DANIEL SHOER ROTH
 El Nuevo Herald

 They get married in temples such as Aventura Turnberry or Beth Torah of North
 Miami Beach, but they use two rabbis in the ceremonies: one who officiates in
 English and the other in Spanish.

 At the reception they offer herring, salmon, bagels and cream cheese; but they
 dance to merengue, cumbia and salsa. The wedding gift lists are at
 Bloomingdales or Macy's, although they request Latin American art as gifts.

 In Miami-Dade, marriages of this kind have become common. Latin American
 Jews have found a Jerusalem in this county where they can feel at home in a
 synthesis of their cultures.

 Fleeing from the economic, political and personal safety problems of their
 homelands, Jews from various Latin American countries are coming here more
 and more in search of a better quality of life.

 ``They came because in Miami they found a favorable environment where they
 could maintain their Jewish identity and function within a Hispanic context,'' said
 Henry Green, professor of Jewish studies at the University of Miami. ``Hispanic
 Jews have organized themselves within the local institutions with their own
 brotherhood and have played an important role in the community life of the city.''

 According to the Greater Jewish Federation of Miami, between 5,000 and 6,000
 Jewish families of Hispanic heritage live in Miami-Dade. Experts estimate that
 close to 3,000 of the families are Cuban and the rest originate from other Latin
 American countries. About 74,500 Jewish families live in the county.

 COLOMBIAN FAMILIES

 During this past summer, close to 100 Jewish Colombian families arrived, fleeing
 from guerrilla threats after Benjamin Cudari, a 32-year-old young Jewish
 businessman, was kidnapped and killed. Like most Colombians, the majority of
 them came to the United States with tourist visas, according to sources close to
 the recent arrivals.

 The spokesman of the Jewish high school Hillel, in Miami Beach, where many
 Jewish students of Latin American origin attend classes, confirmed that in the
 last few months, ``particularly during the summer months, there was a significant
 increase in the number of applications from South American families, especially
 from Colombia and Venezuela.''

 Worried families from Argentina have arrived because they fear anti-Semitism.
 They especially fault the incapacity of the government to resolve the attacks
 against the Israeli Mutual Association of Argentina (AMIA) and the Israeli
 Embassy, and point to the continuous desecration of Jewish cemeteries, said
 Jacob Solomon, executive vice president of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.

 `IMMIGRATION CHAIN'

 The same way the European Jews escaped the persecution and world wars by
 settling in Latin America because they had family and acquaintances there, now
 the Latin American Jews are coming to Miami in a process known in sociology as
 ``the immigration chain.''

 ``The Latin American Jewish infrastructure in Miami gives the Latin American Jew
 the opportunity to use social organisms very similar to the ones in their own
 countries,'' explained Sabi Behar, a Peruvian Jew and president of the board at
 the real estate firm, American Land Housing Group. ``The most difficult thing
 about immigration is the change, and the less you have to change the easier the
 transition.''

 That is why at the Jewish Community Center of North Miami Beach there exists a
 brotherhood called Hebraica that organizes social activities, sports and cultural
 events for children, youth and Hispanic families. Non-Latin Americans also
 participate.

 Another prominent local group integrated largely by Hispanic Jews in the Miami
 chapter is the World Organization of Zionist Women, which does philanthropic
 activities.

 ``Here you can meet other families that have similar ideas to yours, and your
 children manage to maintain a Jewish environment,'' said Patrice Beckerman,
 director of Hebraica. ``For the new Hispanic families, it enables them to integrate
 easily because those that are here arrived under similar conditions.''
 lONGTIME LINK

 Miami has always been a magnet for Jews. Although numerous North American
 Jewish families have moved to Broward, the immigration to Miami of Jewish
 families from other countries hasn't ceased, Solomon said.

 Bernardo Benes, one of the founders of the Hebrew Cuban Circle of Miami,
 explained that the Cubans arrived in a similar and united way, having known each
 other from an early age, while other Latin Americans originated from various
 countries and have arrived at different times.

 PERUVIAN WAVE

 The first massive wave of Latin American Jews arrived in Miami from Peru
 between 1968 and 1974. The Argentines landed principally between 1975 and
 1980, but they returned to their country when its economic situation got better,
 said Alex Alberstein, a Peruvian Jew who presides over the Organization of Israel
 Bonds in Florida.

 Colombian Jews are the ones who have most recently immigrated to Miami,
 consecutively in 1980, 1990 and 1999.

 A substantial number of Central Americans also arrived between 1985 and 1990.
 And in the last few years, the number of Chilean and Venezuelan Jews
 immigrating has increased. There are also Mexican Jews, although a larger
 number of Mexican Jews have chosen to move to San Diego.

 In Dade, the largest communities of Latin American Jews are in Aventura,
 Highland Lakes and Surfside. Those who have arrived most recently primarily
 work in import and export of goods, banking and financing. In other professions it
 is much more difficult to immigrate because of visa problems and lack of
 equivalent credentials, said Daniel Schwartz, manager of Hemisphere Bank.

 Young Jewish professionals and single people also have found Miami particularly
 attractive.

 ``I came for the academic and professional opportunities, and I ended up falling in
 love with a Peruvian Jew who lives here,'' said Jannete Kaplun-Braun, a
 26-year-old Chilean Jew who works as a journalist for the Discovery Channel in
 Latin America. ``The Hispanic Jewish community in Miami has similar values and
 traditions to mine, and I feel at home. Plus, you always meet people you know in
 the Aventura Mall.''