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The group's first glimpse of
Havana's Jewish history took them to
the Sephardic Chevet Ahim syna-
gogue, which is no longer in use.
"We climbed a narrow, steep mar-
ble staircase that was punctuated by
intricately carved iron gates. The walls
were covered in brightly colored
Spanish tiles. The staircase opened
into a reception room that connects to
the social hall on the left. Both rooms
had peeling blue paint on the walls
and baseboards of strikingly attractive
tiles with blue and yellow patterns ...
"I could tell that the synagogue at
COMMERCIAL
•
Below: Dr. Jose
Miller, the head of
Havana's Jewish
community.
1581 E. NINE MILE RD. • FERNDALE, MI • 48220
248-544-3939
people, but we got on a plane to go
home," he said.
Sherizen believes the United States
should lift its embargo against Cuba
to make American goods that are cur-
rently available on the black market
available to the average Cuban citizen.
Antibiotics, for example.
Travel to Cuba is prohibited to
U.S. citizens, but mission participants,
under the auspices of JDC, obtained
special licenses to travel there through
the Department of Treasury.
Orley was deeply impressed by
the work of the JDC, which also
arranges for physi-
Left: Heidi
Fischgrund with 4
Jewish Cuban
woman.
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one time had been a thriving congre-
gation. I could almost picture the cele-
brations that took place in the social
hall and could almost hear the echoes
of the voices that at one time were lift-
ed in prayer," Fischgrund wrote.
While they were visiting the Adath
Israel Orthodox synagogue in Havana,
Eugene Sherizen of Huntington
Woods posed for a picture with a
weather-worn older man named
Solomon Gonte, a Jew who was forced
by the government to sell his business
and become a farmer. As it turned
out, Sherizen had been given Gonte's
name by one of Gonte's relatives in
Detroit, a friend of Sherizen's father.
Sherizen, who has been involved in
Young Leadership Cabinet for about a
year, has visited remote Jewish com-
munities all over the world, including
Russia's. He was struck by the differ-
ences.
Cuban Jews seem to suffer less, he
noted.
"I think some of that may have to
do with the fact that it's Caribbean.
You won't freeze," Sherizen said. "If I
were in the same state, I would be
miserable."
Still, Cubans don't have the free-
dom to pack up and just leave, he
noted.
"Can you imagine? We visited these
cians from abroad to teach Cuban
doctors and meet with patients in th_
Jewish community every other month.
"The JDC's work is so important.
They're not involved with [the issue
of] pluralism, with politics; they want
to feed you, give you medicine, give
dignity to people who wish to live in
difficult areas," he said.
He also was moved by the spirit of
the Jews of Havana. After hearing
that 200 people come to services
every Friday night at the Beth
Shalom synagogue at the Patronato
but barely scrape enough food
together for a Shabbat meal, Orley
and another mission participant put
up the money to buy chickens and
challahs for the families every
Shabbat through 1998. El