She sang the words with such innocence and beauty, so pure of sound and spirit. Many of us were moved to tears. Few present understood the irony of the Hebrew words themselves and the commentary they pointedly made on the situation we had encountered.
“Al kol eileh, sh’mor na li Eli hatov
Al had’vash v’al haoketz al hamar v’hamatok
Al na taakor natua, al tishkach et hatikvah
Hashiveini v’ashuva el haaretz htovah”
Her name is Claudia. She is 13 years old. She is a Cuban Jew living with her grandmother, mother and sister in a place called Sancti Spiritus in the heartland of the Cuban state. This was Thursday, the day before she would lead the Havana congregation of Beth Sholom in Kabbalat Shabbat and the next morning be called to the Torah as Bat Mitzvah. Our 18-member delegation of Miami Beach Beth Sholom visitors are sitting with her in the mezzanine of the Hotel Parque Central. There is the noise and bustle of a busy tourist lobby all around us. Preparations are being made to spruce the place up for the visit of the Pope in a few short weeks. And yet, our group is mesmerized by the sweet conviction of this young woman and the tears flowing down the cheeks of her grandmother.
Sancti Spiritus for many years had one Jewish family that was willing to identify as Jewish: Claudia’s. Her grandmother kept things alive during the “difficult years” of the 60s, 70s and 80s. Today, the synagogue is located in Claudia’s home. There are 54 Jews who have come forward and are a part of the community. Her mother, aunt and uncle have gone to Israel with Birthright and March of the Living. It was her uncle, 26 years old, who taught her to read Torah.
Because the last decade has seen the easing of pressure on those who identify with religious traditions, Claudia has been raised in a Zionist, religious environment. She sings all the verses of “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav” in Hebrew, effortlessly.
Claudia is one of the reasons our congregation sent a mission to Cuba. We want to support those Jews who are attempting to rebuild Jewish life in Cuba today. Claudia’s Bat Mitzvah, along with the many conversions we learned about and the Sunday School with over 150 students, the Youth Groups, the Israeli Dance troupes, the Adult Study groups, and the Senior Center activities all gave us hope and a feeling of joy.
We gave Claudia a set of candlesticks for Shabbat and a new tallit. We gathered around her and held a tallit over her head to bless her.
There are no rabbis or cantors or professionally-trained Jewish educators in Cuba today. As the only rabbi she would encounter for some time, I blessed her. We sang Shehecheyanu together. We wept again with her family. Members of our group gave her sister and mother gifts to mark the occasion. It was a true emotional highlight and climax to our trip.
However, the Hebrew words I quoted above from the Naomi Shemer song which Claudia sang remain with me as a troubling reminder of the complexity of the Cuban Jewish situation. My head is still uncertain. My heart remains with all 550 Jewish families in present-day Cuba who are struggling to build and be rebuilt by our tradition.
“For all these
The bitter and sweet
The honey and the thorn
Guard them, O God, please, for good
Do not uproot what has been planted
Do not forget the hope
Return me and I will return to the good land.”
For all that was and will be, but most of all for Claudia and what is, “do not forget the hope… guard them, O God, please, for good.”
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