Cuba Jewish & Kosher Guide 2024: Kosher Info in Cuba, North America

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Popular Places In Cuba

Havana

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About Cuba

Prior to Spanish colonization in the late 15th century, Cuba was inhabited by Amerindian tribes. It remained a colony of Spain until the Spanish–American War of 1898, which led to nominal independence as a de facto United States protectorate in 1902. Approximately 3 million tourists visit Cuba annually, making tourism one of Cuba’s top income sources. Cuba has tripled its market share of Caribbean tourism in the last decade; as a result of significant investment in tourism infrastructure, this growth rate is predicted to continue. Culturally, Cuba is considered part of Latin America. It is a multiethnic country whose people, culture and customs derive from diverse origins, including the aboriginal Taíno and Ciboney peoples, the long period of Spanish colonialism, the introduction of African slaves, and a close relationship with the Soviet Union in the Cold War. With the entire island south of the Tropic of Cancer, the local climate is tropical, moderated by northeasterly trade winds that blow year-round.

The Best Of Cuba

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Jewish History, POI & Kosher Establishments in Cuba

Jews first arrived in Cuba as conversos sailing with Columbus, who landed at this largest Caribbean island in 1492. In the latter half of the 1800s, a trickle of Jews began settling in Cuba. The Cuban Jewish community remained modest until the early 1900s, when Jews from Turkey arrived after the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI. Many were Sephardim whose ancestors had fled to Turkey during the Inquisition.Before Castro’s revolution, there were roughly 15,000 Jews living in Cuba. Today, there are just about 1,500. For the decades in between, there was no rabbi on the island and just one kosher butcher. At the Sephardic Hebrew Center in Havana, the exhibit “We Remember” tells the story of Cuba’s Jews and Cuba as one of the few places that accepted Jews escaping WWII Europe; it was partially funded by Jewish tourism. When the subject of the 2013 Maccabiah Games came up at Havana’s El Patronato, the largest of Cuba’s congregations, visitor Steve Tisch, owner of the New York Giants, pledged support. As a result, nearly 50 athletes travelled to Israel for the Cuban Jewish community’s first Maccabiah. Finding kosher food in Cuba is difficult.


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What Is *JOFY?

JOFY, or "Jewish Observant Friendly" Establishments are lodging establishments offering special services for Jewish Observant guests such as Shabbat meals, accommodation on lower floors and regular keys for the rooms. It can also be a NON KOSHER establishment located in walking distance from the local Shul, community or kosher restaurants area.

Please note - *JOFY does NOT mean that KOSHER food is served on the premises!

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