Several thousand Havana Jews greeted Prof. Albert Einstein in the local Jewish Center on Friday, which Dr. Einstein visited while the “Belgenland,” on which he is traveling to California, was docked in Havana harbor. Children of the Jewish Center’s Hebrew School sang the “Hatikvah” and the Cuban national hymn when the famous scientist, accompanied by leaders of the Havana Jewish community, arrived in the Center building.
After a short speech of greeting by Fidor Valbe, director of the Jewish Center, Prof. Einstein said:
“I am deeply touched at your enthusiastic reception, and it is a pleasant surprise for me to see that Jewish immigrants in their new home are not forgetting the old homes which they left. It pleases me to see that the young generation of Cuban Jewry is being taught to remember the heritage handed down to it by an old, yet ever young, people.”
On the following day, a few hours before the “Belgenland” left Havana, Prof. Einstein received a delegation of the Cuban Jewish National Fund Committee, which consisted of Dr. Einstein and Messrs. Kurland, Kamioner and Valbe.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
