Lox with Black Beans and Rice: Portraits of Cuban Jews in South Florida

Jewish Museum of Florida. Through Sept 26th, 2010.

altThe Cuban Jewish community in South Florida began with the 1959 communist revolution in Cuba; most Jews fled and started new lives. The thirty large format candid photographs by Randi Sidman-Moore include brief oral stories. They reflect the daily lives and holiday cycles rituals of these people and how they are different or similar to the larger society. These “Jewbans” are examples of diversity within one cultural landscape.

About twelve years ago, Miami photographer Randi Sidman-Moore was on a trip to Israel when she ended up in a bus with Cuban Jews from Miami. “They had me in tears they were so funny,” the photojournalist recalls. “The other Jews were so quiet, but they were having a party on the bus. They introduced me to a whole subculture.” Sidman-Moore says she knew immediately that she wanted to explore the lives of Cuban Jews, to tell in photographs the story of what makes them different from other Jews, and different from other Cubans. The project took five years to complete, funded with grants from the Palm Beach Community Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and Florida Atlantic University, which first exhibited the photographs.

Sidman-Moore grew up in New York. She studied photography at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, and at Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy. She moved to Florida in 1995.Through Sept 26th, 2010

Jewish Museum of Florida
301 Washington Ave
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305.672.5044
www.jewishmuseum.com

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.