Asis, 41, a psychologist, was pres-
ident of Tikun Olam Hebrew
school and vice president of B'nai
B'rith in Havana before leaving
Cuba last November.
In July, photographer Paul
Margolis traveled from New Jer-
sey to Cuba with Jewish Soli-
darity, a Miami-based group
organized last year to deliver sup-
plies to Cuba's Jewish community.
Mr. Margolis reported: "Syna-
gogues are open and holding reg-
ular services, children learn
Hebrew and Jewish culture, Ha-
vana's kosher butcher shop serves
a clientele of several hundred, and
non-Jewish spouses are undergo-
ing wholesale conversions to Ju-
daism. In short, there's a definite
(Above) Young women at the
Conservative Patronato Synagogue,
conduct Friday night services
at Havana's main synagogue.
Services are held well before dark
since electricity outages can make
travelling
at night dangerous.
sense that vibrant Jewish life has
returned to Cuba."
In fact, the JDC reports that
this past month there were 32
conversions, 13 brit milot and
seven Jewish weddings. With re-
laxed restrictions on religion, the
JDC has been sending in a rabbi
from Mexico and Jewish youth
workers from Argentina.
Explaining the rush to religion,
Eddy Levy, director of Jewish Sol-
idarity, said, 'Throughout history,
at the worst, people go searching
for something." Mr. Levy left
Cuba for Miami in 1955.
Mr. Margolis found that elec-
tricity was off eight to 12 hours
each day. With fuel shortages, Ha-
vana's pre-embargo 1950's Detroit
cars sit idle as people take to bi-
cycles and horse-drawn vehicles.
Jewish groups in Canada, Mex-
ico and South America have also
been sending food and medicine
to Cuba's Jews. Mr. Margolis's
group brought in powdered milk
and medicine. He writes that pre-
vious Jewish Solidarity groups
"delivered powdered eggs, dried
potatoes and canned fish. Sources
of protein are strictly rationed in
Cuba, so these foodstuffs are very
welcome.
"Commonplace medicines like
antacids, aspirin and antihista-
mines are virtually un-
available in Cuba, and
these are always in-
cluded in deliveries.
Physicians in the U.S.
have donated quanti-
ties of prescription
drugs, the most valu-
able of which are an-
tibiotics and medicines
for diabetes and heart
conditions."
As to the future, Mr.
Margolis reported,
"Very few of the Jews
whom I spoke with ex-
pressed any burning
desire to leave ... And
they were unanimous
in assuring me that
they had never experi-
enced any anti-Semi-
tism ... official or
otherwise ... Despite
economic hardships
and isolation from the
Jewish mainstream,
they have managed to
rebuild a community
that was thought to
have all but vanished."
He predicts, 'They will
survive this latest bout
of upheaval, too."
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Jewish Solidarity, Eddy
Levy, Director. 5055 Collins
Ave., Apt. 5A, Miami Beach, FL
33140. Telephone:(305)868-
7755. Fax: (305)866-3565. U.S.-
based organization delivering
supplies directly to Cuba's Jews.
Mr. Levy is currently planning
the group's first anniversary
Chanukah trip to Cuba.
American Jewish Joint Dis-
tribution Committee, 711 Third
Ave., New York, NY 10017.
Telephone: (212)687-620. Fund-
ed by The Associated: Jewish
Community Federation of Bal-
timore, the JDC arranges for
supplies to go to Cuban Jews via
third countries.
Paul Margolis
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