While it is unclear when Jews first arrived in Cuba, Jews have lived in Cuba for many centuries. Some believe that three Jews came with Columbus, and others later fled from Brazil to escape Portuguese persecution in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the early 20th century, Jews came from Turkey and Eastern Europe, and later in that century to escape the Holocaust. In fact, during World War II, Cuba provided safe haven for about 30,000 Jews, many of whom resettled elsewhere after the war’s end.

About 1,500 Jews now live in Cuba, the vast majority in Havana, and in the nearby towns of Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, and Sancti Spiritus. Others live on Cuba’s east coast, in Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, and Campechuela, and still others in the central Cuban city of Camaguey. The current number of Jews living in Cuba is fewer than the pre-Revolution figure of 15,000. Many left after the Revolution and, in the following years, the small size of the community and the challenges associated with practicing religion lead to a very high intermarriage rate.

The Soviet Union, given the collapse of its economy, ended its aid program, thereby taking out about $6 billion annually from the Cuban economy in the 1990s. With the Soviet’s leaving Cuba, the Cuban government opened up the country to tourism in 1991 and ended policies that discouraged people from practicing their religion, including the Cuban Communist Party allowing Party members to have religious affiliations. By 1992, the Constitution included a provision that the state was now secular. Additional changes were introduced after Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1998. Today, the Cuban economy is challenged by the devastating damage caused by hurricanes that took place in 2009 and 2012 and the negative impacts from the global economic recession.

It is noteworthy that there are no security precautions outside Jewish communal buildings. Cuban Jews feel safe and on an equal footing with others. The Jewish community is committed to sharing what they receive from abroad with their fellow Cubans. Within this context, Cuban Jews have told us that their lives revolve around three things: “La Familia” (the family), the economy and their jobs, and “La Comunidad,” the Jewish community.

La Familia:

Many Cuban Jewish families today are separated from family members. For some, this separation took place decades ago. For others, it is more recent with family members making aliyah to Israel or contemplating such a move. (Israel welcomes Cuban Jewish immigration and Cuba allows Jews to leave.)

The Economy and Jobs:

It is no secret that daily life in Cuba is hard and that people, including Cuban Jews, struggle to make ends meet. Although many are extremely well educated and work as doctors, engineers, and lawyers, most earn an average monthly salary of only $19.50 which does not go far even in Cuba And like others, Cuban Jews deal each day with rationed food, extremely limited quantities of meat, clothing they cannot afford, problematic housing, medicine in short supply.

La Comunidad:

Given that many are separated from their families, and every day struggle to make ends meet, many Cuban Jews tell us that their anchor is “La Comunidad,” the Jewish community. The importance of La Comunidad is evident when you visit with members of the community as they share a Sabbath meal at the synagogue, participate in community activities, or attend the Mitrani Senior Day Care Center or the adult Sunday schools, and work together to take care of community members in need, including those with medical concerns, houses that need major repairs, and retirees who exist on less than $5 monthly. The importance of La Comunidad also helps explain the fact that Cuban Jews who grew up in homes in which Judaism was not practiced are returning and others with only one Jewish parent or grandparent are allowed to, and are, converting.