Adio Kerida
Encyclopedia
Adio Kerida: Goodbye my Dear Love is an award-winning 2002 documentary
by anthropologist Ruth Behar
that follows her trip back to Cuba
, the place of her childhood, as she searches for memories from her past and investigates the dwindling Jewish community that remains.
but was too young to remember the Havana
that she and her family left behind upon immigrating to the U.S. The film follows as Behar leaves her home in Michigan
to return to Havana, where her father and grandfather once worked as peddlers.
Behar presents Danayda Levy as an example of Cuban Jewry. Danayda's mother is a Jehovah's Witness
, while her father, Jose, is president of the Sephardi Jewish center. She sits in her mother's apartment, with her sister who practices Santería
, the Nigerian-cum-Afro-Cuban religion. While Santería sings praise to Elegua, the "one who opens doors," Danayda plays the drum and professes her commitment to Judaism. Danayda reads from the Torah
with her father's help.
Ruth Behar is half Ashkenazi and half Sephardic. Her father, a dark haired Turkish Jew, traces his history back to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. "It is said that when our ancestors left Spain, they took the keys with them," says Behar, "always believing in the possibility of return." Fittingly then, she finds reminders of her family's history everywhere: her parents’ former apartment in Havana is unaltered –- not a piece of furniture out of place; the Behar name is all over the gravestones in the Sephardic cemetery; and on the street named Inquisador, Behar visits the ruins of her father's temple. She asks, "Who am I in Cuba? A returning native, a reluctant anthropologist, or a tourist?"
"Personal, poetic, and reflective...offers a glimpse into a relatively unknown realm of the Cuban reality. Recommended."
Library Journal:
"Offers an easy-to-view introduction to a fascinating culture. Libraries with strong Jewish studies collections should definitely have this one."
Other films about Cuban Jewry:
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by anthropologist Ruth Behar
Ruth Behar
Ruth Behar is a Jewish Cuban American anthropologist, poet, and writer who teaches at the University of Michigan.After receiving her B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1977, she studied cultural anthropology at Princeton University...
that follows her trip back to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, the place of her childhood, as she searches for memories from her past and investigates the dwindling Jewish community that remains.
Summary
Ruth Behar was Born in Cuba before the Cuban RevolutionCuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
but was too young to remember the Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
that she and her family left behind upon immigrating to the U.S. The film follows as Behar leaves her home in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
to return to Havana, where her father and grandfather once worked as peddlers.
Behar presents Danayda Levy as an example of Cuban Jewry. Danayda's mother is a Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
, while her father, Jose, is president of the Sephardi Jewish center. She sits in her mother's apartment, with her sister who practices Santería
Santería
Santería is a syncretic religion of West African and Caribbean origin influenced by Roman Catholic Christianity, also known as Regla de Ocha, La Regla Lucumi, or Lukumi. Its liturgical language, a dialect of Yoruba, is also known as Lucumi....
, the Nigerian-cum-Afro-Cuban religion. While Santería sings praise to Elegua, the "one who opens doors," Danayda plays the drum and professes her commitment to Judaism. Danayda reads from the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
with her father's help.
Ruth Behar is half Ashkenazi and half Sephardic. Her father, a dark haired Turkish Jew, traces his history back to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. "It is said that when our ancestors left Spain, they took the keys with them," says Behar, "always believing in the possibility of return." Fittingly then, she finds reminders of her family's history everywhere: her parents’ former apartment in Havana is unaltered –- not a piece of furniture out of place; the Behar name is all over the gravestones in the Sephardic cemetery; and on the street named Inquisador, Behar visits the ruins of her father's temple. She asks, "Who am I in Cuba? A returning native, a reluctant anthropologist, or a tourist?"
Reception
Visual Anthropology Review:"Personal, poetic, and reflective...offers a glimpse into a relatively unknown realm of the Cuban reality. Recommended."
Library Journal:
"Offers an easy-to-view introduction to a fascinating culture. Libraries with strong Jewish studies collections should definitely have this one."
See also
- List of American films of 2002
- Culture of CubaCulture of CubaThe culture of Cuba is a complex mixture of different, often contrasting, factors and influences. Cuba is a meeting point of European, African and continental North American cultures; little of the original Amerindian culture survives. Since 1959, the Cuban Revolution has also greatly affected...
- History of the Jews in Latin AmericaHistory of the Jews in Latin AmericaThe history of the Jews in Latin America dates, according to some interpretations, back to Christopher Columbus and his first cross-Atlantic voyage on August 3, 1492, when he left Spain and eventually discovered the New World...
- List of Latin American Jews
- History of the Jews in Cuba
Other films about Cuban Jewry:
- The Believers: Stories from Jewish HavanaThe Believers: Stories from Jewish HavanaThe Believers: Stories From Jewish Havana is a 1994, short film documentary, directed by Bonnie Burt.The director hears from a variety of Jews about their post–Cold War lives in the Cuban capital city.-Summary:...
- Abraham and Eugenia: Stories from Jewish CubaAbraham and Eugenia: Stories from Jewish CubaAbraham and Eugenia: Stories From Jewish Cuba is a 1994 documentary directed by Bonnie Burt.-Summary:Embracing religion within a nation that looks down upon religious affiliations is challenging. One group that knows this first hand is the Jewish population of Cuba...
- Trip to Jewish CubaTrip to Jewish CubaTrip to Jewish Cuba is a 1995 short documentary film that follows an American-Jewish aid mission as it travels to Cuba to observe and help the island's Jewish community.-Summary:...