My Cuba trip was to be part of American Photo Magazine's Mentored Series where photographers travel with photography instructors who use exotic locations as a back drop for the group. American Photo was not be able to obtain the US government permits and licenses necessary to travel to Cuba so the project was abandonded. I learned that travel to Cuba is allowed for humanitarian reasons so several of the group travelled to Cuba under an OFAC license granted to Jewish Solidarity of Cuba. We would visit the Grand Jewish Temple of Havana, the Santa Clara Hebrew Cemetery and Holocaust Memorial and other area cemeteries and synagogues, making monitary and medical contributions to support the Cuban Jewish community, while learning the history of Cuban Jews. We flew Continental Airlines out of Miami for Jose Marti Airport in Havana on February 21, 2004.
These photos were taken in Havana. Havana’s architecture once rivaled old Europe but conditions are horrid. The city has been badly neglected. Poverty and hurricanes have taken a incredible toll on the infrastructure but not on the spirit of the people. They are warm, gracious, hospitable people.