80th
Anniversary of the Founding
of the Jewish
Community of Santiago de Cuba
by
Nereyda Barceló Fundora
Recently, the Jewish
community of Santiago de Cuba celebrated its 80th anniversary
with a varied cultural and historical program. The event demonstrated the
community’s efforts to preserve its history and ensure that future
generations in this region remain faithful to their identify.
An engaging
exhibition of the works of renowned artist Marcos Frómeta Farín and his
guest exhibitor Yuri González Litinov graced the Santiago synagogue at 273
Corona Street. Another exhibit displayed historic and contemporary
photographs documenting the evolution of this community. Also on display
were wood sculpture by the young artisan Robertland Sánchez Segal and a
stamp collection featuring Cuba’s national hero, José Martí.
Activities to
celebrate this important occasion got underway on Friday, November 29,
2004, and were attended by the leadership of Jewish communities from the
eastern provinces and from Santa Clara, in central Cuba. The closing event
on Sunday included an overview of the Santiago community’s history,
presented by Jacobo Behar Behar and a brilliant lecture on the history of
the Jewish people presented by Mariano Mirelman, the Joint Distribution
Committee’s (JDC) representative in Cuba. Following his talk, Mirelman
presented a commemorative marble plaque to the community in honor of the
occasion.
The cultural event
was also enlivened by musical presentations. The young saxophonist, Daniel
Behar Calzado, performed two selections by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona.
Also performing was the Santiago String Quartet, featuring musicians and
teachers from the Oriente Symphony Orchestra. Young dancers from Atideinu
(Our Future), the synagogue’s dance troupe, rounded out the cultural
presentations.
For more information
about the life of the Jewish community in our city, we suggest reading
Sinagoga de Santiago de Cuba (The Synagogue of Santiago de Cuba)
by Eugenia Farín Levy, President of the Hatikva (The Hope) Jewish
Community of Santiago de Cuba. The book is available at the Elvira Cape
Library in Santiago.
Note: Synagogue
(from the Greek): place of assembly. In Hebrew, it means house of
assembly for prayer, study, and gatherings.
English translation by Sarita Chávez Silverman
