Comision Coordinadora de las Sociedades
Religiosas Hebreas de Cuba,
Calle I Esq.13,
Vedado-Ciudad de la Habana
10400,
Tel. 53 7 328 953,
Fax 53 7 333 778
"Since the Soviet Union stopped funding Fidel Castro's
Communist Cuba in the late 1980s, Castro has slowly loosened the
economic and social control of his people and allowed those
interested in religion to resume their practices. Approximately
2,000 Jews remain in Cuba, most of whom are of Spanish descent.
Most are poor, generally unable to afford prayer books and other
Jewish articles, and elderly, as the Communist government has
prohibited Jewish practices for nearly thirty years. Jews in
Havana and Santiago have recently reopened their synagogues and
have held public celebrations and Jewish study sessions in order
to interest younger Cubans in the religion, openly affirming
their Judaism for the first time in decades."
Source: http://www.mindspring.com/~jaypsand/dispersed.htm
[January 2002]
Behar, Ruth. The Vulnerable Observer: Anthropology That
Breaks Your Heart . __:__,___.
Behar, Ruth. Bridges to Cuba/Puentes a Cuba .
__:__,___.
Bejarano, Margalit. La Comunidad Hebrea De Cuba, La
Memoria Y La Historia . Jerusalem, Israel: Instituto Abraham
Harman de Judaismo Contemporaneo Universidad Hebrea de Jerusalen,
1996.
Bettinger-Lopez, Caroline. Cuban-Jewish Journeys,
Searching for Identity, Home, and History in Miami .
Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 2000.
Bettinger-Lopez, Caroline. Cuban-Jewish Journeys:
Searching for Identity, Home, and History in Miami . ISBN:
1-57233-098-8. Univ of Tennessee Press, 2000. Index: http://jewishcuba.org/famties/index.html
Source: Daniel Kazez dkazez@mail.wittenberg.edu
[January 2001]
Heisler-Samuels, Betty. The Last Minyan in Havana, A Story
of Paradise, Hope and Betrayal . Aventura, FL: Chutzpah
Publishing, 2000.
Margolis, Paul. "Tropical Remnants: The Architectural Legacy
of Cuba's Jews". Jewish Heritage Report , Vol. I, Nos.
3-4/Winter 1997-98.
Levine, Robert M.. Tropical Diaspora, The Jewish
Experience in Cuba . Gainesville, FL: University Press of
Florida, 1993.
"The Camaguey Jewish cemetery, with about fifty graves, has
been refurbished, cleaned and maintained over the past several
years with funds made available by the government and from
overseas Jewish agencies." Source: Jewish Heritage Report
, 123 Clarke St., Syracuse, NY 13210. There may be a second
Jewish cemetery site in Camaguay according to Jews of
Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, and Santiago, Cuba by Paul
Margolis, pmrgwrtr@chelsea.ios.com
and http://jewishcuba.org .
[October 2000]
CIENFUEGOS:
also see Santa Clara
"The Santa Clara cemetery was at one point being refurbished
by a private organization, but recently I heard that funding had
stopped, and building materials had been stolen from the site.
Like Cuba itself, the Jewish sites there are in a state of
limbo." Source: Paul Margolis, pmrgwrtr@chelsea.ios.com
and http://jewishcuba.org
[October 2000]
GUANABACOA: see also Havana
Macabbeus Cemetery: One of two cemeteries built by
Azhkenazim, the 1911 Macabbeus Cemetery is located a smooth steep
hill in an old town near Havana. The beautiful series of
tombstones (matzevot), ohels, and sarcophagi show different
burial traditions. Inscriptions are in Hebrew, Yiddish, and
Spanish. Memorial artwork includes universal Jewish symbols like
the Menorah, candle-stick, Star of David, and Lion of Judah.
Inscribed names and birthplaces are of people from Eastern and
Central Europe, not that of Sephardim, dominant in Cuba. The
general layout holds to univerisal Jewish tradition. A room for
washing the deceased is located at the entrance of the cemetery
with a working faucet to allow the participants to wash their
hands departing. The cemetery is still active. Pollution,
corrosion, vandalism, and a lack of maintenance and funds
seriously threaten the marble, limestone and bronze memorial art.
