Casa Bacardi and the Man Behind it All

I visited Casa Bacardi today.  No, I wasn’t having a drink and no, it’s not a bar.  Although you can watch an informational video about  how Cubans make their tasty rum in the “Cuban Products Pavillion,” the Casa Bacardi House is an interactive welcome center of sorts for anyone who is looking to delve into  Cuban culture and history.  The Bacardi house was built as a part of UM’s Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (with money donated from the Bacardi Family), and is filled with a variety of rooms  like the “Cuban Information Center”, which has a giant black and white photograph on the back wall of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders galloping through a crowded Cuban street in 1898.  Another room in Casa Bacardi was the Music Pavillion intended to play Cuban music for guests and houses different musical instruments. There is also a theater for movie screenings and an auditorium… All of this to further one of the Institute’s main goals: outreach to the Cuban community.   

It is Casa Bacardi where I had my first encounter with the Cuban culture.  It is a place worth a visit if you ever have the time.  If you’re interested, Casa Bacardi is located on campus at the University of Miami- 1531 Brescia Avenue. 

The second goal of the Institute for Cuban and Cuban- American Studies (ICCAS)  is to conduct research on Cuba.  The research portion of Casa Bacardi consists of a long office-filled corridor, where one of the doors opens to an office for the Governor of Florida, Charlie Crist who doesn’t visit quite as much as former governor Jeb Bush used to.  But I believe the more important office in that hallway belongs to Dr. Jaime Suchlicki, whom I had the pleasure of meeting with my partner Josh this morning.  He is a fascinating and wise man, who made me feel completely comfortable while we sat and chatted with him on his brown leather couch.

Dr. Jaime Suchlicki, a Cuban Jew, is the Founder and Director of the ICCAS and a man with quite a story.  As we sat on his couch , Suchlicki told us a tale of young man who worked for the Cuban government and found himself quite disillusioned with it all.  He joined an underground anti-Castro group and decided to leave in 1960 because he felt that it was be too dangerous to stay any longer.  He was 19 and eventually made his way to Miami Beach. 

Today, Suchlicki continues his work for ICCAS, and also consults for the US government on issues related to Cuba.  He is highly regarded and appreciated for his Cuban expertise and  the walls of his office are covered in photographs of Suchlicki posing with public officials such as Henry Kissinger and Bill Clinton.  A slideshow of his office will be posted on our Millenium Beat website soon and I will follow with a link as soon as that happens.  The rest of Jaime Suchlicki’s  story will be written. ( I don’t want to give too much away because I’m considering writing a profile on Dr. Suchlicki for our first general assignment story and I need to having you coming back for more!)

But, Dr.  Suchlicki wasn’t the only Cuban Jew to leave Havana during a tumultuous time.  Between 1960 and 1961, around 9,000-10,000 Jews left Cuba and settled in either Miami, New York, or Puerto Rico.  There are approximately 800 Jews left living in Cuba.  Dr.  Suchlicki said that at one point in time, most of the “Jubans” could be found in Miami Beach, but they have begun to disperse over the years.  There are still, however, several temples in Miami Beach that are well-known for their Cuban congregations like Temple Moses, Temple Menorah, and Temple Beth Shmuel. 

Josh and I hope to attend synagogue this weekend and meet with the Rabbi of the Cuban Hebrew Congregation.  I believe it is here where will begin meeting families who have stories of their culture and experience, family history, and every day lives just waiting to be told.  

Until next time…