the jewish community of cuba: between continuity and extinction

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126 Margalit Bejaranoas the representative organ of the Jewish community, and its buildingreflected the transformation of Cuban Jews from their as apositiongroup of immigrants, strugglingfor survival in a foreign land, to that ofan established colony, well-rooted in the generalmiddle class. Thelarge buildingof the Patronato was divided between a beautiful modern synagogue and a social and cultural center, whose main hall had acapacityof 1,250 seats.40 The magnificent building,noticeable fromafar byits higharch and decorated with Jewish emblems, symbolizedthe self-deceptive tranquillityand confidence of the Jewish communityin its future.Members of the Orthodox group, gatheredaround Adath Israel,preferredto erect their own buildingin Old Havana, where many ofthem still lived.41 On the corner of Picota and Acosta Streets theyconstructed a three-story building containinga large synagogue (600 seats),a reception hall, a small synagogue for the daily minyan,and a mikve.The buildingof the Patronato and the new Adath Israel served asmodels to the Sephardisector. Upperclass Sephardim livinginVedado and Miramar wished to establish a neworganizationthatwould fit their new social position. Theyfounded a new congregation,Centro Hebreo Sefaradi, that constructed a beautiful synagogue and social center on 17th and E Streets in Vedado. The buildingof the CentroSefaradi was accompanied by conflicts with the Sephardim of OldHavana who were faithful to the primacyof Chevet Ahim. However,the Castro Revolution occurred before the Sephardimhad time toproperly inauguratetheir new center and to redefine the relationshipbetween the new Centro Sefaradi and the old Chevet Ahim.The first Jewish organizationin Cuba, the United HebrewCongregation, was the last to be caught by the construction fever. In 1956, afterthe celebration of the congregation's fiftieth anniversary, AmericanJews were about to purchasea pieceof land on Miramar's Fifth Avenueand 32nd Street. Their projectnever materialized, however. When theRevolution occurred, American Jews were among the first to leave Cubaand return to the U.S., whichthey considered as their homeland.The Attitude of the Revolutionary Governmenttoward the JewsThe Cuban Revolution, which took power on 1 January 1959, broughtabout the total destruction of the former economic, political and socialstructure in which the Jewish community had prospered.Nationalization of private business, economicprivations,and Fidel Castro's openidentification with Marxist-Leninistideology were among the causesof the large-scale emigrationof upper and middle class CubansThis content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.72.230 on Sun, 2 Dec 2012 04:14:50 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
The Jewish Community of Cuba 127includingthe majorityof Cuban Jews, whose number declined from10,000-12,000 in 1959 to 1,200 in 1963.42A large number of Cuban Jews had emigratedto the U.S.; like otherCubanemigrants, they were treated by the new governmentas enemiesof the revolution, their propertywas confiscated andthey were allowed to take along onlya minimal number of personal belongings. Jewsleaving for Israel were aided by the Jewish Agencyand the IsraeliLegation,and were granted the respect and sympathyof the Cuban authorities, though onlya small number chose the Zionist solution.43 Themajority, includingthe Zionist leaders of the community, settled inMiami.The Jews remainingin Cuba were allowed to maintain all theirformer institutions. These included five congregations: the United Hebrew Congregationof the American Jews, the Patronato and Adath Israel of the Ashkenazi sector, and the Centro Sefaradi and ChevetAhim of the Sephardim. The government did not attemptto confiscatethese buildings, althoughthe number of their members had severelydeclined. Moises Baldas, who served as the leading Jewish activistafter the Revolution (until his emigrationto Israel in 1981), organizedan informal committee composedof the presidents of the five congregations in order to coordinate their activities and represent the Jewishcommunity before the authorities. The Comision Coordinadora(Coordinating Committee) became the de facto roof organization ofCubanJewry.44Followingthe Revolution, the Jewish community was granted special privilegesto supplyits religious needs, such as kosher food andJewish education. The shochet of Adath Israel was allowed to functionin the government slaughtering house, and the meat was divided between the kosher restaurant of the Patronato and Jewish customers whowere allowed to receive their meat rations at the kosher butcher. Inaddition, the communitywas allowed to receive matzot and otherproducts for Pessach from abroad.The nationalization of educationbroughtabout the closure of allprivate schools. Jews, however, weregranted special permissiontoprovide Jewish education within the government system. The school ofthe Centro Israelita was named after Albert Einstein and converted to aregular neighborhoodschool. In addition, it provided dailyclasses inHebrew, Yiddish and Jewish history, and the government suppliedtransportationfor the Jewish children.45 This arrangementfunctioneduntil 1975, when it wassuddenly stopped by government order46It should be recalled that the regulationsunder which the Jewishcommunity functioned were formed during the first period of the Revolution, while Cuba maintained friendlyrelations with the State of Israel, and the Jewish communityfelt somewhat protected bythe IsraeliThis content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.72.230 on Sun, 2 Dec 2012 04:14:50 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
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