At the time this novel is set, in Buenos Aires, The Varsovia (Warsaw) Society—which later changed its name to Zwi Migdal—operated as a mutual-aid union of Jewish traffickers. Legal in Argentina, the organization had a hierarchical structure and a strong internal code of ethics as it spread throughout South America, with tentacles reaching India, China, South Africa, Germany, Poland, South Africa, Turkey and even New York’s Lower East Side. It operated with impunity from the early 1870s until 1939, when Jews could no longer travel to Central and Eastern Europe.

Sex trafficking in Argentina was so culturally associated with Jews that the name for a pimp in Spanish, “Caftan,” was borrowed from the word for the long black coat worn by Jewish Orthodox men. Similarly, “Polaca,” the word for a prostitute, was adopted from the Yiddish name for Polish women.

Historical Background of the Novel By Talia Carner