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Matthew Caplan

I’ve never been able to quite understand my Jewish identity. After all, I live in America, where many of my ancestors, in pursuit of benefits I now reap, assimilated into secular society. While no fault of their own, they have set in motion a decision that some say has slowly eroded the tenets of Jewish tradition for my generation. A transition has seemingly followed, forcing Jewish communal organizations to find new ways to engage an impatient youth drawn to immediate gratification and satisfaction — something antiquated religious practice does not seem fit to provide.

Such a haunting prospect has sent the Jewish world scrambling. Exemplifying these concerns, former World Jewish Congress President Edgar Bronfman voiced one final rallying cry to the Jewish people just before he died. If Jewish peoplehood is to continue as it has for thousands of years, we must build and strengthen the everlasting bonds between not only Jews across ages, but also Jews across borders.

B’nai B’rith’s Cuban Jewish Relief Project answers this call and then some.

The trip was as much time travel to a bygone era as a humanitarian mission to assist a community stricken with the trials of a collapsing economy, and a government unable to keep pace with the demands of population growth, globalization and modernity. A glance in any direction produced the blur of a flaming red 1958 Cadillac straight out of Philip Roth’s pastoral America.


Yet, the time travel exposed something even more poignant: an infantile Jewish community birthing from its own ashes. Following Castro’s 1959 revolution, Jewish identity effectively ceased to exist. Those who were able fled to Israel or America. Those who remained were stymied by the fear of punitive action against religious expression. Only until such restrictions were eased in the 1990s was the community— some descendants of Holocaust survivors, some survivors themselves — able to freely return to Torah. Slowly, they did, and slowly, they still are. Led by a charismatic cadre of young Jews, five synagogues provide a haven for unity and Jewish programming, of which B’nai B’rith has been instrumental, and even offers Holocaust education to a Cuban population unaware of the details. The Jewish community, though, is not immune to the nation’s broader economic woes, and many Cuban Jews struggle to find meals and other necessities.

Perhaps most fitting then was our trip’s final day. Following a week of delivering food, medication and other supplies to a community that so desperately needs it, we celebrated Havdalah with the same Cuban Jews who are so instrumental to the community’s sustenance. Amidst prayer, song and gentle conversation, an intertwined Havdalah candle became an apropos metaphor to our realization that no matter what, Jews across all ages and borders are there in support of each other.

As the flame danced, Bronfman’s call was answered. B’nai B’rith’s Cuban Jewish Relief Project is doing truly transformational work, not only in maintaining a storied tradition and community, but also in engaging a future generation of Jewishness.


Matthew Caplan, who is also active with our friend and partner organization Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), has traveled with B’nai B’rith International before, including on a 2013 mission to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. Caplan is a native of Pittsburgh. He’s a 2016 graduate of Georgetown University.

In 2015, the B’nai B’rith Cuban Jewish Relief Project celebrated 20 years of assisting the Cuban Jewish community with a number of trips to the Caribbean island nation. Check out the photo recap on all of our 2015 activities. 

Sienna Girgenti

Cuba has long been the understandably forbidden fruit of the American tourist. But the long isolated mystery of the Caribbean boasts more than just idyllic streetscapes and an enchanting mix of history, music and nature. For B’nai B’rith, Cuba presents a unique opportunity to fulfill our commitment to helping communities through “Tikkun Olam.”

While Cuba is busy making headlines—particularly for the thawing of relations with the U.S.—what you might not know is that the island maintains a surprising and vibrant Jewish life dating back centuries. At its peak, the community numbered 20,000, but today the passionate Jewish community counts maybe 1,000. 

The reality of life for Cuba’s Jews—and broader Cuban society—is the story failing to garner attention. Welcome to Cuba, home to miles of stunning white sand beaches, premium cigars, oak-aged rum, classic American cars from the 1950s—and where providing fundamental necessities proves a difficult challenge. 


The daughter of Adath Israel community leader Yacob Berezniak poses for a photo.

Jewish motifs adorn the doors to Beth Shalom Synagogue (Havana).

The daughter of Adath Israel community leader Yacob Berezniak poses for a photo.
Jewish motifs adorn the doors to Beth Shalom Synagogue (Havana).

Despite the fact that Cuba meets basic public health and education needs, there remain tremendous strains on resources and a lack of basic necessities including medicine, food and clothing. Even when resources may be available, many Cubans are priced out of the market. Cuba’s dual currency system severely complicates local purchasing power, and the average Cuban salary is the equivalent of only $20 U.S. dollars per month.

As B’nai B’rith International returns from its first mission of 2015, we reflect on the roots and impact of the Cuban Jewish Relief Project (CJRP). Indeed, B’nai B’rith International has a very large hand print in supporting the Cuba-Jewish community with longstanding ties to the island. The B’nai B’rith Maimonides Lodge even predates the 1959 revolution, having been founded in Havana in 1943.

Nearly 95 percent of Cuba’s Jewish population fled the revolution. Shortly following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Cuban government issued a 1992 constitutional amendment that provided for non-discrimination based on religious belief. When B’nai B’rith began the CJRP in the early 1990s the Jewish community was just emerging from decades of struggle to preserve its traditions and culture. With the easing of restriction on religious practice, B’nai B’rith was one of the first humanitarian organizations on the ground to spearhead the bright revival of Jewish life in Cuba.

Since 1995, B’nai B’rith has been providing humanitarian relief and hands-on support to the Cuban-Jewish community, with an emphasis on delivering material aid, Judaica and other necessities while empowering community revitalization efforts. Through our missions, the CJRP affords B’nai B’rith members an opportunity to share in joint religious activities and discussion groups about religious practices and life on the island, all the while enjoying Cuba’s vibrant Caribbean culture. Mission participants have carried down thousands of pounds of religious material contributions to enhance the ability of the Jewish population in Cuba to practice their religion, as well as medicines and other basic necessities. Our first mission of 2015 brought more than 500 pounds of much needed effects.