A trip to Havana and the experience of a Cuban minyan

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I had a dilemma. My second day in Havana was fast approaching and I was getting anxious. Thursday was the 12th anniversary of my father’s yahrtzeit and I had no idea where I would say Kaddish in his memory. 

On day one, our group of 13 visited Havana’s Sephardic Hebrew Center, where I met an elderly gentleman named Simon Goldstein. Simon accompanied me as I walked through their Holocaust Memorial, a small, but wonderful exhibition detailing the past European homes of many of the 1,500 Jewish inhabitants of Havana. There, I discovered the childhood Hungarian cities of both my mother’s family – Munkacs – and my father’s family – Berehovo. Never before had I seen these on a map. Countless stories of their childhoods growing up in these small towns brought back lost memories in of all places – Cuba.

Simon spoke about how he and 10 others founded the synagogue. As the tour ended there was a wall-sized black-and-white photo of Simon and his compatriots. Simon, with a sorrowful smile on his face, pointed out himself and one other gentleman in the picture. Sadly he said that they were the only two who remained of the synagogue’s founders.

My yahrtzeit dilemma continued. Day two’s dawn broke, and I still didn’t have a plan as to where I would find a synagogue and a minyan that day. A morning walking tour ensued and after an hour or so exploring the streets of old Havana, we stopped at Adath Israel, Cuba’s only Orthodox synagogue. There, we met and spoke with the president of the synagogue, the shul’s sole cantor, treasurer and shochet. Mentioning my dilemma to our JDC leader, he immediately told me he would take care of it. And so he did. We all laughed together as it was explained that in Havana one can always find a minyan when need be. It’s called a Cuban minyan, which consists of seven men, two Torahs and God. No problem, thanks to the Havana Jewish Community.

So on that second day visiting Havana, in a small orthodox shul barely surviving as it spiritually and generously feeds its congregants, I emotionally and meaningfully prayed for my dad. And interestingly enough, with the leaders of JDC, the Alliance and my wonderful friends by my side, I fortunately found and experienced my own Cuban minyan.

STANLEY WACHTENHEIM traveled to Havana in September on a mission sponsored by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. These are his reflections upon his return to the United States.

Havana, Cuba, Alliance