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Why are Villa Crespo and Once associated with Jewish communities in Buenos Aires?

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Panoramic aerial view of Buenos Aires, Argentina, featuring the Obelisk monument, wide avenues lined with trees, and dense city buildings under a blue sky. — Buenos Aires Aerial view of the city center, including the obelisk (center), Buenos Aires.

While Buenos Aires does not have strictly defined ethnic neighborhoods, Villa Crespo and Once are historically recognized as Jewish neighborhoods because many smaller minority groups in the city have tended to settle close to one another in tightly knit communities.1

These areas became centers for Jewish life as immigrants established ethnically based mutual-aid societies and social clubs, reflecting a broader pattern of settlement where various immigrant groups formed concentrated communities throughout the city. Today, Argentina is home to the largest Jewish community in South America, with approximately four-fifths of the country's 250,000 Jews residing in Buenos Aires.12

It is worth noting that these neighborhoods are not exclusively Jewish; for instance, Once has also become a significant concentration point for Korean immigrants.1