Sara's Sheep at the Fin del Mundo, Magellenes Pantagonia, Punta Arenas, Chile 2/5/26 Day 33

 

Such a gorgeous town with early 20th century neo classical mansions around the Plaza de Armas.

What was the secret to the boom?  Sara's sheep.  Sara, born in Latvia in a working famly where her dad was a tinsmith, fled the antisemtisim of Russian pograms to come to the last frontier at the end of the earth.  As a remarkable businesswoman and gregarias philanthropist, she transformed Punta Arenas into Pantagonia's fasted growing town as a wool baron.  Using hardy sheep from the Falklands and generous land grants to entice immiggrants, she delt directly with English wholesalers with voluminous exports.  She managed vast commercial, shipping, and livestock interests, notably consolidating 1.3 million hectares in land grants. She built her signature "palace" on the town square, but didn't stop with her economic success.  She helped establish the first hospitals, schools, Red Cross, firestations and toher benevolent organizations.

 

                                       Parents:  Sofía Hamburger and Elías Braun

Sarah Braun Municipal Cemetery, rated one of the top ten cemteries in the world!  She donated the gorgeous portico and has an imppressive copper colored tomb.

We found the Jewish "section" by the Hebrew writings,  ת.נ.צ.ב.ה (May their soul be bound in the bundle of life) QDEP (que descanse en paz) and tell-tale stones left on the tombstones.  After placing a stone on their monuments, I brought a stone to our Synagogue at Sea at Shabbat services and said kaddish for all those who no longer have anyone to say kaddish for them--may their memories be for a blessing!