Posted: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 10:50 am
BY JUDY KAPLAN, Special to the Light
Once glimmering like a glamorous Hollywood star, Havana today is
wrinkled and worn, long past what a face lift could repair.
Formerly a luminary in the Caribbean, the bright light of Cuba's capital
city has gone out. What's left is the veiled vision of once-magnificent
mansions in the colonial style of architecture, with paint peeling in
broad bands from formerly palatial facades. Through open front doors
passersby can view the dingy, dark and deteriorating interiors.
What's more, time appears to have come to a screeching halt on this
island, which is just a 40-minute flight from bustling Miami. The
estate-like homes and buildings have not seen a repair in years and
vintage Chevrolets, Buicks, Fords and Cadillacs, all circa 1955, proudly
putter down the roads in a time warp. Look! There's Elvis! One expects
the King to suddenly materialize. And, no one has heard of catalytic
converters.
Havana's decline didn't happen overnight. It's taken many decades: over
50 years since the Revolution, the fall of Batista, and the rise of the
communist dictator, Fidel Castro (and now his brother Raul); almost 50
years since the United States embargo; 20 years since Russia, Cuba's
"sugar daddy," collapsed.
Shrinking Jewish community
While the U.S. has posted a "keep out" sign to its citizens, it relaxed
traveling restrictions to Cuba earlier this year, although it is still
not effortless to get there. My trip with Congregation Shaare Emeth, a
party of 25 members and non-members, entered on a religious license into
Havana via chartered airline. Our mission: to bring medical, hygiene,
food and clothing items to the Jewish community caught in an economic
collapse and to help clean up the Jewish Cemetery.
Although the participants in the group were all well aware of how the
Jewish community has dwindled, I don't think anyone imagined what that
actually would look like. From a thriving 20,000 Jews with homes and
businesses in the 1950s, that number has declined to about 1,000 -
between 800 and 1,200, according to several reports -most living in Havana.
We attend Sabbath services at the conservative Ashkenazi synagogue, The
Patronato/Beth-Shalom, where a rabbi travels from Argentina to conduct
services every several months. In between the rabbi's visits, and during
our visit, an articulate and dedicated young man leads the service.
Ken Birenbaum, Congregation Shaare Emeth board president, was most
impressed with the Shabbat service.
"Except for the fact that the service was in Hebrew and Spanish (not
English) I felt right at home," he said. "It was wonderful to see the
joyous faces of the Jewish youth singing, praying and fully
participating in and helping lead the service, just like kids back in
St. Louis."
The Patronato also houses a small pharmacy where Dr. Rosa Behar
dispenses limited amounts of medicines to both Jews and others in need.
Even though health care is free (as is education) in Communist Cuba,
medical supplies are frequently costly or unavailable. For instance,
something as simple as an ACE bandage for a sprained ankle could not be
found for one of our klutzy travelers (me!).
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Cuban doctors,
on-loan from Cuba to work in another country (not the U.S.), have been
able to later defect and enter the U.S. under a "special professional
immigration act." Earning the government-regulated $25 per month salary
in their homeland, is it any wonder that physicians would want to leave?
Workers in the tourism industry, thanks to tipping, enjoy higher incomes.
In a meeting with Adela Dworin, the charismatic president of The
Patronato Synagogue, we learned about the invitation she extended to
then President Fidel Castro several years ago to come to the synagogue
for Hanukkah. He accepted saying, "...if Hanukkah is the revolution of
the Jews, then, I will come." Later the president invited Dworin to
visit him when he "affirmed the importance of Israel to exist and
decried Iran's non-acknowledgement of the Holocaust." This past Hanukkah
Castro returned to The Patronato to light the first candle, wearing a
kippah, recalled Dworin.
While regaling our group with her smiles and interesting stories, Dworin
also reminded us of the tragic truth: not only is medicine in limited
supply, but soap and toothpaste as well as food are difficult and costly
to obtain. Several staples from the government ration books have
recently been eliminated. For some, the synagogue's Sabbath kiddush
dinner constitutes congregants' main meal of the week, she explained.
Our group also visited the Sephardic synagogue, Centro Sephardi. Forced
to move from its large house of worship to a smaller one due to
declining congregants, they hope to find a renter for their empty
building. While the member-population dwindles due to immigration,
particularly to Israel, the children and teens continue to gather in
youth groups, having fun while keeping the faith. Often the Ashkenazi
and Sephardi collaborate on various activities and celebrate holidays
together.
As part of our mission we went to the Jewish cemetery whose sorry
condition gives new meaning to "decrepit." Chunks of marble have fallen
from the tops and sides of the white stone monuments, collecting in
haphazard piles of rubble throughout the hilltop. Thick, creeping weeds,
ironic look-alikes to Wandering Jew, weave their way amongst a section
of graves. Slipping on our garden gloves brought from home, we easily
pull the invasive plants, leaving the area looking better than before we
came. It's amazing what 25 single-minded Jews can accomplish.
Just past the cemetery gate, one particularly tall monument caught our
collective attention. This special marble marker is dedicated to the
Holocaust. Here, at the hands of the Nazis, pieces of soap, made from
Jewish human fat, are buried. Led by Shaare Emeth's Rabbi James Bennett,
we paused to say the ancient mourners' Kaddish.
Cultural connection
It's times like this when everyone feels awash with a global spiritual
and cultural connection to Jews everywhere.
Both Cuban and Jewish is Washington University Professor of Spanish,
Joseph "Pepe" Schraibman, who has traveled to Cuba 10 times, leading his
group of Cuban Focus honor students as part of a year-long course on
Cuban history, culture, literature, and music. His visits also afford
him the opportunity to speak with Cuban-Jewish residents, learning
first-hand the actual status of this complex and worsening situation and
to bring medicine, clothing and whatever else is needed to the Jewish
community. However, Schraibman doesn't have an optimistic view for the
remaining Cuban Jews: "The old ones want to live in Cuba and die there;
the young ones want to leave-there's no future for them there," he said.
Although I spent only a short week in Havana, I agree with the professor
- the sooner our landsmen leave, the better. But while they remain, they
need our support. For more information on how you can help contact:
B'nai B'rith International Cuban Jewish Relief Project:
www.cubanjewishrelief.org or toll free, 877-222-9590.
http://www.stljewishlight.com/features/travel/article_35d85aa2-7be7-11e0-afc6-001cc4c002e0.html
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