: About Me

My wife and I traveled with 22 others from Bethesda Jewish Congregation (BJC) on a religious mission to meet with what is left of the Jewish community of Cuba. At one time, there were approximately 25,000 Jews, 80% of whom were Ashkenazim and 20% Sephardim. Now there are less than 1500, of which 98% are Sephardim, primarily of Turkish decent. Most Jews got out while they could in the 1959-60 time frame. When Fidel Castro came into power in 1959, private businesses were expropriated, and professionals like doctors, dentists, and pharmacists became employees of the state. There was very litt...