Kesher Talk

Jews in odd places: Cuba: The Hotel Raquel is Cuba’s first boutique hotel catering specifically to adventurous Jewish tourists. Richly illustrated passages from the Old Testament cover the walls of the small but elegant property, located in what was once a thriving Jewish neighborhood of Old Havana. Cuban mojitos are served at the L'Chaim bar, along with Israeli salad, matzoh ball soup and cheese blintzes.

For many years, the structure housing the Raquel was used as a warehouse and fabric depot. Now, its eclectic architecture and romantic Art Nouveau interiors — all refurbished — have made the Raquel a jewel in the crown of Habaguanex S.A., the state entity charged with fixing up Old Havana’s hotels and restaurants. The property is located six blocks from Congregacion Adat Israel, Cuba’s oldest synagogue, and boasts the largest stained-glass window on the island.

The 25-room hotel originally was built as a bank in 1908, a time when thousands of impoverished Jews from Eastern Europe, Turkey and Syria were immigrating to Cuba.

After the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power, nearly all of the Jews fled to the United States and elsewhere. Today, no more than 1,300 Jews live in Cuba, most in Havana.

posted by William @ 11/20/2003 08:41:13 AM