A Jewish Renaissance in Castro's Cuba

Judaism, Spring, 2000 by Dana Evan Kaplan

During the early years of the revival there were a number of visitors from abroad, including the United States and Canada, as well as Jews from Central and South America. One of the most influential was Rabbi Shmuel Szteinhendler, who during the 1990s made four trips a year to Cuba from his congregational base in Guadalajara, Mexico. Szteinhendler, an Argentinean-born Conservative rabbi trained in Buenos Aires, conducted services not only in the Patronato but also at congregations throughout the country. He also officiated at life-cycle events including ritual circumcisions and weddings. One of his most important tasks was helping to organize Batei Din for the conversion of many of those who had returned to Judaism, and had some jewish ancestry, but were not halakhically Jewish.

The Revival in Santiago de Cuba

The rebuilding of Jewish life has not been restricted to Havana Jewish communities throughout the country have noted substantially increased levels of activity. This is certainly the case in Santiago de Cuba, the second largest city in the country.

Santiago de Cuba is regarded as the most Caribbean of all of Cuba's cities. The population is more mulatto than in Havana and other Cuban cities. Local residents are proud of the role that the city played in the Revolution. It was here that Castro staged his attack on the Moncada barracks, and posters along the roads proclaim Santiago the "Hero City" and the "cradle of the Revolution."

Throughout Cuba Jews are referred to by their country of origin. Although most came from the Turkish Empire, there were a number of Ashkenazi families from Poland, who succeeded in gaining admission to Cuba before World War II. Perhaps because they were more visible than the Turkish Jews, Cubans began referring to all Jews as "Polacos," or Poles. Others confused the Sephardic Jews with Christian immigrants from the Turkish lands, or even Muslims, and so referred to the Jews as "Turcos," or more frequently "Moros," or Moors. In Santa Clara, the Jewish cemetery is called El Cementerio de los Sirios, the Syrian cemetery, because the local Cubans regarded all immigrants from Turkish or Arab countries as Moors or Syrians. [27]

The Sociedad Uni[acute{o}]n Israelita del Oriente de Cuba, the Jewish society of Eastern Cuba, was originally founded in October 1924. The community held services in rented quarters until 1939, when a synagogue building was erected. From that time on it was referred to as the S[acute{i}]nogoga de Santiago de Cuba, the Synagogue of Santiago de Cuba. The congregation had two spiritual leaders, both of whom served for roughly twenty years each. The first was el Se[tilde{n}]or Isaac Chiprut Confi, who served from 1924 until 1943, and the second was el Se[bar{n}]or Victor Farm Sarfati, whose leadership extended from 1946 until 1967. The Revolution occurred during Sarfati's term, and the community's level of activity dropped dramatically after 1959 as a result. Most of the local Jews emigrated either during the Revolution or in the years immediately after it. It appeared that the community was destined to disappear.