Cuba’s Forgotten Jewels explores the little-known story of the Jewish refugees who escaped Nazi-occupied Europe and found a safe haven on the Caribbean island of Cuba. 
After a wave of Jewish refugees to Cuba in the 1920’s and 30’s, the island shut its doors to immigrants, most notably to the Jews aboard the ship the St. Louis in 1939. In 1940, Cuba changed course and took in 6,000 Jewish refugees, including hundreds of Jewish diamond cutters and their families who, for a few years, turned the small tropical island into one of the world’s major diamond-polishing centers. In the factories, women work beside men, Jews beside Cubans.

Cuba’s Forgotten Jewels: A Haven in Havana Directors: Judy Kreith & Robin Truesdale NEW RELEASE - Book Now: Available for Film Festival & Event Screenings. Contact www.jewishfilm.org Cuba’s Forgotten Jewels explores the little known story of the Jewish refugees who escaped Nazi-occupied Europe and found a safe haven on the Caribbean island of Cuba. After initially shutting its doors to fleeing refugees, most notably to the Jews aboard the ship the St. Louis in 1939, Cuba changed course in 1940 and took in 6,000 Jewish refugees, including hundreds of Jewish diamond cutters and their families who, for a few years, turned the small tropical island into one of the world’s major diamond-polishing centers. In the factories, women work beside men, Jews beside Cubans. The film was born of the tales that Marion Kreith told her daughter Cuba’s Forgotten Jewels co-director Judy Kreith about her escape from Nazi-occupied Belgium and her teenage years in 1940s Havana. Marion and other refugees interviewed in the film recall their life in wartime Havana: the draw of Cuban food, music and dance, its language and people, and also the challenges they faced in this unfamiliar land. Shot on location in Cuba, boasting an original soundtrack that blends the pulsating music of Havana and Jewish melodies, Cuba’s Forgotten Jewels brings this colorful and uplifting piece of history to light.

Nationwide: Playing now at festivals and theaters.