Description: Come journey back into time, to Havana, Cuba of the 1920s with author Aaron Hamburger, whose new book Hotel Cuba describes a little known chapter in Jewish immigration history.
Inspired by the true story of Hamburger's grandmother, the book brings to light the story of Jewish refugees from World War I and the Soviet Revolution who wanted to come to America but found the gates to Ellis Island closed to them as a result of new immigration laws passed in 1921 and then 1924. Instead, they headed to other New World destinations, including Havana, Cuba, which was also a haven for smugglers, draft dodgers, and tourists from America engaging in alcohol tourism because of Prohibition. Hamburger explores the various Jewish communities living in Cuba at the time, both Ashkenazi and Sephardic, as well as the efforts local Jews made to welcome this unexpected influx of newcomers, who nicknamed their new home "Hotel Cuba," seeing it as a temporary waystation en route to the Golden Land of the U.S. However, for many, Cuba was not just a waystation, but a new home in itself.
Hotel Cuba was named a best book of 2023 by Hadassah Magazine. It was also the Jewish Book Council’s January Book Club pick.
Hotel Cuba will be available for purchase. All book sale proceeds will be donated to the Jewish Federation of Greater Raleigh.
