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Cuba's Jewish Community

By Jeralyn, Section Off Topic
Posted on Sat Feb 03, 2007 at 08:03:00 PM EST
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The New York Times has an interesting article in the travel section on Cuba's Jewish population, now estimated at 1,500. I thought this was interesting:

[Adela Dworin, president of the Jewish community in Cuba]...had the opportunity to meet Mr. Castro in 1998, and asked him why he had never visited the Jewish community, to which he replied: “Because I was never invited.” Ms. Dworin promptly invited him to the coming Hanukkah celebration at the Patronato. When Mr. Castro asked what Hanukkah was, Ms. Dworin explained that the holiday celebrates the “revolution” — a word Castro likes — of the Jewish people.

To her surprise, Mr. Castro showed up at the party of 200, sat next to her in the front row and addressed the congregation in a lengthy speech.

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    Cuba's Jewish Community | 7 comments (7 topical)

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    The double-edged sword... (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by sphealey on Sun Feb 04, 2007 at 09:43:16 AM EST
    > To her surprise, Mr. Castro showed up
    > at the party of 200, sat next to her
    >  in the front row and addressed the
    > congregation in a lengthy speech.

    For groups in Cuba, I imagine that would be the double-edged sword of inviting Mr. Castro to an event:  if he comes, it looks good for you.  But you then have to sit through an 8-hour speech...

    sPh

    So much (none / 0) (#2)
    by Che's Lounge on Sun Feb 04, 2007 at 11:20:31 AM EST
    For religious intolerance. I though all those commies were atheists?

     Oh, and rest in agony, E. Howard Hunt, you murdering SOB. You may have gotten Kennedy but Castro outlived you. There were some things to smile about last week. The loss of this US government assassin was one.

    Pandering? (none / 0) (#3)
    by Repack Rider on Sun Feb 04, 2007 at 11:40:06 AM EST
    Maybe he felt that getting only 99% of the Cuban Jewish vote in the last election indicated a political weakness in that sector.

    RePack (none / 0) (#4)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Feb 04, 2007 at 02:39:55 PM EST
    That's good.

    Parent
    I'm sure he's a great guy... (none / 0) (#5)
    by Slado on Sun Feb 04, 2007 at 04:57:59 PM EST
    unless of course you ask Sen. Harry Reid who sponsored this resolution...

    SRES 146 108th Congress

    Parent

    Hmmm (none / 0) (#6)
    by janinsanfran on Mon Feb 05, 2007 at 12:19:22 PM EST
    While wandering around Havana in 1988, my Jewish (also American) partner and I were surprised to find ourselves outside a building bearing the six-pointed star and Hebrew lettering. Unfortunately, no one was there.

    While wandering around Beirut last summer, we found ourselves on a row of cemeteries, one of which was similarly marked with the star, another announcing in English that is contained Presbyterians.

    Don't know what any of that means, except that there is a lot more going on around the world, and more different people mixed together, than our comic book media tend to assume.

    Supposedly "the Left" (none / 0) (#7)
    by jondee on Mon Feb 05, 2007 at 12:38:44 PM EST
    is anti-semitic, according our resident expert on such things. Meanwhile the Right keeps saying they killed Christ, and probobly believes they really wrote The Protocols, but "forgives" them.

    Cuba's Jewish Community | 7 comments (7 topical)

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