A closer look into Guantanamo's thriving Jewish community

“Hi, my name is Sasha Dominguez, I am going to be your teacher.” One of the students in my class responded, “Dominguez? That’s not a Jewish last name?"

The revival of Cuba’s Jewish community

Yosef ben Levy Ha-Ivri was a Spanish Jew who converted to Catholicism in 1492, just before Ferdinand and Isabella’s decree banishing Jews from the country went into effect. Shortly thereafter—now using the name Luis de Torres—he joined Christopher Columbus on his voyage across the Atlantic; legend has it that Columbus thought de Torres’s knowledge of Hebrew, Arabic, and other languages might be helpful in communicating with the natives.

Cuba has been a refuge for the Jews since 1492, when conversos sought a safe haven from the Spanish Inquisition. Today, a tiny but united community of one thousand remains after more than five hundred years of history and five distinct waves of Crypto-Jewish and Jewish immigration.

Leaders of Cuba’s Jewish community sent an open letter to the U.S. Jewish community calling for a strengthening of ties and expressing concern over a reversal of policy by the United States toward the island nation.

A Yiddish-Cuban composer's passion for Afro-Cuban music comes alive.

Most of the Jewish kids I knew growing up partook in a handful of familiar traditions during the holiday season.

A wonderful holiday meal with an authentic Cuban flair.