Am Yisrael b'Cuba Chai!
HAVANA – We landed in Havana on Erev Shabbat, Jan. 25, at 12:30 p.m. After a two-and-a- half-hour battle with customs, we finally stepped outside and breathed in the Cuban air.
We had pushed our luck, bringing in considerably more than our permitted allotment of vitamins and medicines, to help supply the shul’s pharmacy. This was made possible thanks to generous donations from Bialik Hebrew Day School and many friends in the medical profession in Toronto.
We had pushed our luck, bringing in considerably more than our permitted allotment of vitamins and medicines, to help supply the shul’s pharmacy. This was made possible thanks to generous donations from Bialik Hebrew Day School and many friends in the medical profession in Toronto.
Fortunately, my fluency in Spanish, coupled with a lot of persistence and a little bribery, helped us get the majority of our supply through customs.
At 5:30, we arrived at the Beth Shalom Patronato Synagogue, Havana’s conservative shul, for Kabbalat Shabbat.
We delivered a suitcase full of medication to the shul’s small pharmacy, where they house and distribute them amongst the members of the Jewish community free of charge.
In the sanctuary, we met Cantor Fernando Lapiduz from Argentina, whom we had been emailing for months. He and his wife are shlichim employed by the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to revive Yiddishkeit and educate the community so that it may acquire the knowledge to sustain itself in the future. Their posting is for two years; they are the eighth couple posted since the JDC began this program.
Fernando serves as both Rabbi and Chazzan and his wife Patricia serves as the principal of the school and youth director.
On this particular Shabbat we were fortunate enough to be at shul for two unique events. The community was celebrating the first Bat Mitzvah in over a year. They were also hosting a JDC mission from Baltimore.
The shul was filled with more than 60 members of the Cuban community and 40 people from the Baltimore mission.
The service was led almost entirely by the Bat Mitzvah, starting with candle lighting. I sat in awe listening to the entire Kabbalat Shabbat and sections of Ma’ariv being chanted by the Bat Mitzvah. More impressive was that she was accompanied by all of the students in the Bar/Bat Mitzvah class who served as her choir.
The breadth of knowledge and passion for Judaism went far beyond my wildest expectation.
Shaar Shalom Cantor Ben Silverberg and I were invited to officiate for the latter part of the davening. We sang duets and even a trio with their cantor. The intensity and emotion conveyed by our singing brought the congregants to a sudden climax where they clapped at its conclusion. As we walked off the bimah, the Cantor’s wife walked down the aisle with approximately 20 excited children who regaled us with a medley of Hebrew songs, culminating with the singing of Shalom Aleichem. The Bat Mitzvah concluded the Friday evening davening with the singing of Uzi Chitman’s Adon Olam, this time accompanied by all of the children in the shul. The smallest ones ran up with such excitement to sit on the pulpit while the older kids stood around them. They sang as loudly as they could with enthusiasm that we could only wish for in our own synagogues.
The simcha carried on downstairs in the little social hall where the community has their weekly shabbat meals. The dinner was simple – some fish, rice and veggies on a plate – more than most Cubans could expect to eat at home. The meals are offered in all three Havana synagogues every Friday night and Saturday lunch sponsored by the JDC. It reminded me of my childhood in Sudbury, where the entire community always got together for communal meals.
Shabbos morning services began at a civilized 10 a.m. Pesukei D’zimrah was led by two congregants who have been studying diligently with the Cantor and his wife. Again, several parts of the davening were led by the Bat Mitzvah. Cantor Silverberg and I read Torah and filled in the gaps along with the shul’s Chazzan. The congregants participated enthusiastically, while the children had a program in the chapel.
We ate lunch with the congregation and returned by 6:30 for the conclusion of Shabbat, Havdallah...Cuban style! It began with a heart-warming Havdallah service in the round with everyone’s arms locked together. The last time I attended such a Havdallah service was at Camp Ramah – certainly not what I would have expected in Havana. After singing the Debbie Friedman Havdallah, Eliyahu Hanavi, Hamavdil and Shavua Tov, a giant Bat Mitzvah cake was wheeled out for the candle lighting ceremony. The Bat Mitzvah girl spoke lovingly as she honoured her different groups of teachers, friends and relatives. Her sincerity, warmth and appreciation brought tears streaming down my face.
As we bid farewell to Shabbat, the Israeli music began, and three different groups of folk dancers from the shul came out dressed in traditional costumes. The fabric had been obtained (with great difficulty) in Havana, and the beading and ribbons came from Argentina – purchased by the cantor’s wife on her last visit. The dancing was spectacular – Cubans have great rhythm, even the four year olds! They featured Israeli and Mizrahi dances that an Argentinean rikkud (dance) teacher had taught them a few months earlier.
We couldn’t get over the ruach (spirit). It wasn’t uncool for the 16 year olds to folk dance on a Saturday night. They were having the best time.
Whenever the community gets together, the most important component is to provide transportation. Most of the Jews don’t have cars and many live as far as an hour away. This is the only way to ensure attendance at evening programs. Most Cubans are not entitled to own cars unless their job requires it and public transportation is extremely unreliable.
On Sunday morning we attended the Hebrew school and answered questions from the students. The school was broken down into small classes – two for the little kids and three other classes for older groups, including a small post bar/bat mitzvah discussion group.
The Bat Mitzvah girl asked me when she could visit Canada. I sadly couldn’t provide her with an answer.
The topic of the day was Tu B’shevat and all of the students were engaged in learning about Ba’al Tashchit and protecting our environment. They concluded by planting trees in front of the shul, which hopefully will not be removed by the government.
We also walked over to the small Sephardic Shul where we sat in on two adult classes learning Hebrew.
Cantor Silverberg and I travelled to Havana under the auspices of the Toronto Council of Hazzanim. Our mission was to bring supplies and enrich the community in whichever way we could.
As we sat on the flight back to Toronto, we felt as if we were the biggest beneficiaries from our visit. We returned home with fond memories, new friendships and a renewed passion to help the Cuban Jews.
We plan on organizing a four-day mission from our respective synagogues in the fall.
When I spoke with the Bar/Bat Mitzvah class, I told them that we have so many ‘material possessions’ in Canada and yet we don’t have a fraction of what they have. They have a passion to learn, an incredible sense of community and a spirit which was lost in our Jewish souls long ago.
Perhaps it is too easy to be Jewish in Toronto where day schools, summer camps and Bathurst Street provide enough Yiddishkeit to feel Jewish.
Despite the conditions under which the people of Cuba must live, they have not lost their spirit to be Jewish. Am Yisrael b’Cuba Chai!