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San Juan's Shaare Zedeck synagogue.
Spanish San Juan:
Sunshine, Synagogues
RUTH ROVNER
Special to The Jewish News
T
he building at 903
Ponce de Leon Avenue
looks at first glance
like an elegant Spanish-style
villa. Surrounded by trees, it's
a white structure with red
tile roof, open terraces and
colorful ceramic tile.
When visitors get close to
the entrance, they also see the
delicate Stars of David that
are part of the design of the
facade, the menorah adorning
one window and a slab of
Jerusalem stone at the
entrance.
Shaare Zedeck synagogue
was, - indeed, once an elegant
private residence which was
designed in 1913 by a renown-
ed Czech architect, Antonin
Necodoma, a disciple of Frank
Lloyd Wright. This building
was one of his most classic
and impressive designs.
Now it's home to the Con-
servative congregation in San
Juan, Puerto Rico. It's one of
two active congregations on
this lush tropical island with
the largest Jewish communi-
ty in the Caribbean. Over
1,000 Jewish residents live in
Puerto Rico, most of them iri
the capital city of San Juan.
Both of San Juan's
synagogues are sightseeing
attractions for Jewish
travelers. Each one shows
how Jews, who are a tiny
minority of the total island
population of 3 million, have,
nonetheless, established a
vital Jewish presence.
"About 75 percent of our
congregants are of Cuban
background," says Jerry Firs-
ty, as he leads the way into
Shaare Zedeck. He's an active
member of the congregation,
which is known as the Jewish
Community Center of Puerto
Rico.
The "Cuban Jews" on I the
island, he explains, are not
actually of Cuban descent. In-
stead, their families left
Eastern Europe in the 1920s
and 1930s and emigrated to
Cuba because they couldn't
gain entry into the U.S. Then,
when Castro came to power,
they emigrated — and many
headed for Puerto Rico, which
was nearby and had a similar
climate and culture.
Mr. Firsty is among the 25
percent of the 225 family con-
gregation who are called
"Continentals" because they
Both of San Juan's
synagogues are
sightseeing
attractions for
Jewish travelers.
come from the Continental
United States.
The congregation members
are from Cuba, Argentina,
elsewhere in South America,
Israel and the U.S.
"When we came, there were
mostly American Jews and
almost no Cubans," says Mr.
Firsty, a native of Lincoln-
dale, N.Y. He first came to the
island in 1955 with the U.S.
Army, then returned to settle
permanently in 1959 with his
wife Ruth.
"It was a real adventure to
come and live here," says Mr.
Firsty, a businessman who
lives in a house one-half block
from the ocean and has been
active in the congregation
since he first arrived.
He leads the way into the
sanctuary, which has gleam-
ing marble floors, graceful ar-
ches, and vividly colored
tapestries depicting the 12
tribes of Israel.
The congregation bought
the building in 1952 and con-
Continued on Page 58