Zwi Migdal (, Polish: Cwi Migdał) was an organized-crime group by Polish Jewish individuals, founded in Poland and based mainly in Argentina, that trafficked in Jewish women from Central Europe for sexual slavery and forced prostitution. History Zwi Migdal was an organized-crime group, founded in Poland and based mainly in Argentina, that trafficked in Jewish women from Central Europe (mainly from Warsaw, Poland) for sexual slavery and forced prostitution. The organization, whose operators were Jewish, functioned from the 1860s to 1939. After the First World War, it had four hundred members in Argentina. Its annual turnover was fifty million dollars at the turn of the century. Its center was Buenos Aires, with branch offices in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Santos), United States (New York City), Poland (Warsaw), South Africa, India and China. The Zwi Migdal Organization reached its peak in the 1920s: 430 ruffians, or pimps, controlled 2,000 brothels with 4,000 women in Argentina alone. The organization's success stemmed from the fact that its members were bound by rules that were "based on order, discipline, and honesty." The network was well-organized and members cooperated closely to protect their interests. Origin of the name The crime-organization founders, having originated from Warsaw, legally registered as the Varsovia Jewish Mutual Aid Society, which facilitated easy operations. In 1927, after the Polish envoy to Argentina filed an official complaint regarding the organization's use of "Warsaw" in the name (Varsovia in Spanish), they renamed it to Zwi Migdal in recognition of Luis Zvi Migdal, a founder. It was rendered in Polish as Cwi Migdał. Modus operandi The organization lured girls and young women from Europe in several ways. For instance, a well-mannered and elegant-looking man would appear in a poor Jewish village in Poland or Russia. He would advertise his search for young women to work in the homes of wealthy Jews in Argentina by posting an ad in the local synagogue. Fearful of pogroms and often in desperate economic circumstances, the parents would send their daughters away with these men, hoping to give them a fresh start. Another popular ruse was to find pretty girls and marry them, usually in a ceremony known as a "shtille chupah" (Yiddish expression, meaning a quick wedding ceremony). The girls bade their families farewell and boarded ships to Argentina, believing that they were on their way toward a better future. The rape of the girls