By Sergio Carmona | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 19, 2009
President Barack Obama fulfilled a campaign promise last month when he
lifted both family travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans visiting the
island and the cap on how much money they can send to their relatives.
Cuban President Raul Castro has also said that he's interested in
meeting with Obama, who has wanted to open up dialogue between both
countries.
Members of the South Florida Cuban Jewish community discussed how they
feel about Obama's continued intentions for the island.
"There are a lot of individuals who have been living here for many years
who want to see their families," said Marcos Kerbel, 62, who came to the
United States on the Pedro Pan Exodus and is the president of Temple
Beth Shmuel-Cuban Hebrew Congregation in Miami Beach. "They have elderly
parents and grandparents who need medicine and food and therefore you
also have to understand the needs of those individuals."
The lifting of the restrictions made it possible for Mary Golobovich,
Kerbel's friend, to fly to Cuba rather quickly in order to arrive just a
few minutes before the funeral of her mother earlier this month.
Golobovich's husband, Moises, a 63-year-old Miami Beach resident,
commented on what it meant for his wife to go to her mother's funeral.
"Just put yourself in her situation — she's the only child, her mother
was 90 years ago, and we've been living here almost 30 years, and all of
sudden they call her and say that her mother passed away," he said. "The
first reaction for her was 'I've got to go.' We went to the airport and
we saw there was a flight available and we saw there was a possibility."
Fabio Nick, a 65-year-old North Miami Beach resident, is already making
plans to visit Cuba with his children.
"I just have to work it around their schedule but it definitely looks
like it's going to be this year and if everything goes well we'll be
looking around October or November, sometime after the hurricane
season," he said.
Bernardo Benes, a 74-year-old Surfside resident, said he feels that all
Americans should be allowed to go to Cuba while Carlos Waserstein, a
65-year-old Aventura resident, said it should only be families visiting
each other. Robert Oberstein of North Miami Beach said the lifting of
restrictions has both its good and bad points and Manny Fainstein of
Miramar said he's absolutely all for it.
"After 50 years, nothing of magnitude has changed except that the Castro
brothers have tightened their grip on the republic of Cuba, so anything
that might help loosen the tightening of that grip is welcoming,"
Fainstein said.
Castro said last month that he wants to discuss everything with Obama,
including human rights, political prisoners and press freedom despite
his brother and predecessor Fidel blasting the U.S. president. Although
Oscar White, an 81-year-old Sunny Isles Beach resident, said there will
never be a relationship between the two countries, Benes feels both
sides should open up dialogue.
"I think they should get together and find areas where each country and
its people can benefit," Benes said.
Cuban Jews react to Obama's intentions -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
(19 May 2009)
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-fljjdccuban0519jjdcmay19,0,4924685.story
No comments:
Post a Comment