TRAVELING EXHIBIT FACT
SHEET
LOX WITH BLACK BEANS & RICE: PORTRAITS OF CUBAN
JEWS IN SOUTH FLORIDA
Photographs by RANDI SIDMAN-MOORE
Cuba welcomed Jews for 100 years.
Some American Jews helped support the efforts for Cuban Independence beginning
in 1892. Sephardim arrived in 1902 and Ashkenazim came in the 1920s. After
World War II, German-speaking refugees and Holocaust survivors found a safe
haven there. Cuba at first was reluctant to grant Jews nationalized status; the
U.S. State Department pressured Havana not to change its policies lest the
Jewish immigrants seek entry into the United States. By the 1930s Cubans Jews
were permitted to become citizens in Cuba and most lived comfortable lives
there until the Revolution on January 1, 1959.
By 1960 many private holdings in
Cuba were expropriated. As most of the islandÕs Jews were engaged in business
and had gained a secure place in the middle class, many became disenchanted
with the Revolution that was beginning to show Communist tendencies. About 10,000 of the 12,000 Cuban Jews
had to leave everything behind them when they fled to South Florida.
These large format candid photographs by Randi Sidman-Moore
reflect the daily lives and life and holiday cycles rituals of the Cuban Jews
in South Florida. With excerpts from oral histories, the images show how they
are different or similar to the larger society. These ÒJewbansÓ are examples of
diversity within one cultural landscape.
About 12 years ago, Miami photographer
Randi Sidman-Moore was on a trip to Israel when she ended up in a bus with
Cuban Jews from Miami. ''They had me in tears they were so funny,'' the
photojournalist recalls. ÒThe other Jews were so quiet, but they were having a
party on the bus. They introduced me to the whole subculture.'' Sidman-Moore
says she knew immediately that she wanted to explore the lives of Cuban Jews,
to tell in photographs the story of what makes them different from other Jews,
and different from other Cubans.
AVAILABILITY Negotiable
CONTENT: 26
photographs, 24Ó x 36Ó or 36Ó x 24Ó - Òfloated,Ó laminated, with captions
2 text panels: Introduction &
ArtistÕs Statement.
SPACE REQUIREMENTS 80 linear
feet
RENTAL FEE $3000
for 3 months plus round-trip shipping
INSURANCE VALUE $50,000 evidence of insurance
required
SECURITY Medium
CONTACT
Executive Director, 305-672-5044 ext. 3180
Ira Newman, Curator of
Traveling Exhibits, 305-672-5044 ext. 3165