Ginny Milgrom collected memories of Cuban émigrés — Jerusalem Post
Cuban-American researcher, historian and author Ginny Milgrom collected personal memories of people who left the island as children after the 1959 revolution in her book The Cuba We Lost: Voices From The Last Days Of Freedom. The publication covers the period from the flight of President Fulgencio Batista on January 1, 1959, to the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1962, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Memories of the events of 1959
The book contains testimonies from people who left Cuba with their parents or without part of their family. Milgrom writes that working on these stories brought back events and emotions that had remained hidden in her memory for more than six decades. The episodes described include accounts of children having their toys taken away and an explosion in a Cuban department store.
After Batista fled, rebel forces entered major cities, including Havana, and Fidel Castro arrived in the capital on January 8. An interim government headed by President Manuel Urrutia was formed. As noted in the excerpts, many Cubans then hoped for democratic elections, constitutional government and the restoration of political freedoms.
The story of Perla Abrams' family
One of the book's heroines, Perla Abrams, née Ziegenhirt, said that her uncle, Santiago Rey Perna, was a member of Batista's cabinet, while her father served as a police captain and was his assistant. After the revolution, Perla's uncle, aunt and father hid in the Chilean embassy and later made their way to that country.
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Perla herself flew to Nassau with her mother and brothers, and later reunited with her family in Santiago de Chile. According to her, the family lived there for several months, then moved to Mexico City and later settled in Miami.
Abrams also recalls the family's life in Havana before the revolution, including the celebration of her cousin's 15th birthday. Her father and two cousins took part in the Bay of Pigs invasion and spent two years in prison. According to Abrams' recollections, the administration of U.S. President John Kennedy secured their release in exchange for agricultural equipment. She called the men's return to Miami in December 1962 the happiest day in her family's history.
Milgrom's book was published by Milgrom Publishing, has 300 pages and costs $20.
