>
> JEWISH CHRONICLE
> Rabbi visiting Cuba surprised by level of freedom on island
> by Toby Tabachnick
> Staff Writer The Jewish Chronicle
> 3 days ago | 525 views | 3 | 8 | |
>
> Rabbi David Novitsky visits a Jewish cemetery in Havana.
> slideshow The community of about 1,000 Jews in Havana, Cuba, may be
> small, but it is both cohesive and committed, according to Rabbi David
> Novitsky, who recently returned from a mission there.
>
> Novitsky, the spiritual leader of Beth Israel Congregation in
> Washington, Pa., traveled alone to Havana to transport pharmaceuticals
> to the city's Jewish population, and to learn about Jewish life in the
> Communist country.
>
> "I wanted to see the lifestyle, values and how synagogue life is
> affected by the nature of the government," he said.
>
> What he found surprised him.
>
> "I saw a lot of freedom there," he said.
>
> Visiting each of the three synagogues in the city, he was taken with
> such sights as the display of the Israeli flag alongside that of Cuba,
> and twice daily minyans at the Orthodox congregation.
>
> "The Jews there pray the same way we do," Novitsky said, "praying for
> a return to Zion, and praying for Israel.
>
> "I didn't feel like I was in a Communist country," he added. "I was
> surprised. You know that the state owns everything, but I felt pretty
> free walking around."
>
> While poverty is prevalent in Havana, many people have businesses on
> the side, he said, while the government seems to look the other way.
>
> The three synagogues — one Orthodox, one Conservative, and one Reform
> — all have services on Shabbat. Challah is baked weekly in the
> Orthodox synagogue, and provided to members of other congregations.
> Kosher meat is for sale once a month from a storefront butcher.
>
> "The Jewish community is pretty much connected, even though they have
> different observances," Novitsky noted. "The Orthodox and Conservative
> and Reform are all in the same boat. It's not like here. They all know
> each other — the Sephardic and the Ashkenazi. There are no walls
> there."
>
> (Toby Tabachnick can be reached at
tobyt@thejewishchronicle.net.)
>
> Read more: The Jewish Chronicle - Rabbi visiting Cuba surprised by
> level of freedom on island
>
>
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