The Charlotte Jewish News - May 2010 - Page 5
Jewish Traveler
By Maxine Silverstein
Aruba
Our December ten-night cruise
on the Ruby Princess was such a
relaxing trip.
Our final port was Aruba and
the Beth Israel Synagogue was
setting up for their Hanukkah cel
ebration while we were visiting.
What a treat to spend Hanukkah in
this beautiful Dutch port.
Dutch influence still lingers on
this balmy Caribbean island, part
of the Netherlands Antilles until
independence in 1986. Aruba is a
contrast; the island’s arid interior
is dotted with cactus and
windswept divi-divi trees, while
secluded coves and sandy beaches
form its coast. Aruba’s long and
colorful heritage is reflected in its
language. Called Papiamento, it is
a tongue that combines elements
of Spanish, French, Portuguese,
Dutch, African and English. Jews
have been recorded living in
Aruba since the 16th century. In
1754, Moses Solomon Levie
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Maxine with Rabbi Gurevich.
Maxine at Temple Beth Israel.
Maduro, a prominent member of a
Sephardic Jewish family in
Curacao, established himself in
Aruba, with his wife and six chil
dren. Maduro worked for the
Dutch West Indies Company and
founded the Aruba branch,
Maduro and Sons. In 1994,
Maduro and Sons celebrated 250
years of Jewish settlements by
their ancestors.
A small cemetery in
Oranjestad contains
eight gravestones dating
back to 1563.This ceme
tery is the only landmark
of the Jewish presence
in Aruba during the past
centuries. The commu
nity opened a Jewish
center in 1943-the
Jewish Country Club-
and four years later, with
the arrival of some
Holocaust survivors,
the community was offi
cially organized. By
1960, as many young
Jews left Aruba for the
United States, the Jewish
Country Club was
closed. On November 4,
1962, the Beth Israel
Synagogue was estab
lished in Oranjestad.
Both Beth Israel and the
Jewish Community of
Aruba share their place
of worship. Today the congrega
tion has about 75 members, plus
180 over-seas members. Due to its
small size, the synagogue blends
Sephardic and Ashkenazic tradi-
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* Dr. Avraham Yitzchak, an IDF major, immigrated to Israel from
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FEDERATION 5
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tions and cultures. We were
delighted to meet and tour the
facilities with Rabbi Mario
Gurevich. Originally from
Argentina, Rabbi Gurevich is a
fascinating man and is also a pilot
and physician.
Unfortunately we didn’t have
too much time to explore this
beautiful island. We did enjoy dis
covering Aruba’s perfect beaches
and incredibly clear aqua-blue
water We found some wonderful
hotels - the Hyatt Regency, the
Aruba Marriott and the Westin
Aruba. There is also great duty
free shopping and lots of gourmet
restaurants. There is even a kosher
restaurant the Kineret Aruba Glatt
Kosher Deli at the Playa Linda
Beach Resort. And there are lots
of casinos too! What a great place
to visit - we only wished we had
more time here. But we will defi
nitely go back for a longer stay. ^
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