The Latin American Jewish Congress, which is the South American branch of the World Jewish Congress, signed a cooperative agreement Tuesday in Buenos Aires with Casa Sefarad Israel, a Madrid-based organization created by Spain’s Foreign Ministry and the city of Madrid to promulgate Sephardic culture.
“With this initiative, which comes after a year and a half of negotiation, relations between the Spanish and Latin American Jewish communities will be fortified,” said Claudio Epelman, director of the Latin American Jewish Congress. “Spain will be our main entrance to get closer to European governments and communities.”
Casa Sefarad Israel, or the Sephardic-Israel Home, also aims to strengthen ties between Spain and Israel.
Congratulations to Mirta Goldflus, ICJW Latin American Regional Chairperson, for receiving the GOLDA Award from the Committee of Jewish Organizations of Uruguay
Jewish Life in Cuba
An emergency email on the eve of Passover led us to investigate Cuba’s renascent Jewish community. The ICJW webmaster received an urgent message from a woman whose mother was once involved with ICJW, requesting assistance for her son. He was stranded in Havana, Cuba, and looking for a Pesach Seder meal.
Since the Communist Revolution in 1959, there have been restrictions on Jewish life in Cuba, but, in 1991, a law was passed permitting religious association. Since then, the community has been rebuilt by the 10 percent of the Jewish population who did not flee in the 1960s, with help from the U.S. Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), and, in November 2006, they celebrated their 100th Anniversary.
Mirta Goldflus, chairperson of the Latin American Region of ICJW, attended the celebratory events on behalf of ICJW. She was impressed by the dynamic and flourishing community of 400 families, totaling 1400 Jews, with their own branches of B’nai B’rith and ORT, a senior citizens club (Simja), a Sunday school for children and adults, a Maccabi youth club, and an active ICJW affiliate: Asociacion Femenina de Cuba, headed by its President Dr. Rosa Behar. She also met Lourdes Albo, coordinator of the Simja club and a valuable member of the Asociacion Femenina, who is the director of a new oral history website project preserving the histories of senior members of the community (www.hoj.cuba.org).
Today there are three synagogues in Havana that survived the Revolution; an Orthodox, Conservative, and Sephardic. Despite restrictions on importing goods to Cuba, the JDC has helped by sending in rabbis and delegations of volunteers, bringing in kosher commodities and healthcare supplies. The medicines are distributed free of charge to those in need--both Jews and non-Jews--by Dr. Rosa Behar and her daughter Rebecca, who run the Jewish community pharmacy in Havana.
One of the most interesting sites that Mirta visited was the Hotel Raquel in the former Jewish quarter of Havana. Built in 1905, and decorated in the best art deco style, this building once witnessed the intense Jewish life in Cuba. It has recently been totally refurbished and was reopened to guests in 2003. At the entrance there is a great stone from Jerusalem, and each room has a biblical name written in Hebrew. Its beautiful dome skylight can be seen from the Garden of Eden restaurant, where Jewish food is served, next to the Le Chaim Bar.
Our travellers were indeed invited to a Seder meal in Havana, where they found a community with a strong sense of Jewish commitment to its future as well as to its history. Today we can truly say “Am Israel Be Cuba Jai Leolam!”
