Cuban Jews celebrate Seder, thanks to help from friends

Passover Seder in Havana

April 11, 1998
Web posted at: 6:30 p.m. EDT (2230 GMT)

From Havana Bureau Chief Lucia Newman

HAVANA (CNN) -- In Cuba, celebrating the Passover Seder is a community affair, with Havana's small Jewish population joining together for the traditional ceremonial meal.

This year, the sense of community extended beyond Cuba's borders. A delegation of Jews from the United States was the guest of honor, and members brought with them many of the items needed for a proper Seder.

In a country where everything is in short supply, the Americans brought the matzo, gefilte fish, ceremonial wine and horseradish, all vital to the ceremony that marks the end of the Jews' slavery in ancient Egypt.

"There's not a lot of variety of food, but, especially here, it would be impossible to find the special foods that are symbolic and needed for the Passover meal to celebrate the tradition as it really should be," said Debbie Rubenstein, one of the American guests.

American Jews brought matzo and other Seder foods

For years, Canadian Jews had been the main suppliers of specialty foods for their counterparts in Cuba. But now, U.S. Jews are becoming increasingly involved in helping Cuba's small community, which doesn't even have a rabbi.

After the 1959 Cuban revolution, the majority of the country's Jewish community, which numbered about 30,000, left. Today, there are fewer than 2,000 Jews here. But in the last few years, thanks in part to the support of Jews from abroad, the community is experiencing a revival.

Community leaders boast that younger generations are participating more actively, and say it won't be long before three or four young men who are studying abroad to become rabbis return in leadership positions.

"We try to do our best, putting as much of our heart into it as we can so that our Judaism becomes like an eternal flame that never dies," says Luis Chaniveki of the Jewish Community Center.

And in a country where the economic and religious influence of the Jewish community is not strong, the moral as well as material support it is receiving from abroad is being viewed as a blessing this Passover.

Related stories:

• Israelis begin week-long observance of Passover - April 10, 1998

Related sites:

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• Passover 1998 Holiday Guide Chabad-Lubavitch in Cyberspace
• Kosher Cooking - Passover Recipes
• Passover on the Net
• CubaNet
• CubaWeb
• Latin World - Cuba

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