[Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention.] Scott Berenthal (Aish) writes, “Jews have been in Cuba because the period of Columbus. At this time there are fewer than 1,500 Jews and so they proceed to keep up the tradition and traditions of Judaism.” (Photograph under, “My family members, Nineteen Fifties” shared by writer.)
World class cigars. Rum comprised of the best sugar cane. The up-tempo sounds of salsa. These are the standard issues that come to thoughts when Cuba is talked about. However are you aware what else Cuba has? Jews!
Jews have been in Cuba because the period of Columbus and performed an important function in nation’s growth, first as members within the Spanish American Struggle and, later, in serving to Jose Marti safe the nation’s independence as a sovereign nation. Over the following many years, the group grew and advanced, turning into a significant component of Cuban society, tradition, and the economic system.
At its top through the Nineteen Fifties – the golden period of Cuba – the Jewish group numbered over 15,000 individuals, constructed from two main migration waves. The primary wave featured the Sephardic Jews, or Turcos (Turks) who elected to go away the declining the Ottoman Empire and arrived within the early a part of the twentieth century.
The nation then noticed an inflow of Ashkenazi refugees, generally known as Polacos (Polish), arriving from the ashes of war-torn Europe, utilizing island as non permanent stopover whereas awaiting entry to the US. Lots of them, nonetheless, selected to stay in Cuba completely and have become the spine of a vibrant and profitable center class of retailers who built-in into the broader Cuban society.
In a brand new adoptive homeland, these migrants helped construct a Jewish group that included three synagogues, a kosher restaurant, Jewish faculties, a cultural heart and even a cemetery at Guanabacoa, on the outskirts of Havana. In the course of the Nineteen Fifties Havana was extensively thought-about to be the Las Vegas of the Caribbean with all the newest in trendy know-how, trend, and leisure discovered within the US.
Following the Cuban Revolution within the late Nineteen Fifties, most Jews left the nation in the hunt for new alternatives overseas in the US, Central and South America, Canada, and elsewhere within the Caribbean, however a small group remained. Whereas there are fewer than 1,500 Jews in Cuba right this moment, they proceed to keep up the tradition and traditions of Judaism.
The establishments based by their forebearers are all nonetheless energetic and in use, persevering with to host non secular providers, weddings, bar mitzvahs and different cultural occasions. The Centro Sefardi, which serves as a type of Jewish Group Middle even has a small, however informative Holocaust exhibit that speaks to the experiences of the immigrants who got here to Cuba as refugees. One unhappy, however notable story is that of the St. Louis, the doomed ship that was denied entry to Cuba and despatched again with over 900 passengers who ultimately perished by the hands of the Nazis.
As an working synagogue, the Patronato (Beth Shalom) is house to a non-public “pharmacy” that manages assist and help for distribution to the area people, each Jewish and non-Jewish. In truth, the pharmacy is extensively identified in Cuba for being the most effective equipped within the nation, due to the generosity of Jewish vacationers who’ve come to go to.
Most not too long ago, a kosher mattress and breakfast – Chateau Blanc – opened in 2019 within the Nuevo Vedado neighborhood of Havana. Based by a Cuban Jewish household that have been members of the Jewish group through the Nineteen Forties and 50s, it’s first – and solely – facility of its form on the island, offering kosher meals, merchandise and catering in addition to a Jewish themed décor. Their mission is targeted on encouraging guests to return and study extra in regards to the Jewish group and assist it develop and thrive.
Whereas the island is house to world famend seashores, a scintillating nightlife and extremely heat and welcoming individuals, Cuba is a comparatively poor nation, and the influence of the pandemic has made circumstances for the entire individuals fairly difficult. Vacationers are inspired to think about bringing in assist within the type of over-the-counter and prescription medication, foodstuffs, and different sundry gadgets that may be given to these in want. Pack For a Function is a superb not-for-profit group that helps vacationers finest put together for his or her journey.
For extra info, go to:
Chateau Blanc Boutique Lodge: www.chateau-cuba.com
Pack for A Function: www.packforapurpose.org
For authentic article and extra pictures, see https://aish.com/the-jews-of-cuba
Additionally see associated article, “Meet the Jews of Cuba and their fascinating historical past:
James Berenthal sits down with the Jerusalem Report to debate his household’s distinctive function in a historic group,” by Joseph Scutts, Jerusalem Submit, October 28, 2021
https://www.jpost.com/jerusalem-report/meet-the-jews-of-cuba-and-their-fascinating-history-683408