Keeping the flame
That’s what Jews have been doing for centuries in the face of devastating prejudice, and much worse. But my project is about a culture that’s in danger of losing that battle: the Jews of Cuba. On the one hand, the Jewish community on the island is better shape than it’s been in since the Revolution in 1959, when all but 1,500 of the 14,000 Jews living there left the country. The rebirth started in the 1990s, when international aid groups stepped in to help prevent the Jewish community from disappearing altogether. They restored the main synagogue in Havana, hired freelance rabbis and started a Hebrew school, and they continue to send much-needed money and supplies. However, despite all this new energy, the community is still likely on its last legs. Intermarriage is extremely common, and many young people still want to leave Cuba in search of freedom and opportunity. Luis Szklarz, 80, who has two daughters who married non-Jews, makes this dire prediction: “In 50 years, Judaism in Cuba will be gone.”
My goal is to write a book memorializing this community on the verge of decline, and to create an exhibit that could be shown in a museum or Jewish foundation.
Keeping The Flame
In Cuba, I was exposed to a small Jewish community, one of the smallest in the world. They serve as a proof that when a community sticks together, they can overcome anything. I realized then the importance of having a community as support, and this inspired me further to tell the story of the Jewish people and community. They showed me that even with limited resources, the importance that the Jewish traditions play in who they are and what they believe in. Furthermore, it showed me how vital it is for us, as a nation, to pass down our traditions even when it is difficult, because if not for us, they will not exist.
With the images from my project "keeping the Flame", I created a movie called, "But I Am Here". The movie examines the challenges of the Jewish community in Cuba and it is also a reflection on my journey of faith. A glimpse of the movie!
My goal is to write a book memorializing this community on the verge of decline, and to create an exhibit that could be shown in a museum or Jewish foundation. Contact info
A wiiner project at the Pollux Awards 2019.
March 4 -28,2020 Exhibition at the FotoNostrum Gallery in Barcelona.
December 10 2019 Bnai Brith - Magazine , Winter Cuba
Keeping The Flame
Open Show LA presentation about the small Jewish community in Cuba