NewsMax.com.
Saturday, Nov. 17, 2001 7:19 p.m. EST
An orthodox American rabbi who traveled on a religious pilgrimage to help
Cubans was arrested and spent almost a month imprisoned.
Rabbi Brian Kent of Boca Raton, Fla., arrived in the communist enclave on
Oct. 11 with plans to visit his mother's place of birth.
Kent told the Palm Beach Post he "wanted to teach the Bible and pray
with the small Jewish community living in Havana."
But he soon found himself under the scutiny of Castro's secret police.
The Post reported that Rabbi Kent "was placed under house arrest for
more than three weeks and forced to stay in the country through the storm that
was Hurricane Michelle, one of the fiercest in Cuba's history."
After a harrowing time, Kent was finally allowed out of Cuba, and returned
to the U.S. on Nov. 8.
"I'm still getting over it," he told the Post Friday. "I knew
things might get sticky, but I never thought I'd have to go through what I did."
Kent's treatment is not unusual for practicing Jews. Cuba was once the home
of a vibrant Jewish community.
But government persecution of Jews by Castro's state police led many to flee
the "worker's paradise."
Today, a small community of 1,100 Jews makes Havana its home.
Practicing Jews continue to be penalized by the Castro regime.
Kent's impression of Cuba has changed.
Kent told the Post "he was worried that the Jewish community might be
harassed if he told his story, but he felt obligated to help dispel notions that
Cubans are not oppressed.
"If I keep silent about tyranny and oppression, I'd be helping the
tyrants and oppressors," Kent told the paper. "People need to know
what's happening in Cuba."
To read the
full story of Castro's persecution of Jews.
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