Dinorah Isaak

Almost everything in Mexico City's Centro Histórico seems to sit atop the ruins of something else, and the beautifully renovated colonial building which houses the Instituto México-Israel is no exception. The fact that it is a former Catholic convent and hospital only adds dimension to its current function as the most important repository of Jewish culture in Mexico.

Image:Luz Montero

Dinorah Isaak, director of the Instituto México-Israel in Mexico City.

Dinorah Isaak, general director of the Institute, speaks animatedly about its work. A privately funded organization, the Institute has roots going back to 1947, when a group of prominent Jews formed an association to promote Jewish history and tradition. Working in the areas of art, music, literature, business, and science, the Institute mounts exhibits, concerts, conferences, and seminars all over Mexico. Their displays of Jewish culture, documentation of the immigration of Jews to Mexico, and a library of books and film are all open to the public; the Institute's premise is that knowledge is the enemy of prejudice, and its activities provide opportunities to put names and faces to Mexico's minority Jewish community.

Although her work at the Institute focuses on the public, I wanted to learn about Ms. Isaak's personal experiences as a Jew in Mexico.

Do you experience prejudice here?

"Not really. But since Mexico is more than 90 percent Catholic, there's a lot of ignorance and misinformation out there. Many people have never knowingly met a Jew. And yes, there are still people out there who think that Jews have horns, but [people are] generally tolerant. At worst, they see us as extranjeros, not real Mexicans."

How do you account for Mexicans' generally tolerant attitudes?

"The Catholic religion was imposed by force on the native population here.

I think there's a genetic memory of ancient beliefs and customs that creates empathy with other repressed groups."

If some ideas and attitudes about Jews are mistaken, are there others that are correct? Is there a world view that can be described as Jewish?

"Definitely. I see being a Jew as following certain ethical laws and living a certain lifestyle, which is more important than praying or religious practices. There's a strong sense of taking care of one another that's part of Jewish culture. You don't see many homeless or starving Jews. That's a point we have in common with Mexican family culture. Jews are often stigmatized as money lenders. In fact, for many centuries Jews were not permitted to own property, so they had more of their wealth in cash, and became the money-lenders by necessity. But making money for its own sake is not really a Jewish value. One of the most important uses of money is to create work for others. We have a dogma called tzadaka, the injunction to share impelled by justice, not pity."

I notice that you don't mention God or sin: How do you relate to these concepts?

"Praying to God for help for ourselves is not important to us. You ask for others, not for yourself."

After a career in the field of communications, including several years at Televisa, Dinorah Isaak decided to devote her efforts to her community. In 2007 she made a documentary film, Listening to Israel, and is currently working on another. She became director of the Institute last year. "I love Mexico, but my dream is to move to Israel one day and spend my last years there, promoting what I learned as a child, el amor al prójimo, love of my neighbor."

The Instituto Cultural Mexico-Israel is located in the centro histórico of Mexico City at República de El Salvador No. 41. Their website is mexico-israel.org.

Jim Johnston is author of Mexico City: an Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler. His blog is mexicocitydf.blogspot.com