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■JNM '» I I I I IVMSI NM III I iIOS llll IIHV <f»V«l L'Shana Tova to the House of Israel Jewish ghosts of Jamaica May the New Year Brir>g Peace and Happiness Issachar Katzir Consul General of Israel L’SHANA TOVA ~Best w ishes to alL for a V«th } ear of Good Health and Joy in a world blessed *ith peace. “M ith special appreciation to the friends and supporters of our agency. ~ JEWISH CHILDREN S SERVICE • Formerty Hebrew Orpkani H->mt 1<*5 PEACHTREE ROAD ATLANTA. GEORGIA Fritri L-ainoff Minis Z. BoctlkA Executht Secnrur} Presides: b? Charles Chi Hale'? j icr: are co£j — Ji— b ;._c >i; :: see ~ ; ce r*s :z :zc 3 da<c -hr*:;_rsr_- : - ~r. * £ i. -art ?i__s Vu} rw s er. Ji — t ca -.s dSZ - * ICC £ ~ ~ ' - i£ Srrxsr. ut.cz Tires- iixfi r*n “eei*:>: :: :a.*j '.zir ire M- :zdst. VLtrur* gr-’enansat vac c: . * £ :c tin ire Car. r rear T-incm uire Se-axa roc x’k ;- n«c then* fea.-. rcr :>v Jews ra t Greetings for the New Year The Jewish Tower 3160 Howell Mill Road. \.\\. Atlanta. Georgia Myron Go! Administrs — The sy nigogue of Kingston. Jamaica, built in 1911. a replica of an earlier s'nagogue built on the same site. -y-e Jew j of J arnaica acre ‘killed -r.i i.r. dress - says Leslie Nshen- -r.n_ a c -ecior of Jamaica's larg- !s‘. tr.eGleaner “There _i>: cti.erre cd.ee here that inter- — -:± ir.t assimilation naturally folowec Tn.r.gs hase been made toe easy for as. so there's no need Ashenheim himself is part of Jamaica's r.ch Jewish legacy. His bexher. 5m N'eviUe Ashenhetm. is a— er cam.nr. minister and leader :: tre Senate, while the late Joseph \snenne.m was one of the mcor- r-craters of the Gleaner when it i* as sold in 159" “Jewish families has e aiw ays been a■ e .r the Gleaner.” say s Leslie Ns rennrmn. pointing to such Gleaner ton teens as Jacob and Joshua De Cerees a the former also a founder :: w act. Texas . and others named Myers. Nathan and Deigado. all + hy r.a.s Jamaica been so good :c its Jews' Many feel that the answt: £-*■> back to Columbus. « no c stos tred Jamaica and had it a • J- to n.m by the vine and queen :: >pacn. as res personal tiefdom. m:m; scholars, including Nazi- S.mon W leser.tnal. beliese Columbus himself was Jew- * Marrano Mc»st scholars con- ce-ni ma: some o: Columbus' crew -er; Marranos arm that his inter- ?*r.;r. Luis de Torres, was bap- tmeo . before Columbus sailed W natr-er his religion, it is a fact «• pfnmned the nxy Itkiucsxuon to taint Jamaica. om .entine the serpent of anti- ^ —**— ft cm poisoning this para- Jews % bo tour J amaioa will real- -—■* see.ng the friendliness of me nati.es arc also by sampling :? -nants of Jewish life and - te synagogue m Kington, the bri*ere o\er A' 1 percent of Jew» li\;. is located in a argrivrbooci that has seen better 4 i Tv I r w.*,.. 4 L — n congregation oi *.s.“ie_:es contains much beauty. ■ ■ ‘ oiCiiiC - Its floors are fc -- a custom found re-rars .r o®h s.\ ^ ‘ -c- lsla-c> - re Ni.rc naras “er p.aces in ues in Cura- Nmsterdam. omas m the k -o >e\ eral “s to Ernest De Souza, a layman who is the “acting rabbi” of the community. “It reminds us.” says De Souza, "of the first Tabernacle, which was in the wilderness, and also of the promise God made to Abraham — that his decendants would be nu merous as the stars in the sky and the sand by the sea.” A more sinister explanation. De Souza points out. is that the sand was placed on the floor to remind the worshippers of the time when they were Marranos. Forced by the Inquisition to convert to Christian ity. many Jews secretly conducted religious ceremonies in sand-tilled cellars. The Kingston synagogue, which attracts about 100 worshippers on holidays and special occasions, is Conservative with a mix of Reform Tallit and kipa are worn, but an organ is used. too. Women are becoming more prominent in the congregation; not only can they be called up to the Torah for an aiiya. but recently the synagogue's first woman director w as elected and inducted into office This may not be due so much to militant feminism as it is to the recognition of the fact that more w omen than men come to sen ices Sephardic roots are presen ed in both ritual and cuisine, says Geof frey de Sola Pinto, a Sephardic Jamaican, although many ot the original Sephardic recipes ha\ e been lost o\er the years On Sukkot. for example, a cen turies-old Spanish-Jewish hymn called Bendigamos (blessings' is sung, and some of the Sephardic sty le Torah scrolls in the Kingston shul are adorned with sih er crow ns that are over 400 years old Many of these came from the first Span ish and Portuguese synagogue, con secrated in the early P00s There are other items of interest in Jamaica, of course, but its t*o treasures are its people and its cli mate. the latter esoking ancestral memories of Eden and the former providing their own sunshine Friendly, open and hospitable. Ja maican Jews welcome visitors and are eager to share their ora! history of the island's Jewish community Considering how tew Jews remain in Jamaica, it would be a good idea tor more Jews to visit this alluring island and learn as much as they can \\ hile they can