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. “To be Cuban and Jewish is to be twice survivors,” historian Maritza Corrales explained to The New York Times. It was that determination that attracted photographer Jonathan Alpeyrie, who has travelled the world documenting distant Jewish enclaves, to visit Havana and capture what remains of the community many believe landed with Christopher Columbus. On commission from the Anastasia Gallery, he spent much of his time at the Beth Shalom Temple, one of the largest on the island, as well as the Sefaradi Synagogue, photographing the traditions of the local congregations.
The Last Jews of Cuba
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Read moreParents participate in their daughter's bat mitzvah inside the Beth Shalom Synagogue in Havana, Cuba. #
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Read moreA member of the Jewish community arrives at the Beth Shalom Synagogue. #
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Read moreThe names of Beth Shalom congregants are carved into marble at the center. #
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Read moreMembers of the Jewish community dance the hora at the Beth Shalom Synagogue. #
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Read moreThe rabbi of the Sefaradi Synagogue presides over a service.* #
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Read moreA young Jewish girl fixes her hair inside the Beth Shalom administrative building. #
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Read moreParents participate in their daughter's bat mitzvah inside the Beth Shalom Synagogue. #
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Read moreA member of the Jewish community puts on his kipa before entering the Sefaradi Jewish cemetery outside of Havana. #
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Read moreA man waits at the entrance of the Beth Shalom Synagogue. #
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Read moreA member of the Jewish community tidies up inside the Beth Shalom Synagogue.* This caption originally stated that the depicted service took place on Shabbat. We regret the error. #
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