imported>REMbodied: Reading flow corrections. Grammar corrections. Adding citation for the temple's lack of a rabbi.

2025-06-28T17:40:03Z

Reading flow corrections. Grammar corrections. Adding citation for the temple's lack of a rabbi.

New page

{{Short description|Conservative synagogue in Havana, Cuba}}
{{use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{multiple issues|1=
{{More citations needed|date=July 2024}}
{{peacock|date=November 2024}}
}}
{{for|similarly named synagogues|Beth Shalom (disambiguation){{!}}Beth Shalom}}
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name = Beth Shalom Temple
| native_name = {{ubl|{{langx|he|בית הכנסת בית שלום}}|{{Langx|es|Gran Sinagoga Bet Shalom}}}}
| infobox_width =
| image = Gran Sinagoga Bet Shalom.JPG
| image_upright = 1.4
| caption = The synagogue exterior, 2008
| map_type = Cuba
| map_size = 250
| map_relief = 1
| map_caption = Location of the synagogue in [[Cuba]]
| location = Calle I Esq. 13, [[Vedado]], [[Havana]] 10400
| country = [[Cuba]]
| geo =
| coordinates = {{coord|23.141634|-82.389425|format=dms|display=title,inline|Region:CBtype:landmark}}
| religious_affiliation = [[Conservative Judaism]]
| rite = [[Nusach Ashkenaz]]
| province =
| district =
| consecration_year =
| status = [[Synagogue]]
| functional_status = Active
| heritage_designation =
| leadership =
| website =
| architect =
| architecture_type = {{nowrap|[[Synagogue architecture]]}}
| architecture_style = [[Modernist architecture|Modernist]]
| facade_direction =
| established = 1904 {{small|(as a congregation)}}
| groundbreaking = 1951
| year_completed = 1953
| construction_cost =
| capacity = 300 seats
| length =
| width =
| width_nave =
| height_max =
| dome_quantity =
| dome_height_outer =
| dome_height_inner =
| dome_dia_outer =
| dome_dia_inner =
| minaret_quantity =
| minaret_height =
| spire_quantity =
| spire_height =
| materials = Cement-block
| nrhp =
| added =
| refnum =
| designated =
}}
'''Beth Shalom Temple''' ({{langx|he|בית הכנסת בית שלום|Beit haKnesset Beit Shalom}}; {{Langx|es|Gran Sinagoga Bet Shalom}}), commonly referred to as '''''El Patronato''''',<ref name="Syn360">{{cite web |url=https://synagogues-360.anumuseum.org.il/gallery/el-patronato-beth-shalom/ |title=El Patronato (Beth Shalom) |work=Synagogues360 |publisher= |date=2024 |access-date=7 November 2024 }}</ref> is a [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] [[Judaism|Jewish]] congregation and [[synagogue]], located in the [[Vedado]] neighbourhood of downtown [[Havana]], [[Cuba]].

Temple Beth Shalom is the main synagogue serving Havana's Jewish community of 1,500 people. The congregation was founded in 1904<ref>{{Cite web |title=El Patronato (Beth Shalom) – Synagogues360 |url=https://synagogues-360.anumuseum.org.il/gallery/el-patronato-beth-shalom/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=synagogues-360.anumuseum.org.il}}</ref> and it serves as a hub for Jewish religious and cultural activities in the city. Construction on the current building began in 1951<ref>{{Cite web |title=Error al cargar el post |url=https://www.turismojudaico.com/en/contenido/54/Patronato-de-la-Casa-de-la-Comunidad-Hebrea-de-Cuba-Beth-Shalom-Synagogue |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=www.turismojudaico.com}}</ref> and was completed in 1953. The synagogue receives thousands of visitors each year for both Shabbat and tours of Jewish Cuba.<ref name="TOI">{{cite news |author=Tapper, Josh |date=27 January 2015 |title=For Cuban Jews, improved US ties may not ease hardships |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-cuban-jews-improved-us-ties-may-not-ease-hardships/ |access-date=7 November 2024 |work=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref>

== History ==
{{more references|section|date=July 2024}}
Jews arrived in Cuba shortly after the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492. Subsequent waves of [[Portuguese Jews]] from Brazil and [[Dutch Jews]] arrived in Cuba from the 16th through 19th centuries. [[Ashkenazi Jews]] from Europe started arriving in Cuba, usually via the United States, following the [[Spanish-American War]]. The Beth Shalom congregation was established in 1904.<ref name="Syn360"/>

