Cuba Jewish Records

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Maps of Cuba

 * To view present-day Cuba at Google Maps, click here.
 * For a map of Cuba at Wikipedia.org click here.

Jewish History in Cuba
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Jews immigrated to Cuba from Portuguese controlled Brazil due to persecution. New Jewish immigrants established trade in Cuba and, by the 18th century, Cuban Jewish trade reached Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Hamburg, Germany.

In the late 1800's, Jews from the Dutch Antilles settled in Cuba. Many Jewish traders pursuing business in the New World set up outposts on the island. In 1898, after the Spanish-American War, Jews established a permanent presence in Cuba. American Ashkenazi Jews born in Romania and elsewhere in Eastern Europe immigrated to Cuba to work for U.S.-owned plantations and businesses. In 1906, 11 American Jews founded Cuba's first synagogue, the United Hebrew Congregation, a Reform synagogue that conducted services in English. This is considered the official beginning of the Cuban Jewish community.

A large number of Jews immigrated to Cuba from 1910 until 1920, including Sephardic Jews from Turkey. Many Jews came from Eastern Europe and used Cuba as a stopover en route to the United States, which had a strict quota system at that time. Many decided to stay since there was little anti-Semitism in Cuba, as well as good weather. Many of the new immigrants from Europe prospered in Cuban’s garment industry. By 1924, there were 24,000 Jews living in Cuba. (This information is taken from Jewish Virtual Library)

Online Research
The website www.jewishcuba.org/ is being phased out but they still have a couple of pages that are of interest to Jewish genealolgy. You will find the idex to the book The The Jewish Community of Cuba: Memory and History. In that index you will find a list of surnames. click here and the index from the book Cuban Jewish Journeys here From the same website you will find a list of Jewish burials here

Books on the Jews of Cuba
Nothing beats research for aiding in your search for ancestors. Knowing the historical background can provide a road map of understanding but that's not all! You will likely find research sources on the pages history books. Before purchasing a book check out the FamilySearch Catalog,Google Books or World Cat to see if these books are available online or at a library near you.

Tropical Diaspora: The Jewish Experience in Cuba by Robert M. Levine August 20, 1993

An Island Called Home: Returning to Jewish Cuba by Ruth Behar, Humberto Mayol

The The Jewish Community of Cuba: Memory and History by Margalit Bejarano, Haim Avni

Jewish Community of Cuba by Jay Levinson Jan 10, 2006

Cuban Jewish Journeys: Searching For Identity Home &amp; History In Miami 

by Caroline Bettinger-Lopez December 15, 2000