Thirty members of the Temple Habonim community recently returned from a religious mission trip to Cuba.

During their time on the island, Temple Habonim members visited museums, toured a cigar factory and stopped by Ernest Hemingway's home. They also attended concerts and dance performances, but the primary goal of the trip was to visit five different Jewish communities in Cuba. 

The local residents stopped by a community worship space located in a private living room and also visited a large synagogue. 

"…we prayed together, learned their histories, listened to their stories, and distributed medical supplies and other needed gifts we brought along with us," wrote Temple Habonim Rabbi Andrew Klein. "The Jewish communities we visited dispense the donated items to all people who are in need, whether they are Jewish or not. And in Cuba, many people are in great need."

Rabbi Klein said the people they met during their trip to Cuba were very welcoming.

"The communities were gracious and grateful — making us feel at home and even feeding us lavishly when it was clear that they were of most modest means," he wrote. "Despite the poverty of so many Cubans, we encountered a very strong Cuban identity, great joy among the people, and a very strong and proud Jewish identity among our host communities."