New Women’s Mikvah to Be Built in Havana, Cuba

By COLlive reporter

After many months of planning and combing through different restrictions and challenges, the Chabad Friends of Cuban Jewry – CFCJ has been able to close on the purchase of a building just prior to Pesach to be the new location of a women’s mikvah.

The actual site is in the neighborhood of Monterey, 20 minutes away from the center of the capital of Havana. Over the past few years, an accumulation of families who have accepted upon themselves a lifestyle of Torah observance in accordance with Halacha have established a community for themselves in this neighborhood.

After a few visits on behalf of CFCJ, led by Rabbi Shimon Aisenbach, over the past two years, Rabbi Menachem and Chaya Cadaner have established a close-knit connection with the communities in the capital and in this particular community.

The Cadaners felt that in addition to investing in the metropolitan Havana, there is a need to establish an independent mikvah for the Monterey community in order to make it convenient for them to perform this mitzvah and as an overall demonstration of support to their staunch commitment to Yiddishkeit.

With the Cadaners’ step-by-step planning with the community over many months, the notification of the final step and opportunity came to fruition just prior to Pesach.

“Despite the grand Pesach activities being one of CFCJ’s costliest activities of the year, particularly a year like this one with many restrictions associated with the present global situation, particularly in Cuba, we could not miss this opportunity to purchase this property which became available,” Rabbi Aisenbach told COLlive.

“Based on the essentiality of the Mitzvah of Mikvah as one of the most fundamental of our holy Torah and the foundation of the Jewish home, CFCJ made no calculations and mustered up funds in order to close at the very first opportunity,” Rabbi Aisenbach said. “We are confident that Hashem will give us the opportunity to pay this up very soon.”

To take part in this auspicious endeavor please write the CFCJ at: [email protected] or by tel. 416-855-4553. Any level of participation/ sponsorship is fully tax-deductible.

“The edifice is perfectly sized for a beautiful mikvah, perfectly located – as if it was built to be the future mikvah!” noted Rabbi Cadaner.

The CFCJ plans to immediately begin the planning, renovations, and construction of the new Mikvah without any delay.

Based on the reality on the island, thorough and meticulous oversight will be needed for this next phase, which will be done together with Rabbanim associated with mikvah projects, and who will be flown in for the task.

“With much hope that in the next while we will be able to be me’varech al ha’mugmar – celebrate the completion of this most significant and momentous enterprise. May Hashem will that the additional step of bringing more Tahara-purity should hasten the ultimate redemption, as the Talmud noted that Tahara-purity will ultimately lead to the coming of Elijah the prophet and the arrival of Moshiach speedily in our days,” concludes Rabbi Aisenbach.