from the Israeli community.” [2] Created by famed Mexican sculptural portraitist and Ukrainian Jewish immigrant Tosia Malamud, the sculpture of Albert Einstein celebrates the neighborhood’s historic Jewish community. [3]
Description
Setting: La Condesa is home to the beloved Nidje Israel Synagogue, one of the first synagogues in Mexico City, as well as many other smaller Orthodox synagogues. [4] In between the neighborhood’s new, trendy restaurants, visitors will find kosher delis and numerous Jewish museums. The bust itself is encompassed by Parque México’s lush greenery and expansive walking path system.
The park is home to another—and surprisingly similar looking, Albert Einstein sculpture commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The bust, unveiled in 2015, reads: “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not a person or an object.” [5] Next to the sculpture, visitors will find the water clock, which was a donated by the Armenian community as a token of gratitude for their ability to seek refuge in Mexico following the 1915 genocide. [6] Although Einstein does not have a clear connection to the Armenian Genocide, he is remembered as an outspoken opponent of genocide, specifically that of the Holocaust.
Jewish History: La Condesa’s robust Jewish community is a result of surges in Jewish migration in from the 1920s until post World War II. [7] Fleeing anti-Semitism in Europe, large waves of Ashkenazi Jews journeyed towards the United States. Initially, Mexico acted as a stopping point for Jewish immigrants on their way to the United States, however, many permanently settled in Mexico City after the enforcement of restrictive immigration quotas in the United States. [8] The Jewish populations eventually relocated from Mexico City to La Condesa throughout the 1930s and 1940s. During this period, Yiddish became the unofficial language of Parque México and the surrounding neighborhood. [9] Celebrating the neighborhood’s Jewish heritage, the Albert Einstein sculpture was erected in Parque México in 1980. There is not much information known about the sculpture itself, nevertheless, it is a representation of the Jewish community’s long history in La Condesa.
Current Status: Although the bust originally featured a plaque on its face, today the plaque is missing, and it is unknown why or who removed the plaque. Recent photos of the sculpture unfortunately reveal that it has been defaced with blue graffiti.
Sources
Footnotes:
[1] Alan Grabinski. "Roma, Mexico City Area of Oscar Frontrunner, Was a Jewish Neighborhood." The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. January 30, 2019. https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Roma-Mexico-City-area-of-Oscar-frontrunner-was-a-Jewish-neighborhood-579167.
[2] Vivienne Stanton. "The Many Faces of Jewish Mexico | Diario Judío México." Diario Judío: Diario De La Vida Judía En México Y El Mundo. September 14, 2017. https://diariojudio.com/opinion/the-many-faces-of-jewish-mexico/6217/.
[3] Manuel Taifeld. "Tosia Malamud, Gran Retratista Escultórica | Diario Judío México." Diario Judío: Diario De La Vida Judía En México Y El Mundo. October 17, 2013. https://diariojudio.com/comunidad-judia-mexico/tosia-malamud-gran-retratista-escultorica/11314/.
[4] Alan Grabinsky. "A Year after the Mexico City Quake, Many Jewish Organizations Still Have No Home." The Times of Israel. September 24, 2018. https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-year-after-the-mexico-city-quake-many-jewish-organizations-still-have-no-home/.
[5] "Parque México, Un Espacio Verde Y Cultural De La Ciudad." El Sol De México. January 7, 2016. https://www.elsoldemexico.com.mx/cultura/Parque-México-un-espacio-verde-y-cultural- de-la-ciudad-239175.html.
[6] Jay Nordlinger. "Mexico City Journal, Part I." National Review. February 06, 2018. https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/02/street-food-soccer-and-moose-mexico-city-journal-part-i/
[7] Alan Grabinski. "Tour Guide Monica Unikel Preserves Mexico City's Jewish History." Tablet Magazine. October 30, 2017. https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/245800/jewish-history-in-mexico-city.
[8] United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES 1933–41” Collections Highlights.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/immigration-to-the-united-states-1933-41
[9] Stanton. "The Many Faces.”
Bibliography:
Grabinsky, Alan. "A Year after the Mexico City Quake, Many Jewish Organizations Still Have No Home." The Times of Israel. September 24, 2018. https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-year-after-the-mexico-city-quake-many-jewish-organizations-still-have-no-home/.
Grabinski, Alan. "Roma, Mexico City Area of Oscar Frontrunner, Was a Jewish Neighborhood." The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. January 30, 2019. https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Roma-Mexico-City-area-of-Oscar-frontrunner-was-a-Jewish-neighborhood-579167.
Grabinski, Alan. "Tour Guide Monica Unikel Preserves Mexico City's Jewish History." Tablet Magazine. October 30, 2017. https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/245800/jewish-history-in-mexico-city.
Nordlinger, Jay. "Mexico City Journal, Part I." National Review. February 06, 2018. https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/02/street-food-soccer-and-moose-mexico-city-journal-part-i/
"Parque México, Un Espacio Verde Y Cultural De La Ciudad." El Sol De México. January 7, 2016. https://www.elsoldemexico.com.mx/cultura/Parque-México-un-espacio-verde-y-cultural- de-la-ciudad-239175.html.
Stanton, Vivienne. "The Many Faces of Jewish Mexico | Diario Judío México." Diario Judío: Diario De La Vida Judía En México Y El Mundo. September 14, 2017. https://diariojudio.com/opinion/the-many-faces-of-jewish-mexico/6217/.
Taifeld, Manuel. "Tosia Malamud, Gran Retratista Escultórica | Diario Judío México." Diario Judío: Diario De La Vida Judía En México Y El Mundo. October 17, 2013. https://diariojudio.com/comunidad-judia-mexico/tosia-malamud-gran-retratista-escultorica/11314/.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES 1933–41” Collections Highlights. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/immigration-to-the-united-states-1933-41
Researched and composed by Madeline Hudalla June 30, 20
Additional Resources
Greenberg, Max. "Here's Why Mexican and Jewishness Have Always Been A Thing." We Are Mitú. September 21, 2017. Accessed June 20, 2019. https://wearemitu.com/culture/identity/why-being-mexican-and-jewish-is-not-a-new-phenomenon/.
Stavans, Ilan. "Return to Centro Histórico." Moment Magazine - The Next 5,000 Years of Conversation Begin Here. August 11, 2016. Accessed June 20, 2019. https://www.momentmag.com/return-to-centro-historico/.