A Jewish Renaissance in Castro's Cuba

Judaism, Spring, 2000 by Dana Evan Kaplan

Today the relations between the government and the local Jewish community seem to be civil and even warm. The fact that the Cuban government was a leading propagandist for anti-Zionist sentiment seems to have been forgiven, if not forgotten. Margalit Bejarano told The London Sunday Telegraph that there is far less antisemitism in Cuba today than in the former Communist states of Eastern Europe. Although the practice of religion in Cuba could restrict one's entry into certain professions before the policy reversal of the early 1990s, "Castro never denied Jews kosher food or the right to organize cultural activities." [13] And yet the radical anti-Zionist position that the government took made it very difficult for the Jews to feel close to the Castro regime. Relations between the government and the Jewish community began to fray as early as the 1960s and 1970s, as the Cuban government took an increasingly pro-Palestinian position. [14] Today, relations appear to be relatively good.

Most Jews did not actively participate in the Revolution. One obvious explanation is that most were businessmen who were not in favor of Castro's Communism. But this is not the whole story, since Castro did not become an overt Communist until some time after he took power. During the years of revolutionary struggle the vast majority of Cubans believed Castro was fighting to overthrow a corrupt dictatorship, rather than to institute a totalitarian Communist regime. Adela Dworin, today the Vice President of the Patronato, suggests instead that most Cuban Jews were still in the process of acclimating themselves to Cuban society. While they, like other Cubans, realized that Batista's government was extremely corrupt, they did not yet have enough confidence in their place in the country to fight for radical change. [15]

A Dramatic Religious Revival in Castro's Cuba

Contrary to the assumptions held by many people, religious affiliation or religious activity was never banned outright by the Communist government. Nevertheless, it was viewed with disfavor by the authorities, and Cubans felt that their identification with church or synagogue could stigmatize them and negatively affect their chances for promotion and other career opportunities. So it was a dramatic change in November 1991 when the Cuban Communist Party repealed a ban on religious involvement for party members. In July 1992, further changes were made to allow for room for religion within the Cuban educational system and society as a whole. [16]

These policy changes, as well as other events--such as Pope John Paul II's 1998 visit to Cuba--produced a change in the Cubans' view of religious organizations. Various Christian churches began to grow exponentially, and numerous journalists reported on the return to religious faith. The government relaxed its all-pervasive reach and has accepted religious commitment and activity. More Cubans took advantage of the opportunity to attend services and study religion.

There is no question that there has been a dramatic upsurge in religious life in Cuba. As one indication of this, baptisms have increased from 25,258 in 1979 to 50,979 in 1990 and 62,664 in 1992. [17] In the decades following the 1959 Revolution most churches became accustomed to seeing a relatively constant decline in membership. May of the most devoted church members left the country in the early years of the Revolution, fearful of religious intolerance. Those who remained often distanced themselves to avoid jeopardizing their economic status. That is now in the past. Although some of the "new faithful" are returning to the church they were raised in, many were atheists with no history of church involvement. [18]