This article shows that the examination of the Jewish female onscreen can shed light on the controversial question of argentinidad. It examines the representation of two Jewish women in the agricultural settlements of the north-eastern province of Entre Ríos, Argentina, in the early twentieth century. Through the analysis of Miriam’s story in Juan José Jusid’s Los gauchos judíos and Gertrudis’s story in María Victoria Menis’s La cámara oscura, the essay argues that the national cinema of Argentina advocates the acculturation of the Jewish woman in Argentine society, and demonstrates that integration provokes a clash between tradition and assimilation. Placing the Jewish woman at the centre of the study reveals that these women are forced to break with their identity groups to integrate into their host country, a process that comes at a considerable cost.

​