Reflections on a complicated society
Embedded in the fabric of Havana we saw tremendous beauty, ingenuity and pride presented by the Cuban people.
My perception of Havana: a sparkling city with classic cars and stunning hotels that Michael Corleone swiftly left after an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Hyman Roth (a depiction of Meyer Lansky), as Fidel Castro’s troops storm the city in “The Godfather Part II.” The Cuba that I saw offered a glimmer of those images; a glamorous past faced with the reality of Communism and embargoes — chaotic, creative
and complex.
I had the privilege of traveling to Cuba on a Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh women’s mission. About 60 women from or adjacent to Pittsburgh’s Jewish community — mothers and daughters, cousins, friends and a few Federation staff members — embarked on a five-day tour of Havana.
The women on our two tour buses enjoyed a packed agenda of Jewish sites and Cuban cultural institutions, learning about the history of this beautiful island mixed with candid commentary from our guides. We quickly discovered the juxtaposition of Havana; stunning architecture abutting dilapidated buildings left to fall. Many of us compared it to the aftermath of a war-torn city, but left in shambles due to neglect and poverty instead of war. Trash piled high on street corners due to lack of diesel to fuel garbage trucks punctuates the tale of post-COVID Cuba. The pandemic drew a bright line between a time of greater hope and prosperity and the current climate of despair and poverty.
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Embedded in the fabric of Havana we saw tremendous beauty, ingenuity and pride presented by the Cuban people. From the street art in alleyways to the world-renowned Malpaso Dance Company to the stunning installation of mosaic artist Jose Fuster’s “Fusterlandia” in the heart of a fishing village outside Havana, we experienced the joy that persists despite the significant challenges the community faces daily.
A small and tightly-knit Jewish community survives in the center of this study in extremes of beauty and ruin. Before 1959, 25,000 Jews called Cuba home. After that, many Jews left Cuba, recognizing the limitations that faced private enterprise due to Communism. Cuba’s Jewish population today hovers around 600-700 people, the vast majority residing in Havana. An agreement between Israel’s chief rabbi and Fidel Castro permitted Jewish Cubans the “Law of Return” to Israel, and many of them, in particular Cuba’s Jewish youth, accepted that option, hoping for and seeking a brighter future.
One of the themes of our mission was “kehillah,” or community. We had the honor of spending time with the leader of the Sephardic synagogue of Havana, Samuel, who shared his oral history of Jewish Cuba and the realities of Cuban Jews today. It was evident that community members care deeply for each other, joining together for, among other programs, weekly prayer, Israeli dancing and learning. We also learned about the role of the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee that provides critical funding to Jewish communities in need in Cuba and around the world. A portion of the funds raised through the Jewish Federation’s annual Community Campaign is allocated to the JDC to help ensure the survival of Jewish communities everywhere. It was incredibly impactful to visit a community that receives this funding and see our dollars in action.
On Shabbat, we attended services at the Ashkenazi synagogue. Before the service, the vice president of the Jewish community spoke to us about youth programming, including Sunday school, active participation in BBYO and Maccabi Games, as well as the exodus of young Cuban Jews to Israel. The service that followed was led by teenage Jewish community leaders. I could not help but think back to my own experience leading Shabbat services as a USYer in high school. Although we are decades and countries apart, Jewish prayer and tradition endures — l’dor va dor, generation to generation. As congregants and guests joined arm in arm alongside each other singing the concluding prayer of the Amidah, “Oseh shalom bimromav, hu ya’aseh shalom aleynu, v’al kol Yisrael, v’imru amen,” there were tears of gratitude among us — gratitude at the news of the first three Israeli hostages to be released, gratitude to be Jews in the United States and gratitude that, although many miles from home, we were able to share ancient traditions with our people. Am Yisrael, we are one people.
Reflecting on this transformational experience, I’ve emerged with a great sense of belonging to the Pittsburgh women’s Jewish community and value its strength across multiple generations of Jewish women. My commitment to this community and to the worldwide Jewish community has been renewed. Though the future of Jewish Cuba is mired in uncertainty, I know that as Jews we have always been responsible for our own people, and after this experience, I am confident that this tradition will continue for the global Jewish community for generations to come. PJC
Rachel Firestone is a management consultant living in Point Breeze. She is a board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, vice chair of engagement on the Federation’s Women’s Council and vice chair of development for Hillel JUC.
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