Yiddish, Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), and Claudia Sheinbaum
by Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh
Recently, we received the news about Mexico’s new president being elected, Claudia Sheinbaum. With this Yiddish-sounding name, many are wondering about her family background. Let us bring to your attention a bit about her heritage and the linguistic aspects of her family background.
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, born in 1962, is a Mexican politician, scientist, and academic who is currently the president-elect of Mexico, the first woman to be elected to the position. She is a member of the left-wing political party Morena.
Claudia Sheinbaum has openly discussed her Jewish heritage in interviews, noting that her connection to Judaism is more cultural and historical than religious. She has stated, “I grew up without religion. That’s how my parents raised me,” during a 2018 event hosted by a Jewish organization in Mexico City. While she sometimes celebrated Jewish holidays at her grandparents’ house, she does not identify as religious and there are no public records indicating regular synagogue attendance.
Sheinbaum’s family background reflects a rich and diverse Jewish heritage. Her maternal grandparents were Sephardic Jews from Bulgaria who fled to Mexico in the early 1940s to escape the Holocaust. They spoke Ladino, the Judeo-Spanish language traditionally spoken by Sephardic Jews.
On her father’s side, her grandparents were Ashkenazi Jews from Lithuania. They emigrated to Mexico in the 1920s, leaving Europe before the Holocaust, in response to growing antisemitism and challenging economic conditions. Their story is part of a larger history of Jewish families who sought safety and new opportunities in the Americas, as many countries in the region, including Mexico, became havens for those escaping persecution.
We do not know much about the role of Ladino and Yiddish in Claudia Sheinbaum’s family history. While some immigrants to Mexico attended Yiddish schools created by the Bundists, others chose to assimilate as quickly as possible.
Claudia Sheinbaum’s grandfather, a fluent Yiddish speaker with Jewish-Lithuanian roots, placed great importance on secular education and universal values as the foundation for being a mensch—a tradition passed down to her father, Carlos Sheinbaum Yoselevitz, and then to Claudia herself.
Both of Claudia’s parents grew up in Mexico and became distinguished scientists. Her father, Carlos Sheinbaum Yoselevitz, was a chemical engineer, and her mother, Annie Pardo Cemo, is a renowned biologist and professor emeritus at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Claudia’s brother, Julius, is also a physicist. Her parents were actively involved in leftist political movements during the 1960s, participating in labor protests, defending Cuba, and joining the historic 1968 student movement in Mexico, which ended in police violence. Their political engagement and values were shared with Claudia from an early age.
Claudia Sheinbaum’s election as president marks a significant milestone in Mexico’s history—not only for her political accomplishments but also for her rich and diverse cultural heritage. Her family’s journey from Europe to Mexico, bringing with them the languages of Yiddish and Ladino, reflects the vibrant mosaic of Jewish life. As she steps into her new role, there is hope that she will draw on this deep heritage and remain committed to values that honor her family’s legacy.
Additional references about Claudia Sheinbaum:
Quién: ¿Quiénes son los papás de Claudia Sheinbaum?