History of the Jews in Cuba

History of the Jews in Cuba

Jewish Cubans, Cuban Jews, or Cubans of Jewish heritage, have lived on the island of Cuba for centuries. Some Cubans trace Jewish ancestry to Marranos who fled the Spanish Inquisition, though few of these practice Judaism today. There was significant Jewish immigration to Cuba in the first half of the 20th century. Like others, many Jews left Cuba for the United States after the coming of Fidel Castro, and today there is a large community in South Florida. In modern Cuba there are many communities of Middle Eastern descent, including Jewish and Lebanese populations.

The Cuban Coordinating Commission, the official governmental unit for the Jewish Community, recognized 1201 persons as Jewish in 2001 for the purpose of distributing Passover food.

In February 2007 the New York Times estimated that there are about 1,500 known Jews living in Cuba, most of them (about 1,100) living in Havana.[1] They also state that Cuba has only one kosher butcher shop on the entire island and not a single rabbi, until recently. They now have a Rabbi that is based in one of the Synagogues in Havana and often encourages visiting Jews to give Tzedakah for the Jewish Cubans and for Israel. The article adds that "This small Jewish presence [in 2007] is in stark contrast to the bustling community that existed before Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. In those days, there were 15,000 Jews and five synagogues in Havana alone".[1] Adath Israel is the only Orthodox synagogue in Cuba.[1] On December 2006, the Cuban Jewish community celebrated its 100th anniversary.[2]

See also

Documentaries about Cuban Jewry:

  • Trip to Jewish Cuba
  • The Believers: Stories from Jewish Havana
  • Abraham and Eugenia: Stories from Jewish Cuba

References

  • Jay Levinson, Jewish Community of Cuba: The Golden Years, 1905–1958, Nashhville, TN: Westview Publishing Company, 2005.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • History of the Jews in the United States — The history of the Jews in the United States has been influenced by waves of immigration primarily from Europe, inspired by the social and economic opportunities of the United States of America and fueled by periods of anti Semitism and… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Jews —     History of the Jews     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► History of the Jews     (Yehúd m; Ioudaismos).     Of the two terms, Jews and Judaism, the former denotes usually the Israelites or descendants of Jacob (Israel) in contrast to Gentile races;… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • History of the Jews in southern Florida — The history of the Jews in southern Florida dates back to the early 19th century. Today, the community is very successful and prosperous. Many South Floridian Jews are Ashkenazi (descendents of Russian, Polish, and Eastern European ancestry), and …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Jews in Mexico — Jewish Mexican Mexicano de origen Judio Ilan Stavans · Arturo Ripstein Total population 67,476 Regions with significant populations …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Jews in Latin America — The history of the Jews in the Americas dates back to Christopher Columbus and his first cross Atlantic voyage on August 3, 1492, when he left Spain and eventually discovered the New World. His date of departure was also the day on which the… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Roman Catholic Church — The History of the Catholic Church from apostolic times covers a period of nearly 2,000 years, [August Franzen, Kleine Kirchengeschichte Neubearbeitung, Herder,Freiburg,1988, p.11] making it the world s oldest and largest institution. It dates… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Caribbean — The history of the Caribbean reveals the significant role the region played in the colonial struggles of the European powers since the fifteenth century. In the twentieth century the Caribbean was again important during World War II, in the… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the United States (1865–1918) — The history of the United States (1865–1918) covers Reconstruction and the rise of industrialization in the United States.At the conclusion of the Civil War, the United States remained bitterly divided. Reconstruction and its failure left the… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Soviet Union (1964–1982) — Soviet Union …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Dominican Republic — The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two thirds of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles. Successive waves of Arawak migrants, moving northward from the Orinoco delta in South America, settled the islands of the Caribbean.… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”