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Jamaican Jews ring in new year

Published:Saturday | September 11, 2010 | 12:00 AM
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Catherine May, a member of the The United Congregation of Israelites, joins spiritual leader Stephen Henriques at the tebah to light the candles at the start of service on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year 5771, on Wednesday evening. He reminded them that the new year was both celebratory and a time of personal reflection as Jews enter their high holy days. Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, will be observed next Saturday with the customary fasting and prayer at the synagogue at Duke and Charles streets, downtown Kingston. - photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Members of The United Congregation of Israelites chanting the Mourner's Kaddesh in remembrance of those who passed away in the preceding year. Among those present are (from left, foreground) Dr Marilyn Delevante, Richard Mitchell and Paul Matalon.
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Although the Jewish community in Jamaica has dwindled significantly over decades, the adherents of one of the world's oldest and major monotheistic religions, Judaism, continue to observe some time-tested traditions.

At sunset Wednesday, dozens of worshippers turned out at The United Congregation of Israelites synagogue in downtown Kingston on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the celebrations heralding the start of the Jewish New Year, which was marked on Thursday and yesterday.

The new cycle is Jewish Year 5771.

According to Ainsley Henriques, board member at the synagogue, Judaism has not taken root because it is not as evangelical as Christianity, the dominant religious force in Jamaica with more than one million adherents.

"One of the things about a minority is they become assimilated. It is getting smaller and has been doing that for the last 200 years," said Henriques.

"Jews don't normally proselytise, we don't seek converts. But we do have a few persons studying to convert."

No rabbi available

He estimates there to be about 200 active Jews on the island.

One of the drawbacks for The United Congregation of Israelites is that it does not have a rabbi, an expert in Jewish religious tradition.

"With a small community, it's not really a career move," Henriques quipped, adding that older heads help teach and guide young converts.

While controversy has raged in the United States over the construction of a Muslim-owned high-rise, to include a mosque, in New York, and the Quran-burning threats of a Florida preacher, Henriques has praised the level of religious tolerance in Jamaica.

"One of the strengths of the Jamaican people is that we are extremely tolerant of people's beliefs. ... We must never sell ourselves short. We are extraordinarily unique; our ability to respect each other is incredible," he said.

Most Jews in Jamaica are secular, not Orthodox, Henriques told The Gleaner, adding that kosher restrictions are not widely held to, either because of cultural assimilation or a dietary landscape which does not facilitate adherence.