Maot Chitin 50th anniversary
April 15, 2011 Op-ed from the
Toronto Star by Bernie M. Farber, former
CEO of CJC and CJC Charities Committee, celebrating the fiftieth
anniversary of the Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee's
"maot chitin" project. Between 1961 and 2011 the CJC
Charities Committee annually shipped thousands of kilos of Kosher
for Passover food to the Cuban Jewish community. The project is now
continuing under the auspices of UIAFC Federations
Canada.
El Patronato synagogue in Havana, Cuba
It's that time of year again.
I feel that parched sensation in my throat that comes from
eating too many celery sticks dipped in saltwater, downing
hard-boiled eggs, and crunching on matzo - also known as unleavened
bread, or the Jewish version of edible cardboard.
Passover is quickly approaching. It's one of my favourite
Jewish holidays, and not just because we drink lots of wine, stuff
ourselves silly at the traditional Seder meal and are encouraged to
recline comfortably as we do so. It's because of what this holiday
represents - a celebration of Jewish freedom and our escape from
slavery.
Celebrating Passover has always been an important part of my
family's life. Each year, as I sit down at the Seder table, I think
about Jews around the globe coming together to share this important
Jewish experience.
But for some, gathering to commemorate Passover is not that
simple. And as the CEO of the Charities Committee of the Canadian
Jewish Congress, I have had the privilege of helping one Jewish
community that would not otherwise be able to have the Passover
experience.
Most people don't know that Cuba is home to 540 Jewish
families - 1,500 people, the majority of whom live in Havana. The
community was established more than 100 years ago by 11 U.S. Jews
who built the country's first synagogue.
It was a successful community of entrepreneurs and at its
height boasted 15,000 people, served by five synagogues and six
elementary schools. But when Fidel Castro came to power, most of
the community fled, taking their livelihoods with them.
Those who remained had few options for continuing their
Jewish life - especially after the 1961 U.S. embargo of the island
cut off access to kosher products required to follow Jewish dietary
laws, which become even more strict during Passover. That's when my
predecessors at the Canadian Jewish Congress stepped in.
There is a centuries-old custom, known as Maot Chitim,
whereby Jews gathered wheat to provide the poor with matzo and
other items for the observance of Passover. In modern times, that
tradition is expressed through the distribution of Passover food to
those in need.
That's why, when the Joint Distribution Committee, an
international Jewish aid agency, approached the Canadian Jewish
community to help Cuba's Jews, Ben Kayfetz, the lead professional
at the Canadian Jewish Congress at the time, immediately stepped
up.
I remember how important it was to Ben to help every Jew in
Cuba live a full Jewish life by finding a way to get them
kosher-for-Passover food. He started a fundraising campaign through
synagogues, and the proceeds were used to purchase the necessary
food and wine.
In the early years, getting the shipment to Cuba was
difficult, but through patient negotiation we reached an
understanding with the Cuban authorities.
Each year, the shipment contains all the kosher-for-Passover
basics when it lands in Havana, where local Jewish families can
collect what they need. A portion of the shipment is forwarded to
the smaller Jewish centres around the country. This year's shipment
of nearly 11,000 kilograms will fill a 40-foot shipping
container.
I have come to know the Cuban Jewish community well through
this connection - so well, in fact, that four years ago, my family
celebrated my son Max's bar mitzvah at the El Patronato synagogue
in Havana. We went to the island with 50 of our friends and
relatives in December 2006. We received such a warm reception from
the synagogue's members that we forgot all about the snow and ice
we left behind.
The community graciously hosted a festive luncheon after the
bar mitzvah service. We all took part in Jewish songs and dances
performed with a Latin flare. Community members showered us with
thanks, and noted the meal was cooked using some of the leftover
oil that had been sent the previous spring for Passover.
I will not soon forget Max's Cuban bar mitzvah. In a way, it
was not just Max who celebrated a new chapter and vision for life
but all of us who were with him in that Havana synagogue. Seeing
the excitement and pride of that small Cuban Jewish community,
their resilience under sometimes difficult circumstances and their
sheer joy in being Jewish made us all better people.
As I consider our 50th anniversary of providing
kosher-for-Passover food to our fellow Jews in Cuba, I am reminded
of the wise Jewish sage, Hillel, who once proclaimed: "If I am not
for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, who am
I? If not now, when?"
Bernie M. Farber
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