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January 14, 2009

Monopolists restrict the supply

The WSJ is reporting (Rites of Passage: In Cuba, a Revival in Judaism Leads Some to Israel) that because Israel welcomes Cuban Jews and will pay their fees, and the Cubans will let them leave, there has begun an influx of people with Jewish backgrounds seeking to convert.

The prospect of emigration is helping fuel a revival of sorts in Judaism in Cuba after a half-century of Communism. With as many as 30,000 Jews in the period just before World War II, Cuba's "Hebreo" enclave withered to around 1,000 individuals by the late 1980s. It's up to almost 1,500 today -- with hundreds of other recently departed Cuban Jews now living in Israel or Florida. For this community, that's a population explosion.

Now because Cuba is a tropical prison, conversion is a relatively inexpensive process for the hosting synagogue, and in the United States it only takes about 1 year, I'd think the Cubans Jews would be making it simple for people to convert and leave. But they are not.

The journey from Havana to Jerusalem, however, isn't easy. The process of converting to Judaism takes years and includes being approved by a council of elders at the synagogue and then an ordained rabbi. Since Cuba has none, usually converts have to wait for a visiting rabbi from Israel, Argentina or Chile. Last but not least, male converts have to submit to a ritual circumcision. In 2007, dozens of adult Cuban men underwent circumcision as part of their conversion process.

Not anyone can just walk into a synagogue and get a ticket out of Cuba. Usually, one needs a Jewish mother to be allowed into the fold. But the rules seem somewhat flexible: Mr. Castro, for instance, is becoming Jewish because his mother, 41, married a Jew -- the former head of the Sefaradí synagogue, José Levy, who is in his 70s.

Some of this may be a response to the Cuban Government. They may have to be strict to get the government to recognize the conversions or to avoid public outcry. On the other hand, if a religious group has a monopoly on a valuable resource, they could artificially restrict the supply to drive the price up. Not necessarly like the expensive Scientology classes, but in the form of larger study requirements, greater donations of time, and more conspicuous displays of faith. I'm not saying that that's happening here, but it would be consistent with the facts.

Posted by OneEyedMan at January 14, 2009 7:31 AM

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