The synagogue originally opened its doors in 1953 and was among the largest Jewish houses of worship in Havana. The temple's soaring [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] features fused European and Moorish-Spanish elements made it a unique, hybrid [[Modernist architecture|Modernist]] style.<ref name="Syn360"/>

By the 1980s, however, shifting political tides had led to a significant decrease in the Jewish population. In 1981, the state acquired a large portion of the building to establish the [[Bertolt Brecht]] Cultural Center.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harroch |first=Meyer |title=The Blogs: Beth Shalom Synagogue: A Glimpse into Havana’s Vibrant Jewish Heritage |url=https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/beth-shalom-synagogue-a-glimpse-into-havanas-vibrant-jewish-heritage/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=blogs.timesofisrael.com |language=en-US}}</ref> The much smaller Jewish population resulted in a lack of upkeep. In 1999 the building received extensive renovations with support from benefactors like the [[American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee]] and under the guidance of [[Shmuel Szteinhendler]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beth Shalom Synagogue: a symbol of the Jewish Cuba |url=https://havanajewishtour.com/blog/beth-shalom-synagogue--a-symbol-of-the-jewish-cuba |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=havanajewishtour.com |language=en}}</ref>

With the relaxation of [[Religion in Cuba#Presidency of Fidel Castro|religious restrictions in Cuba]], Temple Beth Shalom led a revival of public Jewish expression. The temple continues to be a presence which sustains the [[Cuban Jews|Cuban Jewish]] community. The building also houses a library of Jewish and Hebrew books.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/2dec.jews.html |title=For Cuban Jews, endless deprivation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704153834/http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/2dec.jews.html |archive-date=July 4, 2008 |work=Globe: FIU.edu |date= |access-date= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishcuba.org/odegard.html |title=The Cuba Connection |work=The Star Tribune |date= |access-date= |via=Jewish Cuba }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ujc.org/page.html?ArticleID=600 |title=Havana Synagogue Dark for Decades is Once Again Aglow in the Light of Shabbat Candles |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009172016/http://www.ujc.org/page.html?ArticleID=600 |archive-date=October 9, 2007 |work=United Jewish Communities |date= |access-date= }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Jewish Community of Cuba: The Golden Years, 1906-1958 |publisher=Westview Publishing Company |location=Nashville, Tennessee |date=February 2006 |author= |pages= |isbn=0-9776207-0-0 }}</ref>

Temple Beth Shalom's history and current life make it a site of pilgrimage for Jewish visitors from across the globe.<ref name="TOI" /> Visitors to the synagogue have included [[Steven Spielberg]], [[Sean Penn]], [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Raul Castro]].<ref name="Syn360" />

{{as of|2017}}, the congregation does not have a [[rabbi]], there are no rabbis residing in Cuba.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Ziri, Danielle |author2=Gellis, Mike |author3=Senft, Steven |author4=Toussier, Isaac |date=18 April 2017 |title=So close and yet so far: The Jews of Cuba |url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/so-close-and-yet-so-far-the-jews-of-cuba-488086 |access-date=7 November 2024 |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wisniewski |first=Rachel |date=2021-05-23 |title=The Youth Of Cuba's Tiny Jewish Minority |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2021/05/23/988759260/the-youth-of-cubas-tiny-jewish-minority |access-date=2025-06-28 |work=NPR |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{stack|{{portal|Cuba|Judaism}}}}
* [[History of the Jews in Cuba]]
* [[:Category:Synagogues in Cuba|List of synagogues in Cuba]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category-inline|Beth Shalom Temple (Havana, Cuba)}}
* {{cite web |url=https://havanajewishtour.com/havana-synagogue-tour |title=Havana Synagogue Tour |work=Havana Jewish Tour |date= |access-date=7 November 2024}}

{{Jews and Judaism in Cuba}}
{{Havana}}
{{Havana landmarks}}

[[Category:1904 establishments in Cuba]]
[[Category:20th-century architecture in Cuba]]
[[Category:20th-century synagogues in the Caribbean]]
[[Category:Ashkenazi synagogues]]
[[Category:Ashkenazi Jewish culture in North America]]
[[Category:Conservative synagogues in North America]]
[[Category:Jewish organizations established in 1904]]
[[Category:Modernist synagogues]]
[[Category:Synagogues completed in 1953]]
[[Category:Synagogues in Havana]]

{{Cuba-synagogue-stub}}

Beth Shalom Temple (Havana) - Revision history

imported>REMbodied: Reading flow corrections. Grammar corrections. Adding citation for the temple's lack of a rabbi.