Abraham and Eugenia: Stories From Jewish Cuba - Summary

Summary

Embracing religion within a nation that looks down upon religious affiliations is challenging. One group that knows this first hand is the Jewish population of Cuba. Abraham and Eugenia: Stories From Jewish Cuba tells the story of two people living on the communist island nation that have held onto their faith despite an environment that was anything but supportive. Amazingly, each has been carrying out the rituals of their beliefs for the duration of a thirty-year government repression on faith based organized services.

Abraham a Jewish-Cuban conveys to viewers that the inclination to integrate into the society is very intense on the island of Cuba. He acknowledges that there is a lack of anti-Semitism in the nation, which makes it easier to blend in with the general population. However, Abraham sees it as a struggle because living, as an average Cuban is fine; nevertheless he wants the younger generation to carry on Jewish traditions.

Accomplishing such duration requires dedication. When Castro took power in 1959 up until the early 1990s, 90% of the Jewish population, which had totaled 15,000, left Cuba. Documentarian, Bonnie Burt traveled to Cuba in 1994; upon arrival she discovers a lack of medication, that power outages are an everyday occurrence and groceries per-household are extensively limited throughout the island. Shortly after the fall of the USSR, the communist party of Cuba proclaimed theological demonstration to once again be tolerable. It is within this environment that Burt films a duo that is symbolic of the revival of Judaism in Cuba.

The capital city of Havana has a lone kosher butcher: Abraham. Bonnie Burt catches up with Abraham they day before his son Yacob's bar-mitzvah. It is the first occasion of its kind in Havana in over 15 years. At the service Abraham announces that their Jewish community has not had a rabbi in about 30 years, but they have been able to persevere.

In the rural, undeveloped area of Cuba's inland viewers are introduced to Eugenia, a lady who has taken an unselfish attitude to sustaining her beliefs. She was raised in the same countryside that developed the radical leaders of the Cuban Revolution. Eugenia and her sister spent much of the adult life attempting to respect their religious father's desire that they only wed men of the Jewish faith. Unfortunately, for the two women it was hopeless to find a Jewish mate in a country with only 1,500 Jews total. Eventually when the women arrived at their 30s they realized they had two options: to remain single for the rest of their lives or marry a gentile. Eugenia and her sibling decided to adjust to their environment and wed non-Jewish Cuban men.

The Jewish population is at a significantly low level, resulting from periodic mass departure, which meant that the pious societies of Camagüey, Cienfuegos and Santiago stand at fewer than 100 Jews per town. They also lack synagogues to congregate and worship in. To strengthen Jewish living and retain a quorum of men from the Jewish faith, more people are considered necessary.

The documentary provides a peek into Cuba's surprisingly multi-ethnic but, statistically low population of Jewish settlers who trace their origins to Mediterranean countries, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and various other regions of the world. These migrants have replaced a void created by Jews that have set off to new locations. On the subject of spikes and falls of the Jewish population in Cuba, Abraham sees it as regrouping after losing members of the congregation. Finding new associates is a fact of life for Abraham.