ABSTRACT
The radical anti-Semitism of such movements in Eastern and Central Europe in the interwar period is well known. Italian Fascists, with a few exceptions, treated Jews with relative tolerance until Mussolini developed close ties with Germany in the late 1930s. As the Jewish community’s fears indicated, anti-Semitism preceded the mass arrival of Jews. It was apparent at the time of the War of the Pacific, which created a labor shortage and, in turn, prompted a public debate on the merits of immigration. Only about 100 Jews lived in Chile by the early 1900s, criticism of alleged Jewish business abuses had become common. Sometimes such views intertwined with traditional Catholic anti-Semitism. When the masses burned Judas in effigy during holy week, they commonly identified this figure with hated businessmen. The most flagrant example of anti-Semitism was Raza chilena by Nicolas Palacios, a doctor who had practiced among nitrate workers in the north.
