A Continuing Heritage of Aid to Cuba's Jewish Community - B'nai B'rith International

A Continuing Heritage of Aid to Cuba’s Jewish Community
By Moishe Smith
President, B’nai B’rith International
and Gary Javitch
Life Member and Henry Monsky Lodge President

I recently returned from a heartwarming trip to Cuba as part of B’nai B’rith’s Cuban Jewish Relief Project—a worthy endeavor in any year, but this year, by awful coincidence, our trip could not have been more timely.

B’nai B’rith International (BBI) was one of the first humanitarian organizations to hit the ground after the devastating strike of Hurricane Ike. Despite the tragedy, there were signs that life in Cuba had been changing before nature took its dramatic course.

I had not been to the communist island in 12 years and I found the difference between my visits to be unbelievable. Life in Cuba remains very hard, but back then it was noticeable that some people barely had enough food; now, signs of improved lifestyles were everywhere. Of course, the communist system of government remains what it has been for years, and there is probably little chance of change in the foreseeable future. It is what it is.

What also was evident was the impressive work of our Cuban Jewish Relief Project, spearheaded by longtime BBI member Stanley Cohen—what it has accomplished and continues to accomplish, and how it has become such a visible part of improvement in Cuban life—at least within the Jewish community.

Our mission and the work we continue to do with our tzedakah program have really made a difference. We are the organization that is consistently on the ground with leadership. There are other organizations that have been very helpful to the Jewish community of Cuba, but we are the organization that’s consistently been there, year after year, making a difference in the lives of the Cuban Jewish community.

Since the mid-1990s, the project has infused millions of dollars in cash, food, and medicine to the community; has helped rebuild five decaying synagogues and the “Patronato” (Jewish community center in Havana); and aided smaller populations in the provinces.

On seeing all this, my first instinct was to write about my impressions of Cuba. Yet, as the week progressed, I found everyone so engaged with the mission and taking such an interest in what was going on that it occurred to me that I should let someone else lend their voice to the task.

I chose life member and Henry Monsky Lodge President Gary Javitch, who was among many who took copious notes throughout. Here are his impressions, and I thank him for his efforts.

BBI Mission to Cuba Aids Struggling Jewish Community
By Gary Javitch

We arrived on the Caribbean island of Cuba just two days after Hurricane Ike slammed the eastern portion of the country. The northwest quadrant of the state, including the city of Havana, where our plane touched down, received only a glancing blow. The high winds, nevertheless, disrupted power, toppled trees, and knocked down branches throughout the capital city.

And, unbeknownst to our group at the time, the hurricane destroyed more than half of Cuba’s “money crop,” dealing a major $5-billion blow to the tobacco industry and the already impoverished economy.

The weather damage gave added meaning to our B’nai B’rith Cuban Jewish Relief Project. It also brought into sharp focus the needs of the Jewish community in that country.

Our group of 21, officially licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department, came mostly from New York and New Jersey, but also included B’nai B’rith members hailing from Canada, California, Delaware, Maryland, Alabama, Florida, Nebraska, and Washington, D.C. The trip was a combination religious and fact-finding mission, with ample opportunities to explore the Jewish communities of Havana and the central-west cities of Cienfuegos and Santa Clara.

Undeterred by the hot and very steamy September weather and the occasional lack of electricity, our stalwart group shvitzed its way across the country, fulfilling an important goal: to deliver clothes and needed medical supplies to the often-desperate Jews surviving in the communist state.

We knew we were accomplishing something quite worthwhile as our group took sharp notice of nearly empty pharmacy shelves around Havana and in Cienfuegos.

The poverty also stood out. As part of a “tzedakah initiative” to help Jews living in dilapidated housing, BBI project members divided up into smaller groups and visited a number of residences to assess living conditions.

In one home, our five-person group noted rotten window shutters and broken glass panes that permitted driving rains to soak the walls and floors. Similar problems abounded in the Cuban apartments and domiciles that the other groups visited. As we toured the cities, we also observed hundreds of unfinished building projects and rusting scaffolding that scarred the landscapes.

A number of Cubans made this eight-day tour most memorable and quite fulfilling. Four in particular stand out.

