The leadership of Cuba's Jewish community has denied having worked with the jailed American contractor Alan P. Gross, whose family claims he was on the island help Jewish organizations gain better access to the internet. Cuban authorities have accused Alan Gross of espionage, though they have not pressed charges despite keeping him in custody since he was detained a year ago.
Adela Dworin, president of Havana's Temple Beth Shalom and head of Cuba's largest Jewish organization, the Jewish Community House, told the Associated Press news agency that it was possible Gross came to the center as one of many foreign visitors it receives each year. However, she said she did not remember meeting him and he certainly was not doing any work with her organization. Mayra Levy, president of the Hebrew Sephardic Center of Cuba, also said "I never saw him. He never came here." While it is possible Gross was working with one of the other Jewish groups scattered across the island, the other organizations represent very small numbers of people. "As far as I know, none of the three synagogues [in the capital Havana] authorized any such activity," Dworin told AP.
Gross' wife Judy has denied that her husband was a spy and said that communications equipment he brought with him was intended for supporting the Jewish community, not for use by dissidents. Gross, a native of Potomac, Md., was working for a firm contracted by USAID when he was arrested. Senior Cuban leaders including President Raúl Castro have accused him of spying.
