Built in a baroque style in the early twentieth century, this spectacular hotel had once provided Kosher meals and friendly refuge for the many Jewish immigrants, tourists, and merchants who visited or lived in Havana. Empty and closed for decades, the hotel had just been inaugurated when I took my former student (now historian) Genesis Lara, my son, and Tío Tiki there in the summer of 2016. Although it did not offer Kosher meals, its manager impressed us with his knowledge of Jewish history in Cuba. That summer, the hotel’s spectacular interior and ornate mahogany bar drew dozens of diehard World Cup fans who came to Cuba just to watch commentary-free games around the clock and broadcast live. Old Havana, July 2016.