The first was our Havana guide, Cuban-born Raul, 39. Extremely knowledgeable about the history and culture of the island, Raul provided us with insights about the synagogues, cemeteries, people, and politics, and—even though not Jewish himself—about Judaism and the Jewish community.

“Once there were 15,000 Jews in Cuba,” Raul explained. “Their numbers have declined dramatically due to an aging population, the aliyah departure to Israel [and other places in the Diaspora], the nationalization of many [Jewish] businesses under Castro, and the desire to leave a land where religion could not be practiced.

“So, when you go back to where you live, I want you to tell your friends and communities at least these three things,” he urged. “There are now only about 1,300 Jews in Cuba, almost all in Havana. But they are continuing to keep Jewish life alive. And B’nai B’rith is helping them do that.

“In Santa Clara, for example, the residents are building a synagogue and giving their kids a Jewish education,” Raul continued. “They are teaching them Jewish folk dancing, and they are caring for the elders. There is a future for Jewish people here.

“A very important thing to keep in mind is that these ‘Jewbans’ [Cuban Jews] need your help,” he noted. “Goodwill alone is not enough. You need to let them know they are not alone nor forgotten. Besides money, they also need Judaic material like tallitim and siddurim.

“Please remember also that even if the Jewish population goes down to one person, there will always be a Jewish presence here. Jews helped found the country, contributed to the business life, and, yes, even helped launch the communist party on the island,” he said.

A second standout was Dr. Rosa Behar, who started the pharmacy at the Beth Shalom Synagogue in Havana.

“You have brought us medicine that we cannot get from the government,” she told us. “We give this to the Jews who come to us in need. They would go without if we did not give it to them. We can never repay B’nai B’rith for all that they do.” She added that non-Jews are not turned away.

Similar remarks came from David Tacher, who is revitalizing the Jewish community in Santa Clara. He and his brother, a gastroenterologist, obtained a building that they plan to turn into a Jewish Community Center. David took us to the local cemetery, a treasure trove of historical information.

There he proudly described the Holocaust memorial displayed inside the entrance to the burial site. David pointed to the upraised hand on the memorial and said, “We are the people of Israel, and we will go forth and we will survive. Never again will we permit what happened in the war.”

In addition to other activities, Tacher presented BBI President Moishe Smith with an artificial plant whose stem was configured with barbed wire as a reminder of the past, and with a flower as a symbol of the community’s rebirth.

Finally, there was Rebecca Langus, who runs a community center out of her house in Cienfuegos and spoke to our group with enthusiasm about the resurgence of the small Jewish community. About 30 people belong to the group; Rebecca spoke proudly about a recent bar mitzvah ceremony.

“Thank you, B’nai B’rith; thank you, B’nai B’rith; thank you, B’nai B’rith,” the synagogue leaders and others recited over and over again. “How could we survive without your help?”

As I reflect on the trip, I realized that when donors make their charitable gifts, they rarely see the beneficiaries, nor do they always hear how the money is actually spent.

Our group, however, was quite fortunate to hear first-hand the personal and heartfelt words of appreciation from the leaders of the groups who received our suitcases and bags filled with apparel and life-saving medicines.

Life is not easy for those living in this communist state. The city is awash in contradictions: Beautiful tourist hotels sprout 20 and more stories high, just a short distance from homes that may not have seen a coat of paint since the revolution officially began on January 1, 1959, when Fidel Castro was installed in power.

Two economies exist side by side: one for tourists and another for citizens. In this dual environment, a highly educated professor can earn a top salary of 34 pesos a month, while a taxi driver or hotel bellman, for example, can add to his meager income by accumulating multiple tips.

One highly educated woman, an engineer, confided in me how difficult life in Cuba was. Her son became a bar mitzvah the weekend we visited. She described the years of savings required to hold the celebration. In doing so, she fulfilled a promise to her late husband.

Trip leader Marc Fleischer, vice chair of the B’nai B’rith Cuban Jewish Relief Project, completing his 15th trip to the island, commented that continuing efforts like this really do make a difference in the lives of the community.

“We do more than provide money to old people,” he noted, referring to the tzedakah project. “We recently brought two torahs to separate communities, donated by congregations in Cleveland and in New Jersey. On this trip, we brought in more than 600 pounds of clothes and thousands of dollars in medicines.

“Above all,” he concluded, “B’nai B’rith also provides hope.”