THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
October 10, 1975 17
Cuban Jews Carry On Despite Break With Israel
BY LAVY M. BECKER
(Copyright 1975, JTA, Inc.)
(Editor's note: Lavy M.
Becker, honorary consult-
ant to the World Jewish
Congress on inter-commu-
nity affairs since 1969, and
recently appointed to the
chairmanship of the
Standing Commission on
Small Communities, vis-
ited Cuba in 1971, 1973 and
again in June 1975. In ad-
dition to the normal need
to revisit isolated commu-
nities, this last visit to
Cuba was for the purpose
of intervening personally
with government authori-
ties to achieve some spe-
cial requests of the Jewish
community. This article is
the first of two.)
The condition of life for
Jews in Cuba in 1975 is, hap-
pily, hardly changed from
what it was in 1973.
There is still no emigra-
tion from Cuba for anybody.
Some older people were per-
mitted to make visits to rel-
atives in other countries. A
few were finally permitted
to migrate to Israel. These
were among those whose ap-
plications came before May
30, 1970, and were finally
processed. There still re-
mains the feeling of being
"boxed in."
All five synagogues in Ha-
vana still function with reg-
ular services and social in-
teraction before and after
services. It is still mostly the
older Jews who make up the
rather small attendance at
such services. On a normal
Shabat there may be no
more than a total of 100 peo-
ple in all of the synagogues,
few younger than 70. The
synagogues are supported
by the monthly dues of their
members, meager in most
cases; by the rental monies
received from the govern-
ment for use of their audito-
ria; and from the monies
from the sale of Passover
products.
The five-day-a-week aft-
ernoon Hebrew school, 1 1/2
hours per day, now has an
enrollment of 37, less than
40 percent of the 95 Jewish
children in Havana be-
tween ages 5 and 17. Of the
balance, some are not
being brought up as Jews,
some do not attend this Es-
cuela Albert Einstein,
where the Hebrew classes
are held and some are sim-
ply not interested. These
37 children are picked up
daily at their homes by one
of two buses assigned for
this purpose by the gov-
ernment, are fed lunch in
school and returned home
by the same buses. These
are special concessions.
The learning process is
much improved over what I
observed two years ago.
Mercede Villapol, Spanish
born, Spanish citizen, nom-
inally Catholic, is still their
teacher. It may be recalled
that, through the interest of
Moishe Baldas, she was en-
couraged to join the youth
choral group, then to attend
the adult Hebrew classes
and finally persuaded to
teach the children when the
old teacher could no longer
do so. Her whole life, these
last four or five years, is re-
lated to Jews and Judaism.
Small wonder, then, that
she has expressed the desire
to formally become Jewish.
Baldas and Miss Villapol
spend two evenings each
week with adults who come
for classes in Hebrew, his-
tory and current Jewish
events, particularly regard-
ing Israel. She takes the
beginners and he the others.
In a community where there
are no learned professional
Jews it is remarkable that
volunteers are so devoted.
To add to this picture of
their cultural life, I report
on the continuing function
of the library, housed in the
Patronato, their large syn-
agogue center. It has some
10,000 volumes, largely
Spanish, also multi-lingual,
its content mostly Jewish. It
has a small circulating
membership, but is more
important as a reference li-
brary.
Interesting is the story of
the Cuban who came to bor-
row a copy of the "Protocols
of the Elders of Zion." He
was courteously treated and
came back for additional an-
ti-Semitic literature. He
eventually turned to other
material and is now a philo-
Semite.
The two young native-
born Cuban Jews, Moises
Behar and Abraham Berez-
niack, continue to be the of-
ficial shohtim of the com-
munity.
Jewish laws and practices.
It is recognized by all par-
ties, however, that there is a
good quid pro quo. The
young men have achieved a
form of profession and extra
earning power and the com-
munity is grateful that
these services are provided.
It will be remembered
that Cuba continued its
diplomatic relations with
Israel after the Six-Day
War, despite the fact that
the USSR and other Com-
munist countries, except
Romania, severed them.
Although Cuba has always
voted with the Arabs in the
United Nations, its rela-
tions with Israel were not
unfriendly.
It was in August 1973
that Castro, without warn-
ing, announced his break
with Israel. Nevertheless,
the Zionist Federation in
Cuba continued to function.
Its headquarters and its
outdoor sign are still there.
Its program remains the
same. Furthermore, they
received permission both in
1974 and 1975 to have large
public functions to celebrate
Israel's 26th and 27th Yom
Ha' Atzmaut anniversaries.
Their Bnai Brith Maimon-
ides Lodge, originally or-
ganized by American resi-
dents in Cuba, serves as a
means of identity for those
who may not identify with
any of the synagogues.
The Juventud Hebrea de
Cuba, using the Zionist
headquarters for their
meetings, provides the
medium for some 30 young
marrieds and singles to
meet on their own level for
basically social purposes.
Remembering that this is
a generation that grew up
without benefit of rabbinic
or other professional guid-
ance, their very participa-
tion in this group, even if
with little programming,
signifies their strong desire
to be Jewishly identified.
Most of the questions they
put to me were regarding
the degree to which Judaism
is lived in other Communist
countries.
It is all the more interest-
ing when one learns that
they identify closely with
the revolution and the re-
gime. Had they been old
enough they would have
joined their elders who
joined Castro "in the hills."
To have been among those
who fought with Castro "in
the hills" is to be in Cuba's
highest category.
Not only did he have the
support of many Jews, but
some of them sit on the cen-
tral committee of the party,
while others hold other high
positions. Although some of
these do not identify with
the Jewish community,
these young people see no
conflict. They support the
philosophy and the regime.
They want to remain Jews.
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On three Tuesdays of
each month they ritually
slaughter five bulls, none
of whose forequarters are
then taken by the two
kosher butchers who are
authorized by the govern-
ment (their's may be the
only two private enter-
prises in the country) to
process them into multi-
ples of 3/4 pounds, the ra-
tion of meat allowed each
person each nine days. The
shohtim are privileged, in
the abbatoir, to reject any
animal whose health
standards they question.
Because they really do not
know the laws of shehita
and its kashrut, they make
no judgements. If they
have any doubt they reject
the animal and are permit-
ted to slaughter another.
This secures the religious
principles of the few fami-
lies whose strict observ-
ance made them question
the authority of the shoh-
tim.
The same process took
place in regard to mila. Bal-
das persuaded the old
mohel, Berl Srebrenick,
while he was still able, to
teach mila to young Ja-
cobo Epelbaum Newman,
who has now had the experi-
ence of 10 circumcisions,
always in the presence of a
qualified Jewish physician.
It is interesting to note
that the shohtim and the
mohel complained to me
that the community was not
showing them adequate
"respect."
The leaders of the com-
munity, on the other hand,
complained that these
young functionaries did not
attend synagogue, did not
study Hebrew nor tried to
increase their knowledge of
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