Owned by the Jewish community, the site is part of a research
program by ICOMOS Cuba, about Cuban Jewish heritage. The
seriously damaged site is irreplaceable to the almost 2000 Jews
living in Cuba and their many relatives elsewhere. Source:
Anonymous [February 2002]
LA HABANA (HAVANA):
Patronato Synagogue (Dr. Jose Miller, President), Patronato de la
Casa de la Comunidad Hebrea de Cuba, Calle 1 #261, Esquina B;
Adath Israel (Orthodox) at Picota 52 Esquina Acosta, Habana
Vieja, Havanna 10100; and Centro Hebreo Sefaradide Cuba Templo
(Conservative), Jose Lev Tur-President, Calle 17 #462, Esquina E,
Vedado C, Habana. [January 2001]
Two Havana Jewish cemeteries, located about 30 minutes
outside of Havana, are in Guanabacoa (see also Guanabacoa). Both
cemeteries have Holocaust Memorials and caretakers.
"United Hebrew Congregation Cemetery", established 1906 by the United Hebrew
Congregation of Cuba, probably has about 1,000 graves with some tombstones
broken. The Jewish community in Havana was trying to
raise money for restoration. Ashkenazim community address: Casa
De La Communidad Hebrea de Cuba.
UPDATE: Centro
Macabeo was the Spanish part of the name for the United Hebrew Congregation.
Centro Macabeo synagogue founded in 1906 by North American Jews residing in
Cuba. A Reform congregation, the large cemetery east of Havana was started and
owned by the UHC. Members were mostly in Havana for business reasons and were
among the wealthiest Jews in Cuba. English was the language of choice and
members helped immigrants arriving in Cuba along with several other
locally-based organizations, the Joint and HIAS, who had resident workers in
Havana. After Castro the UHC disappeared. Today Three other synagogues still
remain. [March 2008]
"Sephardic cemetery" has about 150-200 graves. "Abraham
Brezniak, who has a kosher butcher shop on Calle Cuba, between
Acosta and Jesus Maria Streets in old Havana has the burial
registers for both cemeteries." Sephardic community address:
Centro Hebrea Sephardi de Cuba, 17th St. # 462, at E St., Vedado,
Havana; phone: 326623 [Source?]
Centro Macabeo Cemetery (United Hebrew
Congregation Cemetery):
Cematario Israeli De La Communidad Hebrea De Santa
Clara: (Israeli Cemetery of the Hebrew Community of Santa
Clara), a.k.a, Syrian Cemetery . "Commonly called the
Syrian Cemetery for small community that sprung up around it
known as El Barrio Los Syrians . With no actual street
name, the location is an extension of Calle San Miguel. Founded
1932 with the first burial on July 10, 1932 and the last in 1986,
the cemetery contains under 100 burials. The site serves the
Jewish communities of Santa Clara and Cienfuegos. Eddie Levy,
[(305) 856-0177 (305) 856-1210 (fax)], head of the American
organization 'Jewish Solidarity with Cuba', has relatives buried
in the cemetery. He organized an effort to restore the cemetery
[before 1998] when the cemetery was known to be in bad shape. The
organization also provides help to the residents of the
surrounding barrio. He has a list of most burials there." Source:
Website for Jews of Santa Clara:
http://www.jewish-solidarity.com - [link no longer
available]: [October 2000]
SANTIAGO de CUBA:
see: Jews of Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, and Santiago,
Cuba by Paul Margolis at pmrgwrtr@chelsea.ios.com
and http://jewishcuba.org .
[October 2000] http://jewishcuba.org/ebcuba.htm
: The Jewish cemetery is located in the outskirts of Santiago de
Cuba next to a Christian cemetery. With about 100-150 graves, the
site (as of 1998) is in very good repair except for one wall with
weather damage, not vandalism. Contact the synagogue at
Communidad Hebrea HaTikva Pio Rosado #268 e/Habana y Trinidad,
Santiago de Cuba 90100, phone: 53-226-51078. [October 2000]. http://www.jewishcuba.org/hatikva/hatikva.html
is the Santiago Jewish Community website. hatikva@chh.ciges.inf.cu is
their email address. [October 2000]
All individuals involved in the creation of this project are volunteers.
The right to make one copy for personal use with full citation is hereby granted;
however, no profit is to be made from the use of this website's information.
No reply will be made to inquiries about specific burials. All information that we possess is on the website. We have no other information so please do not write requesting any on either burial sites or individual burials.